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Flood insurance cost · New Castle County, DE

Flood insurance cost in New Castle County, Delaware

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,542 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

New Castle County, DelawarePolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,194a year

Half of insured homes paid between $774 and $1,596. That is 4% more than the Delaware median ($1,145). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (54%).

$0$774 · $1,194 · $1,596$1,995
+15.8% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,031)
1,542home policies in force
$1,405average cost (mean)
56%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$250,000median 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 New Castle 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		$1,480$1,088–$2,075$1,794826 (54%)+11.8%
Zone A
High risk		$1,200$970–$1,556$1,65127 (2%)+12.7%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$873$578–$1,202$923686 (44%)+1.7%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): VE, AO, AH, 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 New Castle County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home1,436$1,184$1,390
2–4 unit building54$1,621$1,923
Condo or apartment unit47$1,018$1,253
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.		42$5,354$10,992
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		253$3,553$5,201

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

1,837NFIP policies in force, any building
2,543insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
73%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: New Castle 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 force1,6571,542−6.9%
Median annual cost$1,031$1,194+15.8%
Average annual cost$1,294$1,405+8.6%
All policies in force (any building)1,9661,837−6.6%

How many homes have flood insurance?

0.9%of all homes in New Castle County have an NFIP policy
44.5%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
181,854residential buildings counted by FEMA
2,006of 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 New Castle County, Delaware have filed 1,576 flood claims. 1,191 received a payment, for a total of $51.7 million (an average of $43,393 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2003 (263 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01002003004001978: 25 claims, 20 paid, $105,771 in total1979: 22 claims, 15 paid, $76,335 in total1980: 21 claims, 19 paid, $176,705 in total19801983: 14 claims1984: 12 claims1985: 12 claims1989: 91 claims, 70 paid, $1,026,132 in total19901992: 19 claims, 12 paid, $90,383 in total1994: 17 claims, 11 paid, $255,946 in total1996: 18 claims, 12 paid, $358,747 in total1999: 217 claims, 171 paid, $7,221,542 in total19992000: 22 claims, 17 paid, $444,989 in total20002003: 263 claims, 221 paid, $18,138,163 in total20032004: 135 claims, 111 paid, $6,286,540 in total2006: 20 claims, 12 paid, $411,814 in total2007: 16 claims, 10 paid, $83,688 in total2008: 18 claims, 15 paid, $113,017 in total2010: 44 claims, 36 paid, $1,077,744 in total20102011: 169 claims, 128 paid, $3,897,029 in total20112012: 65 claims, 47 paid, $814,321 in total2013: 24 claims, 12 paid, $185,485 in total2014: 45 claims, 30 paid, $657,678 in total2018: 11 claims, 11 paid, $161,465 in total2020: 56 claims, 44 paid, $1,347,284 in total20202021: 106 claims, 96 paid, $8,006,277 in total2023: 10 claims2024: 11 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 (27)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
202411<10––
202310<10––
202110696$8,006,277$83,399
20205644$1,347,284$30,620
20181111$161,465$14,679
20144530$657,678$21,923
20132412$185,485$15,457
20126547$814,321$17,326
2011169128$3,897,029$30,446
20104436$1,077,744$29,937
20081815$113,017$7,534
20071610$83,688$8,369
20062012$411,814$34,318
2004135111$6,286,540$56,635
2003263221$18,138,163$82,073
20002217$444,989$26,176
1999217171$7,221,542$42,231
19961812$358,747$29,896
19941711$255,946$23,268
19921912$90,383$7,532
19899170$1,026,132$14,659
198512<10––
198412<10––
198314<10––
19802119$176,705$9,300
19792215$76,335$5,089
19782520$105,771$5,289

From 2016 to 2026: 194 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

Unincorporated New Castle County (843 home policies) · Wilmington (234 home policies) · New Castle (165 home policies) · Delaware City (114 home policies) · Newark (97 home policies) · Elsmere (45 home policies)