Is Otero County, NM in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Otero County's flood hazard at the 88.6th 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 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Otero County
Out of 5,212 homes FEMA counts inside Otero County's mapped flood zone, 688 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 13.2% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Otero County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 2.7% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Otero County against the rest of the country
Otero County sits at rank 376 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 790 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Otero County, New Mexico covers 6,612.562 square miles and counts roughly 69,711 residents.
Checking a specific address in Otero County
Across all of Otero County's 28,117 residential structures, 757 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Otero 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.