Dare County, NC: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Dare County scores at the 86.8th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively High" — well above the national norm for flood hazard. The hazard here is driven by coastal storm surge rather than inland rivers — FEMA's model puts a surge event here at about 2.9 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
Out of 8,571 homes FEMA counts inside Dare County's mapped flood zone, 7,197 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 84% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 39.7% of all residential structures in Dare County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Dare County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Dare County ranks 437 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1231 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Dare County, North Carolina is home to about 38,183 people across 383.229 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Dare County
12,409 of Dare County's 31,280 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Dare County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. Dare County's coastal exposure is covered in the coastal vs. inland flood risk guide, including how storm surge risk differs from river flooding.