Is Forsyth County, NC in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Forsyth County's flood hazard at the 94.7th 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 1.6 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.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Forsyth County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 44.5% of them do — 211 active policies against 474 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Forsyth 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.
Where Forsyth County ranks
Forsyth County sits at rank 181 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 193 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 398,143 people live in Forsyth County, North Carolina, spread over 408.046 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Forsyth County
FEMA counts 135,863 residential structures in Forsyth County overall, 541 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Forsyth 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.