How much flood risk does Marion County actually carry?
Marion County lands at the 93th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Moderate" territory — a middling flood hazard by national standards — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 1 years. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Marion County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 7,895 homes FEMA counts inside Marion County's mapped flood zone, 1,728 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 21.9% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Marion 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.
Marion County against the rest of the country
Marion County sits at rank 236 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 176 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 428,905 people live in Marion County, Florida, spread over 1,588.443 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Marion County
FEMA counts 171,467 residential structures in Marion County overall, 3,398 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 Marion 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.