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Flood insurance cost · DC

Flood insurance cost in District of Columbia

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,347 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

District of ColumbiaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$400a year

Half of insured homes paid between $358 and $538. That is 63% less than the national median ($1,082). Most insured homes here are rated in zone X (84%).

$0$358 · $400 · $538$672
−1.0% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $404)
1,347home policies in force
$460average cost (mean)
16%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.

Disaster declarations: see FEMA declarations and IRS tax relief in District of Columbia, county by county.

Cost by flood zone in District of Columbia

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		$548$476–$666$583207 (15%)+1.5%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$387$350–$479$4371,136 (84%)+0.3%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): VE, A, 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 District of Columbia, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home1,145$394$443
2–4 unit building59$555$536
Condo or apartment unit143$550$570
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.		91$2,416$4,060
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		89$2,744$3,567

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

1,527NFIP policies in force, any building
2,142insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
93%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: District of Columbia

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 force1,4511,347−7.2%
Median annual cost$404$400−1.0%
Average annual cost$460$460±0.0%
All policies in force (any building)1,6281,527−6.2%

Flood claims history

Since 1978, NFIP policyholders in District of Columbia have filed 501 flood claims. 270 received a payment, for a total of $5,547,003 (an average of $20,544 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2020 (63 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

0204060801979: 13 claims1980: 11 claims198019901996: 19 claims, 18 paid, $482,435 in total20002003: 25 claims2006: 12 claims, 10 paid, $539,045 in total2008: 13 claims, 11 paid, $60,508 in total2010: 25 claims20102011: 27 claims, 16 paid, $1,644,463 in total20112012: 19 claims2013: 13 claims2014: 21 claims, 10 paid, $25,187 in total2015: 17 claims2016: 14 claims2017: 27 claims, 17 paid, $304,200 in total2018: 41 claims, 26 paid, $202,381 in total20182019: 23 claims, 13 paid, $36,997 in total2020: 63 claims, 43 paid, $572,389 in total202020202021: 18 claims, 11 paid, $109,293 in total2022: 10 claims2023: 12 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 (20)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
202312<10––
202210<10––
20211811$109,293$9,936
20206343$572,389$13,311
20192313$36,997$2,846
20184126$202,381$7,784
20172717$304,200$17,894
201614<10––
201517<10––
20142110$25,187$2,519
201313<10––
201219<10––
20112716$1,644,463$102,779
201025<10––
20081311$60,508$5,501
20061210$539,045$53,904
200325<10––
19961918$482,435$26,802
198011<10––
197913<10––

From 2016 to 2026: 208 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.

Counties in District of Columbia

Counties with at least 100 NFIP home policies in force have their own page.