Is Union County, NC in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Union County's flood hazard at the 92.5th 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 2.4 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Union County
Out of 196 homes FEMA counts inside Union County's mapped flood zone, 115 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 58.7% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Union County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Union County against the rest of the country
Union County sits at rank 253 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 279 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Union County, North Carolina covers 632.739 square miles and counts roughly 263,386 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Union County
Across all of Union County's 82,425 residential structures, 354 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 Union 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.