How much flood risk does Erie County actually carry?
Erie County lands at the 99th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively High" territory — well above 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 3.6 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Erie County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 3,298 homes FEMA counts inside Erie County's mapped flood zone, 937 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 28.4% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Erie County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Erie County compares nationally
Erie County sits at rank 38 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 59 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Erie County, New York is home to about 950,602 people across 1,042.763 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Erie County
1,364 of Erie County's 316,416 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 Erie 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.