Is Howard County, MD in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Howard County's flood hazard at the 78.1th 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 2.6 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.
Howard County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 246 homes FEMA counts inside Howard County's mapped flood zone, 232 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 94.3% compliance, among the stronger rates FEMA reports. Across all residential structures in Howard County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.8% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Howard County against the rest of the country
Howard County sits at rank 717 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 218 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Howard County, Maryland is home to about 339,668 people across 250.95 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Howard County
816 of Howard County's 99,025 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 Howard 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.