How much is flood insurance? Actual premiums from federal policy records
Computed from FEMA’s public policy records as of June 1, 2026: the median annual NFIP premium is $813 in Florida, $852 in Texas, and $856 in Louisiana — the three states this site currently covers. Including federal fees and surcharges, the median total annual policy cost is $1,077 in Florida, $1,081 in Texas, and $1,084 in Louisiana. Half of policyholders in each state pay less than the median, half pay more, and the spread around it is wide, because since Risk Rating 2.0 every premium is priced to the individual building.
This guide reports figures for those three states only. This site does not publish a national average, because it has not yet computed one from the federal records.
Median vs. mean: read the skew
Two summary numbers appear throughout this site, and they tell different stories:
| State | Median premium | Mean premium | In-force policies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $813 | $1,355 | 1,548,838 |
| Texas | $852 | $973 | 575,587 |
| Louisiana | $856 | $1,007 | 400,338 |
In every state the mean sits well above the median. That is the signature of a skewed distribution: most policies are modest, and a minority of expensive policies — coastal, low-elevation, high-value buildings — pull the average up. Florida shows the widest gap ($813 median against a $1,355 mean), consistent with its concentration of coastal exposure. A “typical” policyholder experience is closer to the median; the mean is what the whole book of business costs per policy.
Premium vs. total policy cost
The premium is what FEMA’s rating engine produces for the building. What a policyholder actually pays adds federally set charges on top: the Reserve Fund assessment, the HFIAA surcharge ($25 for primary residences, $250 for other properties), and the federal policy fee. That is why this site reports both numbers — in Florida, for example, a $813 median premium becomes a $1,077 median total cost. When comparing figures across sources, checking which of these two definitions is in use removes most apparent contradictions.
What moves an individual premium
Under Risk Rating 2.0, FEMA prices each building on its own characteristics rather than by flood zone. The variables FEMA has published include:
- distance to the nearest flooding source, and the type of flooding it produces (river, rainfall ponding, coastal surge);
- ground elevation and the height of the first floor above it;
- the building’s replacement cost;
- construction details — foundation type, number of floors, presence of enclosures below the elevated floor;
- prior NFIP claims on the structure;
- chosen coverage amounts and deductibles.
Coverage tops out at the statutory limits: $250,000 building and $100,000 contents for a one-to-four-family residence. Renters insuring contents only, and owners of low-elevation coastal buildings, sit at opposite ends of the premium range for structural reasons, not zone labels.
Why an existing policy’s price differs from a new quote
Statutory transition rules cap how fast a renewal can move: most individual policies cannot increase more than 18% per year, so a building whose full-risk price is far above its current premium climbs toward it over years — the glide path. A buyer purchasing that building can, under NFIP rules, assume the seller’s existing policy and keep its position on the glide path rather than starting at the full-risk price.
Where to see local numbers
State-level medians hide local variation. This site publishes the same statistics for every eligible ZIP code — median and mean premium, total policy cost, and claim history — computed from the same federal records. Start from the state pages for Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, or look up a ZIP directly with the flood zone lookup tool. The methodology page documents how “in force” is defined and why these figures are an approximation of FEMA’s official in-force statistics.
Frequently asked questions
What does flood insurance cost per month in these states?
The federal records report annual premiums; the median annual figures above work out to roughly seventy to ninety dollars per month depending on the state, before the federal fees and surcharges that appear in the total policy cost figures.
Why is my quote so different from the median?
The median summarizes 1,548,838 very different Florida policies (and correspondingly large books in Texas and Louisiana). A specific building’s price reflects its own elevation, distance to water, replacement cost, and coverage choices. The median is a reference point, not an expectation.
Does the flood zone set the price?
Not anymore. Since Risk Rating 2.0, zones determine where the mandatory purchase rule applies, but the premium is computed from building-level variables. Two houses in the same zone can carry very different premiums.
Is private flood insurance priced the same way?
No. Private insurers file their own rates and forms; their prices are not in FEMA’s records and are not reported on this site. The structural differences are covered in NFIP vs. private coverage.
Are these numbers current?
They are computed from the OpenFEMA policy file with policies in force as of June 1, 2026, and refresh with each data update. Every page on this site shows its data vintage in the footer.
Sources
- OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP Redacted Policies (v2) — the record-level source for every figure above
- 42 U.S.C. §4015 (renewal increase caps); HFIAA surcharge at 42 U.S.C. §4015a
- FEMA: Risk Rating 2.0 methodology (rating variables)
- Flood Figures methodology — median/mean definitions, premium vs. policy cost