Walsh County, ND flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Walsh County sits at the 35.4th national percentile, below the national norm for flood hazard; driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.6 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 Walsh County
3.2% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Walsh County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 39 policies against 1,202 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 1% of all residential structures in Walsh County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Walsh County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Walsh County ranks 2094 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2392 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Walsh County, North Dakota is home to about 10,214 people across 1,281.607 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Walsh County
46 of Walsh County's 4,780 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Walsh 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.