Flood insurance cost · Dorchester County, MD

Flood insurance cost in Dorchester County, Maryland

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,370 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Dorchester County, MarylandPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$690a year

Half of insured homes paid between $515 and $856. That is 5% more than the Maryland median ($660). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (83%).

$0$515 · $690 · $856$1,070

+3.1% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $669)

1,370home policies in force

$704average cost (mean)

84%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 Dorchester 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 zone	Median	Middle half (25th–75th percentile)	Average	Policies	vs last year
Zone AE High risk	$700	$531–$870	$715	1,140 (83%)	+3.2%
Zone X Moderate to low risk	$644	$454–$791	$646	225 (16%)	−0.3%

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

Type of building	Policies	Median	Average
Single-family home	1,338	$690	$704
Manufactured (mobile) home	13	$861	$840
Condo or apartment unit	13	$542	$577
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.	18	$1,798	$1,908
Non-residential building or unit Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.	64	$940	$1,107

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): 2–4 unit building.

1,452NFIP policies in force, any building

1,558insured units (condo association policies count every unit)

72%of home policies also cover contents

$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Dorchester 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, 2025	Aug 31, 2026	Change
Home policies in force	1,387	1,370	−1.2%
Median annual cost	$669	$690	+3.1%
Average annual cost	$683	$704	+3.1%
All policies in force (any building)	1,475	1,452	−1.6%

How many homes have flood insurance?

8.8%of all homes in Dorchester County have an NFIP policy

48.6%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one

15,615residential buildings counted by FEMA

2,374of 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 Dorchester County, Maryland have filed 1,142 flood claims. 955 received a payment, for a total of $21.7 million (an average of $22,708 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2003 (705 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

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 loss	Claims	Paid claims	Total paid	Average per paid claim
2024	52	47	$1,209,095	$25,725
2021	120	111	$3,007,150	$27,091
2019	17	14	$295,848	$21,132
2012	27	21	$209,080	$9,956
2011	25	19	$163,535	$8,607
2003	705	622	$15,659,528	$25,176
1996	71	45	$318,333	$7,074
1985	19	15	$48,297	$3,220

From 2016 to 2026: 189 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 Dorchester County

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

ZIP 21613 · unincorporated Dorchester Countymedian $702 · 623 homes

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Dorchester County (1,246 home policies) · Cambridge (100 home policies)