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Flood insurance cost · Bell County, KY

Flood insurance cost in Bell County, Kentucky

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 167 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Bell County, KentuckyPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,378a year

Half of insured homes paid between $984 and $1,958. That is 14% more than the Kentucky median ($1,210). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (78%).

$0$984 · $1,378 · $1,958$2,448
+10.2% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,250)
167home policies in force
$1,591average cost (mean)
86%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$88,000median 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 Bell 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		$1,501$1,102–$2,170$1,710130 (78%)+7.4%
Zone A
High risk		$1,405$983–$1,775$1,45413 (8%)+17.3%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,010$836–$1,195$1,01524 (14%)+14.3%

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 Bell County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home157$1,356$1,585
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		67$3,130$3,767

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): 2–4 unit building, manufactured (mobile) home, condo or apartment unit, whole residential building (5+ units or condo association).

236NFIP policies in force, any building
236insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
28%of home policies also cover contents
$40,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Bell 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 force188167−11.2%
Median annual cost$1,250$1,378+10.2%
Average annual cost$1,454$1,591+9.4%
All policies in force (any building)264236−10.6%

How many homes have flood insurance?

1.7%of all homes in Bell County have an NFIP policy
10.9%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
10,314residential buildings counted by FEMA
1,349of 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 Bell County, Kentucky have filed 566 flood claims. 448 received a payment, for a total of $7,365,636 (an average of $16,441 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2011 (119 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

05010015020019801984: 71 claims, 56 paid, $328,074 in total19841989: 28 claims, 20 paid, $169,073 in total1990: 12 claims, 10 paid, $33,111 in total19901991: 28 claims, 21 paid, $116,848 in total1993: 30 claims, 23 paid, $301,983 in total1994: 54 claims, 42 paid, $315,662 in total19941996: 22 claims, 20 paid, $334,516 in total1997: 12 claims, 11 paid, $161,841 in total1998: 34 claims, 31 paid, $663,018 in total20002002: 47 claims, 44 paid, $436,580 in total2003: 17 claims20102011: 119 claims, 95 paid, $3,113,292 in total20112018: 10 claims2020: 17 claims, 15 paid, $501,132 in total20202021: 19 claims, 18 paid, $576,268 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 (15)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20211918$576,268$32,015
20201715$501,132$33,409
201810<10––
201111995$3,113,292$32,771
200317<10––
20024744$436,580$9,922
19983431$663,018$21,388
19971211$161,841$14,713
19962220$334,516$16,726
19945442$315,662$7,516
19933023$301,983$13,130
19912821$116,848$5,564
19901210$33,111$3,311
19892820$169,073$8,454
19847156$328,074$5,858

From 2016 to 2026: 46 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

Middlesboro (110 home policies) · Unincorporated Bell County (52 home policies)