Is Monroe County, MI in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Monroe County's flood hazard at the 87.4th 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 1.3 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Monroe County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Monroe 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, 19.3% of them do — 727 active policies against 3,764 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Monroe County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Monroe County compares nationally
Monroe County sits at rank 413 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 451 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Monroe County, Michigan covers 549.358 square miles and counts roughly 156,045 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Monroe County
FEMA counts 58,701 residential structures in Monroe County overall, 822 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 Monroe 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.