How much flood risk does Washington County actually carry?
Washington County lands at the 74.6th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Moderate" territory — a middling flood hazard by national standards — with the hazard driven by coastal storm surge rather than inland rivers — FEMA's model puts a surge event here at about 11.3 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.
Washington County's flood-insurance compliance gap
14% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Washington County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 40 policies against 286 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Washington County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.7% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Washington County ranks
Washington County sits at rank 836 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1406 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 31,383 people live in Washington County, Maine, spread over 2,562.726 square miles.
Your street may differ from Washington County's average
Across all of Washington County's 14,236 residential structures, 95 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 Washington County's numbers. Because storm surge plays a real role here, the guide to coastal vs. inland flood hazard is worth reading alongside this page.