How much flood risk does Barry County actually carry?
Barry County lands at the 58.9th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Low" territory — below the national norm for flood hazard — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 2 years. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Barry County's flood-insurance compliance gap
10.7% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Barry County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 150 policies against 1,407 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Barry County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Barry County compares nationally
Barry County sits at rank 1350 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 853 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Barry County, Michigan is home to about 64,025 people across 553.104 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Barry County
181 of Barry County's 36,691 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Barry County's numbers. The guide to what the Special Flood Hazard Area actually means explains why the mandatory-insurance rule exists and who it applies to.