Is San Juan County, NM in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts San Juan County's flood hazard at the 92.4th 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 1.4 times a year. 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
Out of 1,466 homes FEMA counts inside San Juan County's mapped flood zone, 91 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 6.2% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in San Juan 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.
San Juan County against the rest of the country
San Juan County sits at rank 257 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 532 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). San Juan County, New Mexico covers 5,517.23 square miles and counts roughly 120,817 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in San Juan County
FEMA counts 46,345 residential structures in San Juan County overall, 135 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 San Juan 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.