Is Essex County, NJ in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Essex County's flood hazard at the 98.8th percentile nationally — well above the national norm for flood hazard — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 3.1 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 3,710 homes FEMA counts inside Essex County's mapped flood zone, 1,873 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 50.5% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Essex County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1.9% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Essex County against the rest of the country
Essex County sits at rank 44 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 68 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Essex County, New Jersey is home to about 881,527 people across 126.082 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Essex County's average
2,803 of Essex County's 146,486 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 Essex 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.