Flood insurance cost · Zone AO

Cost of flood insurance in zone AO

What homeowners with an NFIP policy rated in zone AO actually pay, nationwide and state by state. High risk, shallow.

Zone AO · United StatesPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of an NFIP home policy in zone AO

$987a year

Half of the 42,065 insured homes rated in this zone paid between $746 and $1,428. All homes nationwide: $1,082.

$0$746 · $987 · $1,428$1,785

+8.8% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $907)

42,065home policies in this zone

$1,219average cost (mean)

1.4%of all insured homes

44states and territories with 10+ policies here

What is zone AO?

High-risk areas with shallow sheet-flow flooding, usually on sloping ground; the map shows flood depths instead of elevations. Federal law requires flood insurance for buildings in high-risk zones (A and V) with a government-backed mortgage, in communities that take part in the NFIP (FEMA FloodSmart). Some lenders ask for it elsewhere too.

FEMA's data dictionary label: "AO, AOB - Special Flood with Sheet Flow". To find the zone of an address, use the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; the zone printed on a policy is the one used to rate it.

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.

Zone AO: cost by state

Median annual cost of NFIP home policies rated in zone AO, in every state with at least 10 such policies, from the most to the least expensive.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

State	Policies	Median	Middle half	Average
Maine	120	$2,775	$1,512–$3,759	$2,981
Hawaii	513	$2,582	$1,364–$3,258	$2,445
West Virginia	12	$2,278	$1,186–$2,923	$2,074
South Dakota	33	$1,724	$1,370–$2,672	$2,014
Massachusetts	613	$1,635	$1,164–$2,105	$1,687
New Hampshire	164	$1,556	$1,220–$2,679	$1,991
New Jersey	3,076	$1,501	$1,211–$2,446	$1,853
New York	347	$1,483	$853–$2,313	$1,704
Delaware	715	$1,446	$1,184–$1,779	$1,524
South Carolina	126	$1,410	$1,147–$3,097	$2,626
Georgia	48	$1,405	$934–$2,720	$1,882
Virginia	120	$1,282	$1,007–$1,639	$1,345
Wyoming	68	$1,270	$1,068–$1,482	$1,284
Colorado	379	$1,261	$962–$1,744	$1,434
Pennsylvania	128	$1,240	$751–$1,620	$1,304
Mississippi	38	$1,131	$730–$1,782	$1,277
North Carolina	639	$1,062	$895–$1,275	$1,116
Montana	66	$1,032	$832–$1,260	$1,140
Illinois	57	$1,027	$589–$1,560	$1,159
California	15,685	$1,017	$758–$1,535	$1,230
Michigan	117	$1,009	$752–$1,371	$1,115
Washington	1,459	$997	$788–$1,342	$1,179
New Mexico	1,124	$958	$758–$1,342	$1,145
Indiana	315	$905	$704–$1,150	$1,017
Arizona	4,042	$897	$703–$1,101	$957
Nebraska	378	$884	$680–$1,131	$935
Texas	3,150	$883	$721–$1,173	$978
Nevada	4,177	$877	$747–$1,091	$994
Idaho	209	$857	$682–$1,034	$970
Maryland	100	$844	$654–$1,084	$917
Ohio	125	$831	$616–$1,120	$962
Oklahoma	31	$816	$640–$974	$841
Kansas	26	$788	$645–$984	$818
Iowa	34	$770	$651–$868	$852
Florida	2,089	$753	$596–$1,150	$1,265
Oregon	219	$719	$592–$908	$819
Louisiana	776	$660	$540–$866	$783
Arkansas	159	$646	$581–$764	$682
Utah	84	$638	$485–$793	$663
Missouri	96	$506	$413–$633	$571
Tennessee	10	$458	$329–$738	$534
Alaska	39	$446	$362–$590	$564
U.S. Virgin Islands	36	$407	$369–$591	$467
Puerto Rico	290	$392	$334–$547	$447

Counties with the most Zone AO policies

Other flood zones

Zone VE / V: $1,655
Zone AE: $1,278
Zone A: $966
Zone AH: $890
Zone A99 / AR: $918
Zone X: $949