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Flood insurance cost · Black Hawk County, IA

Flood insurance cost in Black Hawk County, Iowa

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 434 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Black Hawk County, IowaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$891a year

Half of insured homes paid between $650 and $1,256. That is 15% less than the Iowa median ($1,054). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (65%).

$0$650 · $891 · $1,256$1,570
+7.1% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $832)
434home policies in force
$1,069average cost (mean)
69%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$178,500median 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 Black Hawk 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		$953$698–$1,322$1,157283 (65%)+8.2%
Zone A
High risk		$699$601–$816$75815 (3%)+8.7%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$816$626–$1,093$924134 (31%)+2.0%

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 Black Hawk County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home409$899$1,067
2–4 unit building18$1,003$1,328
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.		14$1,428$1,800
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		107$1,620$2,155

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): manufactured (mobile) home, condo or apartment unit.

555NFIP policies in force, any building
572insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
52%of home policies also cover contents
$67,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Black Hawk 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 force458434−5.2%
Median annual cost$832$891+7.1%
Average annual cost$1,009$1,069+5.9%
All policies in force (any building)587555−5.5%

How many homes have flood insurance?

1.0%of all homes in Black Hawk County have an NFIP policy
22.3%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
46,110residential buildings counted by FEMA
1,385of 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 Black Hawk County, Iowa have filed 1,473 flood claims. 1,232 received a payment, for a total of $27.3 million (an average of $22,189 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2008 (416 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001979: 81 claims, 71 paid, $103,404 in total1980: 28 claims, 22 paid, $54,900 in total19801990: 31 claims, 12 paid, $61,826 in total19901991: 25 claims, 13 paid, $62,295 in total1993: 200 claims, 166 paid, $1,078,204 in total19931999: 273 claims, 229 paid, $1,988,168 in total19992000: 11 claims20002004: 53 claims, 45 paid, $316,907 in total2008: 416 claims, 380 paid, $17,443,057 in total20082010: 40 claims, 22 paid, $128,317 in total20102013: 31 claims, 22 paid, $357,466 in total2014: 15 claims, 14 paid, $230,398 in total2016: 181 claims, 168 paid, $4,929,378 in total2018: 17 claims, 13 paid, $124,357 in total2019: 16 claims, 14 paid, $146,519 in total2020
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 (15)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20191614$146,519$10,466
20181713$124,357$9,566
2016181168$4,929,378$29,342
20141514$230,398$16,457
20133122$357,466$16,248
20104022$128,317$5,833
2008416380$17,443,057$45,903
20045345$316,907$7,042
200011<10––
1999273229$1,988,168$8,682
1993200166$1,078,204$6,495
19912513$62,295$4,792
19903112$61,826$5,152
19802822$54,900$2,495
19798171$103,404$1,456

From 2016 to 2026: 214 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

Cedar Falls (174 home policies) · Waterloo (126 home policies) · Unincorporated Black Hawk County (67 home policies) · La Porte City (31 home policies) · Dunkerton (16 home policies) · Evansdale (15 home policies)