Flood insurance cost · St. James Parish, LA

Flood insurance cost in St. James Parish, Louisiana

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,014 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

St. James Parish, LouisianaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,232a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,080 and $1,266. That is 10% more than the Louisiana median ($1,119). Most insured homes here are rated in zone X (81%).

$0$1,080 · $1,232 · $1,266$1,582
+16.6% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,057)
1,014home policies in force
$1,187average cost (mean)
19%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 St. James Parish

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
$1,401$1,129–$1,691$1,474181 (18%)+14.5%
Zone A
High risk
$1,353$1,047–$1,641$1,37612 (1%)+8.2%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk
$1,202$1,080–$1,266$1,121821 (81%)+14.2%

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 St. James Parish, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home991$1,233$1,191
Manufactured (mobile) home17$1,081$1,172
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.
67$2,186$2,449

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

1,081NFIP policies in force, any building
1,081insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
93%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: St. James Parish

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 force1,1641,014−12.9%
Median annual cost$1,057$1,232+16.6%
Average annual cost$1,045$1,187+13.6%
All policies in force (any building)1,2361,081−12.5%

How many homes have flood insurance?

11.3%of all homes in St. James Parish have an NFIP policy
30.6%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
9,032residential buildings counted by FEMA
647of 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 St. James Parish, Louisiana have filed 345 flood claims. 262 received a payment, for a total of $7,370,238 (an average of $28,131 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2014 (74 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

020406080198019901991: 11 claims, 10 paid, $122,289 in total20002001: 16 claims, 10 paid, $209,101 in total2005: 17 claims20102012: 38 claims, 28 paid, $649,444 in total20122014: 74 claims, 74 paid, $3,476,619 in total20142016: 37 claims, 32 paid, $805,871 in total20202021: 50 claims, 24 paid, $578,777 in total20212024: 26 claims, 23 paid, $819,634 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 (8)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20242623$819,634$35,636
20215024$578,777$24,116
20163732$805,871$25,183
20147474$3,476,619$46,981
20123828$649,444$23,194
200517<10––
20011610$209,101$20,910
19911110$122,289$12,229

From 2016 to 2026: 113 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 St. James Parish

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated St. James Parish (721 home policies) · Lutcher (150 home policies) · Gramercy (141 home policies)