Is Haywood County, NC in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Haywood County's flood hazard at the 83.6th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.1 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Haywood County
Out of 2,214 homes FEMA counts inside Haywood County's mapped flood zone, 588 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 26.6% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Haywood County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Haywood County ranks
Haywood County sits at rank 539 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 863 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Haywood County, North Carolina is home to about 63,048 people across 553.56 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Haywood County
695 of Haywood County's 34,278 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 Haywood 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.