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North Carolina inland flooding risk

100 counties scored 0 rated Very High

Mecklenburg County has the highest inland flooding risk in North Carolina, scoring 99 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded inland flooding events across North Carolina have decreased 16% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.

# County NRI score Rating NOAA events
2016–2026
1 Mecklenburg County 99 Relatively High 30
2 Wake County 97.7 Relatively High 169
3 Guilford County 96.6 Relatively High 66
4 Forsyth County 94.7 Relatively High 26
5 Union County 92.5 Relatively Moderate 12
6 Durham County 92.4 Relatively Moderate 46
7 Cabarrus County 92.2 Relatively Moderate 22
8 Buncombe County 91.7 Relatively Moderate 18
9 Davidson County 91.5 Relatively Moderate 30
10 New Hanover County 89.9 Relatively Moderate 57
11 Wilkes County 89.7 Relatively Moderate 35
12 Wayne County 89.3 Relatively Moderate 26
13 Cumberland County 89.2 Relatively Moderate 41
14 Gaston County 88.5 Relatively Moderate 9
15 Pitt County 87.7 Relatively Moderate 43
16 Brunswick County 87.6 Relatively Moderate 70
17 Johnston County 87.1 Relatively Moderate 33
18 Iredell County 86.6 Relatively Moderate 11
19 Robeson County 86.4 Relatively Moderate 25
20 Orange County 85.5 Relatively Moderate 55
21 Catawba County 85.1 Relatively Moderate 18
22 Randolph County 84.8 Relatively Moderate 23
23 Rowan County 84.8 Relatively Moderate 11
24 Henderson County 84 Relatively Moderate 31
25 Alamance County 83.9 Relatively Moderate 25
26 Haywood County 83.6 Relatively Moderate 5
27 Jackson County 83.2 Relatively Moderate 7
28 Lincoln County 83.2 Relatively Moderate 6
29 Rockingham County 83 Relatively Moderate 44
30 Nash County 82.5 Relatively Moderate 12
31 Watauga County 80.3 Relatively Moderate 61
32 Burke County 79.3 Relatively Moderate 33
33 Rutherford County 79.2 Relatively Moderate 15
34 Lenoir County 79.1 Relatively Moderate 29
35 Caldwell County 79 Relatively Moderate 30
36 Onslow County 78.6 Relatively Moderate 31
37 Surry County 77.3 Relatively Moderate 51
38 Wilson County 77.2 Relatively Moderate 26
39 Ashe County 76.8 Relatively Moderate 29
40 Moore County 76.4 Relatively Moderate 28
41 Edgecombe County 76.1 Relatively Moderate 13
42 Craven County 76 Relatively Moderate 10
43 Cleveland County 75.2 Relatively Moderate 8
44 Chatham County 74.4 Relatively Moderate 18
45 Harnett County 73.9 Relatively Moderate 24
46 Halifax County 73.4 Relatively Moderate 8
47 McDowell County 72.5 Relatively Low 39
48 Lee County 71.7 Relatively Low 12
49 Macon County 70.8 Relatively Low 7
50 Stanly County 69.9 Relatively Low 40
51 Pender County 69.7 Relatively Low 41
52 Sampson County 69.6 Relatively Low 35
53 Cherokee County 67.9 Relatively Low 5
54 Transylvania County 67.1 Relatively Low 31
55 Duplin County 66.4 Relatively Low 36
56 Bladen County 65.7 Relatively Low 42
57 Granville County 65.2 Relatively Low 10
58 Columbus County 64.6 Relatively Low 38
59 Avery County 64.4 Relatively Low 10
60 Carteret County 64.2 Relatively Low 37
61 Swain County 62.5 Relatively Low 7
62 Alexander County 60.3 Relatively Low 8
63 Davie County 58.6 Relatively Low 4
64 Beaufort County 58.3 Relatively Low 11
65 Stokes County 58 Relatively Low 24
66 Richmond County 57.6 Relatively Low 8
67 Scotland County 56.4 Relatively Low 9
68 Franklin County 56 Relatively Low 23
69 Warren County 55.9 Relatively Low 9
70 Montgomery County 55.6 Relatively Low 8
71 Yancey County 55.4 Relatively Low 8
72 Vance County 55.2 Relatively Low 10
73 Martin County 55 Relatively Low 9
74 Person County 54.5 Relatively Low 11
75 Yadkin County 53.2 Relatively Low 19
76 Anson County 51.3 Relatively Low 12
77 Hertford County 50.9 Relatively Low 7
78 Dare County 50.3 Relatively Low 26
79 Pasquotank County 47.6 Relatively Low 19
80 Madison County 46.8 Relatively Low 6
81 Polk County 46.7 Relatively Low 15
82 Bertie County 46.4 Relatively Low 13
83 Northampton County 44.7 Relatively Low 9
84 Clay County 43.8 Relatively Low 5
85 Hoke County 43.3 Relatively Low 10
86 Alleghany County 41.1 Relatively Low 12
87 Mitchell County 39.8 Relatively Low 8
88 Greene County 39.5 Relatively Low 21
89 Graham County 38 Relatively Low 0
90 Caswell County 37.7 Relatively Low 9
91 Jones County 28.5 Very Low 10
92 Currituck County 24.5 Very Low 28
93 Washington County 20.8 Very Low 1
94 Pamlico County 17.7 Very Low 4
95 Perquimans County 15.9 Very Low 8
96 Chowan County 13.9 Very Low 7
97 Gates County 13.8 Very Low 10
98 Hyde County 12.7 Very Low 7
99 Tyrrell County 8.5 Very Low 1
100 Camden County 6.3 Very Low 11

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.

Inland Flooding risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in North Carolina:

WildfireCoastal FloodingEarthquakeHeat WaveTornadoHurricaneHailStrong WindWinter WeatherIce StormCold WaveLightningDroughtLandslideAvalancheTsunamiVolcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest inland flooding risk county in North Carolina?

Mecklenburg County, NC has the highest inland flooding risk in North Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").

What causes inland flooding risk in North Carolina?

Inland flooding covers riverine and surface (pluvial) flooding — the most common and costly natural disaster type in the US. High scores appear across river floodplains in the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic, where legacy development in flood-prone areas and aging stormwater infrastructure concentrate risk.