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Flood insurance cost · Chatham County, GA

Flood insurance cost in Chatham County, Georgia

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 19,159 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Chatham County, GeorgiaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,036a year

Half of insured homes paid between $785 and $1,266. That is 3% more than the Georgia median ($1,010). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (52%).

$0$785 · $1,036 · $1,266$1,582
+11.6% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $928)
19,159home policies in force
$1,151average cost (mean)
53%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 Chatham 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		$1,866$1,083–$2,781$2,31074 (0%)+12.2%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,105$916–$1,489$1,34610,019 (52%)+11.5%
Zone A
High risk		$724$602–$891$791114 (1%)+3.4%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$913$680–$1,156$9298,952 (47%)+4.5%

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

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home18,407$1,047$1,161
2–4 unit building333$922$1,250
Manufactured (mobile) home48$1,084$1,162
Condo or apartment unit371$535$593
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.		495$1,947$2,682
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		1,131$1,844$2,545
20,785NFIP policies in force, any building
23,139insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
86%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Chatham 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 force20,16619,159−5.0%
Median annual cost$928$1,036+11.6%
Average annual cost$1,047$1,151+9.9%
All policies in force (any building)21,84820,785−4.9%

How many homes have flood insurance?

20.6%of all homes in Chatham County have an NFIP policy
81.5%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
95,823residential buildings counted by FEMA
12,957of 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 Chatham County, Georgia have filed 5,475 flood claims. 3,962 received a payment, for a total of $82.6 million (an average of $20,856 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1999 (1,163 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

05001k1.5k2k1979: 67 claims, 42 paid, $115,341 in total1980: 12 claims19801981: 16 claims, 12 paid, $23,828 in total1982: 22 claims, 16 paid, $43,229 in total1985: 25 claims, 14 paid, $39,860 in total1986: 12 claims1987: 43 claims, 28 paid, $102,960 in total1989: 13 claims1990: 13 claims19901991: 49 claims, 33 paid, $286,284 in total1992: 10 claims1993: 24 claims, 13 paid, $59,851 in total1994: 849 claims, 666 paid, $8,745,595 in total19941995: 124 claims, 95 paid, $882,121 in total1996: 423 claims, 369 paid, $5,858,809 in total1997: 20 claims1998: 49 claims, 32 paid, $147,500 in total1999: 1,163 claims, 946 paid, $17,080,948 in total19992000: 10 claims20002002: 54 claims, 36 paid, $235,906 in total2003: 47 claims, 29 paid, $231,549 in total2004: 25 claims, 11 paid, $89,885 in total2005: 24 claims, 10 paid, $82,526 in total2006: 32 claims, 20 paid, $579,326 in total2007: 45 claims, 30 paid, $297,261 in total2008: 18 claims2009: 35 claims, 19 paid, $170,566 in total2010: 17 claims20102013: 19 claims2014: 24 claims, 12 paid, $135,897 in total2015: 38 claims2016: 794 claims, 454 paid, $13,691,484 in total2017: 984 claims, 806 paid, $28,774,200 in total20172018: 15 claims2019: 17 claims2020: 10 claims20202021: 41 claims, 26 paid, $515,406 in total2022: 19 claims2024: 184 claims, 112 paid, $3,206,742 in total2025: 22 claims, 13 paid, $192,330 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 (40)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20252213$192,330$14,795
2024184112$3,206,742$28,632
202219<10––
20214126$515,406$19,823
202010<10––
201917<10––
201815<10––
2017984806$28,774,200$35,700
2016794454$13,691,484$30,157
201538<10––
20142412$135,897$11,325
201319<10––
201017<10––
20093519$170,566$8,977
200818<10––
20074530$297,261$9,909
20063220$579,326$28,966
20052410$82,526$8,253
20042511$89,885$8,171
20034729$231,549$7,984
20025436$235,906$6,553
200010<10––
19991,163946$17,080,948$18,056
19984932$147,500$4,609
199720<10––
1996423369$5,858,809$15,878
199512495$882,121$9,285
1994849666$8,745,595$13,132
19932413$59,851$4,604
199210<10––
19914933$286,284$8,675
199013<10––
198913<10––
19874328$102,960$3,677
198612<10––
19852514$39,860$2,847
19822216$43,229$2,702
19811612$23,828$1,986
198012<10––
19796742$115,341$2,746

From 2016 to 2026: 2,086 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 Chatham County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Chatham County (11,414 home policies) · Savannah (4,127 home policies) · Tybee Island (1,635 home policies) · Pooler (1,374 home policies) · Thunderbolt (183 home policies) · Bloomingdale (174 home policies)