Monroe County, AL: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Monroe County scores at the 42th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Low" — below the national norm for flood hazard. The hazard here is 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. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Monroe County
3.7% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Monroe County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 7 policies against 188 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.1% of all residential structures in Monroe County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Monroe County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Monroe County ranks 1885 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1881 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Monroe County, Alabama is home to about 19,057 people across 1,025.669 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Monroe County
FEMA counts 9,194 residential structures in Monroe County overall, 8 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
Where Monroe County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.