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“Welcome to Marathon,” Marathon, Florida KeysPhoto: Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Marathon · FEMA

FEMA puts Marathon’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marathon gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #590 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (77%), then coastal flooding (19%). Flood insurance has paid 2,134 claims here since 1998.

Hurricanes 77%Coastal flooding 19%River and rain flooding 4%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#590 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D−#590 of 638
in Florida · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2,134
paid since 1998 · $113M
Flooded more than once
189
properties · 39 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
20% off
Community discount (class 6)

What stands out about Marathon’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

2,134 paid flood claims since 1998$113M in all; 189 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 99% of U.S. towns.20% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Marathon residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6).Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 18.6% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants34 buildings retrofitted against wind; 3 homes raised above flood level; 1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Marathon faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

77%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Coastal flooding

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 River and rain flooding Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Marathon’s grade

Hurricanes are 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marathon, and Marathon’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 19%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Marathon sits
Marathon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #590 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Marathon’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes77%Coastal flooding19%River and rain flooding4%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Marathon has more expected damage per building than 92% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.7M a year in losses across Marathon: $9.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 5,723 aid registrations from Marathon addresses (the town has 6,492 homes) and flood insurance paid 1,121 claims for $73.9M.
A small-area figure. Marathon covers 5 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Marathon flood? Yes: 2,134 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Marathon, from FEMA’s records: 328.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 117 claims1999: 15 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 838 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 3 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 4 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 1,135 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 12 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820052017
19982026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma1,121 claims · $73.9M
  • Hurricane Wilma812 claims · $34.7M
  • Hurricane Georges (Keys)112 claims · $1.8M
2,134
paid claims since 1998
$113M
paid to owners
189
homes flooded more than once
$53K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 4 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (39)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount20% off flood insurance

Marathon is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Monroe County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
34buildings retrofitted against wind
3homes raised above flood level
1storm safe room built
Disasters

15 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Marathon

Disasters that paid out in Marathon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Marathon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2022Hurricane Ian155 households applied for aid$61K aid approved12 flood claims paid for it, $581K
  2. 2017Hurricane Irma5,723 households applied for aid$17.9M aid approved$19.3M to the City of Marathon for repairs1,121 flood claims paid for it, $73.9M
  3. 2012Hurricane Isaac$162K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Lee$14K to the City of Marathon for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2008Hurricane Ike$108K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  6. 2008Tropical Storm Fay$796K to the City of Marathon for repairs
Show all 15
  1. 2005Hurricane Wilma2,142 households applied for aid$4.0M aid approved$6.3M to the City of Marathon for repairs812 flood claims paid for it, $34.7M
  2. 2005Tropical Storm Rita$236K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina$264K to the City of Marathon for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $131K
  4. 2005Hurricane Dennis$490K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  5. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$9K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  6. 2004Hurricane Ivan$7K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  7. 2004Hurricane Frances1 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$2K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  8. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley11 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$7K to the City of Marathon for repairs
  9. 2003Snow$17K to the City of Marathon for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MarathonMonroe County only

Monroe County has had 35 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Monroe County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

Old photos of Marathon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Marathon archive →
Next door

Marathon and its neighbors

Marathon has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Key Colony Beach: not gradedKey Colony BeachMarathon
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MarathonD−more damage than 96%hurricanes2,134
Key Colony Beach—511 residents; we grade 1,000+

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Marathon faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
  • Marathon residents get 20% off flood insurance.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Marathon

Is Marathon at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marathon has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #590 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (77%) and coastal flooding (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Marathon flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2,134 claims in Marathon since 1998, $113M in all, or 328.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 189 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (1,121).

Is Marathon in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Monroe County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 58.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Marathon?

Marathon is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Marathon?

By FEMA money that reached Marathon, Hurricane Irma (2017): 5,723 households applied for aid, $17.9M approved, and $19.3M to the City of Marathon for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1,121 paid, $73.9M.

Is Marathon at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Marathon’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marathon.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marathon’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.