Flood risk in Iowa
FEMA NFIP historical claims and active policies aggregated by county. Pick a county to see total paid, average claim amount, and active policy count.
Counties with claims
77
of 82 reporting
Total NFIP claims
2,283
Total claims paid
$50,434,770
Active policies
1,681
Highest flood risk counties
Claims per 1,000 housing units. Higher means a larger share of homes have a documented claim on file.
- 1.Fremont County33.99 / 1k
- 2.Cherokee County12.25 / 1k
- 3.Butler County8.73 / 1k
- 4.Mills County6.27 / 1k
- 5.Des Moines County6.14 / 1k
- 6.Lyon County5.89 / 1k
- 7.Buchanan County4.86 / 1k
- 8.Pottawattamie County4.76 / 1k
- 9.Tama County4.62 / 1k
- 10.Clay County4.43 / 1k
Lowest flood risk counties
Claims per 1,000 housing units, restricted to counties of at least 25,000 residents.
- 1.Warren County0.20 / 1k
- 2.Dallas County0.25 / 1k
- 3.Marion County0.30 / 1k
- 4.Cerro Gordo County0.51 / 1k
- 5.Boone County0.64 / 1k
- 6.Marshall County0.65 / 1k
- 7.Johnson County0.72 / 1k
- 8.Woodbury County0.87 / 1k
- 9.Jasper County0.89 / 1k
- 10.Polk County0.90 / 1k
Counties by historical claims
Sorted by total claims, highest first. Historical totals do not capture uninsured properties or future climate shifts.
- Scott County290 claims · moderate
- Linn County196 claims · moderate
- Polk County180 claims · low
- Pottawattamie County177 claims · moderate
- Black Hawk County163 claims · moderate
- Des Moines County106 claims · moderate
- Fremont County93 claims · high
- Cherokee County63 claims · high
- Muscatine County62 claims · moderate
- Story County55 claims · moderate
- Butler County51 claims · moderate
- Johnson County44 claims · low
- Dubuque County43 claims · moderate
- Buchanan County39 claims · moderate
- Woodbury County35 claims · low
- Wapello County35 claims · moderate
- Clinton County35 claims · moderate
- Bremer County33 claims · moderate
- Mills County33 claims · moderate
- Clay County32 claims · moderate
- Tama County31 claims · moderate
- Lyon County26 claims · moderate
- Clayton County26 claims · moderate
- Benton County26 claims · moderate
- Floyd County24 claims · moderate
- Delaware County23 claims · moderate
- Fayette County23 claims · moderate
- Jones County21 claims · moderate
- Harrison County21 claims · moderate
- Sioux County17 claims · moderate
- Lee County16 claims · moderate
- Winneshiek County16 claims · moderate
- Webster County15 claims · low
- Chickasaw County14 claims · moderate
- Monona County13 claims · moderate
- Jackson County13 claims · moderate
- Jasper County13 claims · low
- Louisa County12 claims · moderate
- Plymouth County12 claims · moderate
- Dallas County10 claims · low
- Marshall County10 claims · low
- Iowa County10 claims · moderate
- Cerro Gordo County10 claims · low
- Mitchell County9 claims · moderate
- Cedar County8 claims · moderate
- Washington County8 claims · low
- Dickinson County7 claims · low
- Allamakee County7 claims · moderate
- Boone County7 claims · low
- Hamilton County6 claims · low
- Van Buren County6 claims · moderate
- Howard County5 claims · moderate
- Mahaska County4 claims · low
- Warren County4 claims · low
- Ida County4 claims · moderate
- O'Brien County4 claims · low
- Marion County4 claims · low
- Union County3 claims · low
- Montgomery County3 claims · low
- Grundy County3 claims · low
- Taylor County2 claims · low
- Palo Alto County2 claims · low
- Humboldt County2 claims · low
- Hardin County2 claims · low
- Emmet County2 claims · low
- Worth County2 claims · low
- Guthrie County2 claims · low
- Kossuth County1 claims · low
- Madison County1 claims · low
- Henry County1 claims · low
- Page County1 claims · low
- Greene County1 claims · low
- Shelby County1 claims · low
- Franklin County1 claims · low
- Carroll County1 claims · low
- Appanoose County1 claims · low
- Wright County1 claims · low
- Audubon County0 claims · low
- Cass County0 claims · low
- Crawford County0 claims · low
- Poweshiek County0 claims · low
- Sac County0 claims · low
How to read this
Historical claims show where NFIP-insured properties have actually filed. They under-count uninsured properties and don't forecast future risk from climate, upstream development, or new mitigation projects. For parcel-specific flood-zone designations, use FEMA's Map Service Center.
Data sources
Disclaimer. HomeRule is not a real estate agent, lender, appraiser, or financial advisor. This content is for educational and informational purposes only. Actual costs vary significantly by property, location, and individual circumstances. Consult qualified professionals for personalized advice.