Benson County, ND: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Benson County scores at the 6.7th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Very Low" — among the lowest flood hazard in the country. The hazard here is driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.2 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Benson County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 1 homes FEMA counts inside Benson County's mapped flood zone, 1 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 100% compliance, among the stronger rates FEMA reports. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.4% of all residential structures in Benson County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Benson County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Benson County ranks 2945 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2755 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Benson County, North Dakota covers 1,388.555 square miles and counts roughly 5,756 residents.
Checking a specific address in Benson County
10 of Benson County's 2,511 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Benson County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.