Clinton County, MI: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Clinton County scores at the 51.5th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Low" — below the national norm for flood hazard. 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 once every 3 years. 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
Out of 491 homes FEMA counts inside Clinton County's mapped flood zone, 51 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 10.4% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.3% of all residential structures in Clinton County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Clinton County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Clinton County ranks 1590 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 729 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Clinton County, Michigan covers 567.349 square miles and counts roughly 80,050 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Clinton County
78 of Clinton County's 29,707 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Clinton 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.