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Flood insurance cost · Jefferson County, AL

Flood insurance cost in Jefferson County, Alabama

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,095 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Jefferson County, AlabamaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,191a year

Half of insured homes paid between $839 and $1,636. That is 3% less than the Alabama median ($1,233). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (60%).

$0$839 · $1,191 · $1,636$2,045
+10.2% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,081)
1,095home policies in force
$1,348average cost (mean)
66%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$225,000median building coverage

This is what policyholders paid, not a quote. Two neighbors can pay very different prices: NFIP prices depend on the building (elevation, foundation, number of floors, replacement cost), the coverage and deductible chosen and the distance to water (FEMA FloodSmart: premium factors). For a price for your building, ask an insurance agent. Private flood insurance is not included in these figures.

Cost by flood zone in Jefferson County

The flood zone on FEMA's map is one of the main price factors. Median and middle half of what insured homes paid, by the zone used to rate the policy.

Flood zoneMedianMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)AveragePoliciesvs last year
Zone AE
High risk		$1,395$1,047–$1,969$1,586657 (60%)+6.6%
Zone A
High risk		$1,142$888–$1,605$1,35647 (4%)−1.2%
Zone AH
High risk, shallow		$1,288$858–$1,402$1,21614 (1%)+15.2%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$916$617–$1,198$938377 (34%)+3.7%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): VE, AO, A99/AR, D. Shares are of all insured homes; a few policies have no rated zone. "vs last year" compares medians with policies in force a year earlier.

Cost by type of building

All NFIP policies in force in Jefferson County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home1,067$1,188$1,353
2–4 unit building13$1,490$1,495
Condo or apartment unit11$498$615
Whole residential building (5+ units or condo association)
One policy covers the whole building, so the cost is much higher than for a single home.		37$1,820$3,493
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		284$2,849$3,834

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): manufactured (mobile) home.

1,416NFIP policies in force, any building
1,471insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
62%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Jefferson County

Policies in force on August 31, 2026 compared with a year earlier. Nationwide, practically all policies in both years carry FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 occupancy codes, so both years use the same pricing system. The policies are not the same: some were new, some lapsed.

Aug 31, 2025Aug 31, 2026Change
Home policies in force1,1911,095−8.1%
Median annual cost$1,081$1,191+10.2%
Average annual cost$1,267$1,348+6.4%
All policies in force (any building)1,5351,416−7.8%

How many homes have flood insurance?

0.5%of all homes in Jefferson County have an NFIP policy
13.1%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
241,933residential buildings counted by FEMA
5,592of them in high-risk zones

FEMA NFIP Residential Penetration Rates, data as of August 3, 2026: residential contracts in force divided by residential structures.

Flood claims history

Since 1978, NFIP policyholders in Jefferson County, Alabama have filed 2,890 flood claims. 2,284 received a payment, for a total of $47.4 million (an average of $20,772 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2003 (311 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01002003004001978: 10 claims1979: 262 claims, 228 paid, $1,975,581 in total19791980: 30 claims, 19 paid, $76,258 in total19801981: 20 claims1982: 143 claims, 86 paid, $280,215 in total1983: 261 claims, 212 paid, $1,940,458 in total19831989: 11 claims1990: 15 claims, 11 paid, $76,561 in total19901995: 73 claims, 51 paid, $969,519 in total1996: 69 claims, 60 paid, $395,442 in total1998: 56 claims, 36 paid, $211,320 in total1999: 85 claims, 69 paid, $1,571,172 in total2000: 128 claims, 109 paid, $1,710,827 in total20002001: 42 claims, 30 paid, $216,716 in total2002: 101 claims, 82 paid, $1,282,421 in total2003: 311 claims, 261 paid, $7,813,300 in total20032004: 220 claims, 187 paid, $2,897,868 in total2005: 37 claims, 21 paid, $509,147 in total2006: 20 claims, 15 paid, $311,185 in total2008: 10 claims2009: 36 claims, 25 paid, $230,847 in total2010: 12 claims20102011: 217 claims, 189 paid, $6,094,498 in total2012: 11 claims2013: 41 claims, 27 paid, $509,856 in total2014: 180 claims, 147 paid, $5,319,008 in total2015: 79 claims, 53 paid, $964,160 in total2017: 35 claims, 23 paid, $430,772 in total2018: 18 claims, 11 paid, $232,456 in total2020: 53 claims, 44 paid, $1,359,390 in total20202021: 162 claims, 146 paid, $6,609,779 in total2022: 53 claims, 46 paid, $1,979,660 in total2023: 13 claims
Flood claims per year of loss, 1978–2026. Years with fewer than 10 claims are left blank. Hover a bar for details.
All years with at least 10 claims (33)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
202313<10––
20225346$1,979,660$43,036
2021162146$6,609,779$45,272
20205344$1,359,390$30,895
20181811$232,456$21,132
20173523$430,772$18,729
20157953$964,160$18,192
2014180147$5,319,008$36,184
20134127$509,856$18,884
201211<10––
2011217189$6,094,498$32,246
201012<10––
20093625$230,847$9,234
200810<10––
20062015$311,185$20,746
20053721$509,147$24,245
2004220187$2,897,868$15,497
2003311261$7,813,300$29,936
200210182$1,282,421$15,639
20014230$216,716$7,224
2000128109$1,710,827$15,696
19998569$1,571,172$22,771
19985636$211,320$5,870
19966960$395,442$6,591
19957351$969,519$19,010
19901511$76,561$6,960
198911<10––
1983261212$1,940,458$9,153
198214386$280,215$3,258
198120<10––
19803019$76,258$4,014
1979262228$1,975,581$8,665
197810<10––

From 2016 to 2026: 334 claims (counting only years with at least 10). 2026 is a partial year. Claims are counted where the insured property is; they include buildings and contents, homes and businesses.

Main NFIP communities in the county

Birmingham (329 home policies) · Homewood (147 home policies) · Unincorporated Jefferson County (119 home policies) · Hoover (96 home policies) · Mountain Brook (78 home policies) · Bessemer (70 home policies)