How much flood risk does Barnstable County actually carry?
Barnstable County lands at the 94.6th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Very High" territory — among the highest flood hazard in the country — with the hazard split between inland river flooding (about 1.1 times a year) and coastal storm surge (about 4.8 times a year). County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
40.3% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Barnstable County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 5,449 policies against 13,520 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Barnstable County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 5.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Barnstable County against the rest of the country
Barnstable County sits at rank 186 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 308 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Barnstable County, Massachusetts covers 394.185 square miles and counts roughly 232,570 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Barnstable County
Across all of Barnstable County's 137,774 residential structures, 7,485 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Barnstable County's numbers. Because storm surge plays a real role here, the guide to coastal vs. inland flood hazard is worth reading alongside this page.