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Flood insurance cost · Sussex County, DE

Flood insurance cost in Sussex County, Delaware

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 13,956 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Sussex County, DelawarePolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,149a year

Half of insured homes paid between $769 and $1,561. That is about the same as the Delaware median ($1,145). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (60%).

$0$769 · $1,149 · $1,561$1,951
+8.9% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,055)
13,956home policies in force
$1,275average cost (mean)
70%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 Sussex 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 VE / V
High risk, coastal		$1,424$1,083–$1,813$1,515584 (4%)+4.3%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,330$976–$1,739$1,4738,417 (60%)+9.9%
Zone A
High risk		$708$610–$888$80059 (0%)+3.1%
Zone AO
High risk, shallow		$1,446$1,184–$1,779$1,524715 (5%)+9.0%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$727$555–$997$8064,181 (30%)+1.7%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): 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 Sussex County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home12,411$1,174$1,293
2–4 unit building104$1,374$1,414
Manufactured (mobile) home585$1,432$1,586
Condo or apartment unit856$702$780
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.		1,101$2,423$3,091
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		414$2,188$3,018
15,471NFIP policies in force, any building
21,590insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
83%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Sussex 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 force14,54513,956−4.0%
Median annual cost$1,055$1,149+8.9%
Average annual cost$1,180$1,275+8.1%
All policies in force (any building)16,06515,471−3.7%

How many homes have flood insurance?

12.7%of all homes in Sussex County have an NFIP policy
61.4%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
119,460residential buildings counted by FEMA
17,440of 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 Sussex County, Delaware have filed 4,312 flood claims. 3,208 received a payment, for a total of $35.7 million (an average of $11,137 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2012 (1,485 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

05001k1.5k2k1980: 18 claims, 13 paid, $84,777 in total19801982: 19 claims1983: 22 claims, 12 paid, $67,362 in total1984: 60 claims, 36 paid, $67,129 in total1985: 122 claims, 79 paid, $468,600 in total1989: 23 claims, 13 paid, $183,524 in total19901991: 107 claims, 60 paid, $135,788 in total1992: 672 claims, 511 paid, $5,030,218 in total19921993: 38 claims, 13 paid, $54,457 in total1994: 104 claims, 77 paid, $420,557 in total1996: 57 claims, 33 paid, $197,582 in total1997: 12 claims1998: 756 claims, 563 paid, $6,023,416 in total19981999: 16 claims2000: 10 claims20002001: 10 claims2003: 46 claims, 28 paid, $127,933 in total2006: 42 claims, 28 paid, $432,168 in total2008: 45 claims, 36 paid, $214,570 in total2009: 124 claims, 90 paid, $854,479 in total2010: 18 claims20102011: 52 claims, 35 paid, $526,138 in total2012: 1,485 claims, 1,257 paid, $17,497,768 in total20122013: 34 claims, 21 paid, $171,944 in total2015: 34 claims, 22 paid, $137,244 in total2016: 141 claims, 106 paid, $1,246,063 in total2017: 10 claims2018: 22 claims, 15 paid, $115,961 in total2019: 20 claims2020: 17 claims, 12 paid, $38,549 in total20202021: 44 claims, 37 paid, $871,082 in total2022: 11 claims2023: 22 claims, 13 paid, $142,295 in total2024: 11 claims2025: 18 claims, 11 paid, $66,736 in total
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 (35)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20251811$66,736$6,067
202411<10––
20232213$142,295$10,946
202211<10––
20214437$871,082$23,543
20201712$38,549$3,212
201920<10––
20182215$115,961$7,731
201710<10––
2016141106$1,246,063$11,755
20153422$137,244$6,238
20133421$171,944$8,188
20121,4851,257$17,497,768$13,920
20115235$526,138$15,033
201018<10––
200912490$854,479$9,494
20084536$214,570$5,960
20064228$432,168$15,435
20034628$127,933$4,569
200110<10––
200010<10––
199916<10––
1998756563$6,023,416$10,699
199712<10––
19965733$197,582$5,987
199410477$420,557$5,462
19933813$54,457$4,189
1992672511$5,030,218$9,844
199110760$135,788$2,263
19892313$183,524$14,117
198512279$468,600$5,932
19846036$67,129$1,865
19832212$67,362$5,614
198219<10––
19801813$84,777$6,521

From 2016 to 2026: 316 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.

ZIP codes in Sussex County

ZIP codes with at least 300 NFIP home policies in force have their own page.

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Sussex County (9,052 home policies) · Bethany Beach (1,214 home policies) · South Bethany (811 home policies) · Lewes (750 home policies) · Dewey Beach (456 home policies) · Fenwick Island (411 home policies)