How much flood risk does McKenzie County actually carry?
McKenzie County lands at the 15.3th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Very Low" territory — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — 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 4 years. 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
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside McKenzie 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, 12.2% of them do — 11 active policies against 90 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in McKenzie County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.3% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
McKenzie County against the rest of the country
McKenzie County sits at rank 2694 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2103 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 14,782 people live in McKenzie County, North Dakota, spread over 2,760.133 square miles.
Checking a specific address in McKenzie County
11 of McKenzie County's 3,621 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 McKenzie 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.