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Flood insurance cost · Essex County, MA

Flood insurance cost in Essex County, Massachusetts

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 4,933 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Essex County, MassachusettsPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,401a year

Half of insured homes paid between $911 and $1,920. That is about the same as the Massachusetts median ($1,407). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (58%).

$0$911 · $1,401 · $1,920$2,400
+7.4% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,305)
4,933home policies in force
$1,606average cost (mean)
78%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 Essex 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		$1,532$1,060–$2,048$1,722780 (16%)+4.5%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,636$1,094–$2,086$1,8432,843 (58%)+9.1%
Zone A
High risk		$1,061$831–$1,400$1,13097 (2%)+10.2%
Zone AO
High risk, shallow		$1,706$1,324–$2,022$1,700132 (3%)+8.4%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$826$579–$1,202$9311,081 (22%)+0.7%

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

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home3,823$1,403$1,591
2–4 unit building703$1,718$2,077
Condo or apartment unit401$759$929
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.		577$3,276$5,477
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		584$4,432$5,795

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): manufactured (mobile) home.

6,094NFIP policies in force, any building
8,777insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
68%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Essex 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 force5,0744,933−2.8%
Median annual cost$1,305$1,401+7.4%
Average annual cost$1,506$1,606+6.6%
All policies in force (any building)6,2446,094−2.4%

How many homes have flood insurance?

2.8%of all homes in Essex County have an NFIP policy
58.1%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
196,259residential buildings counted by FEMA
7,538of 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 Essex County, Massachusetts have filed 5,467 flood claims. 4,264 received a payment, for a total of $94.1 million (an average of $22,079 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1991 (763 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001978: 436 claims, 382 paid, $3,156,600 in total19781979: 305 claims, 242 paid, $819,869 in total1980: 16 claims19801981: 29 claims, 19 paid, $36,072 in total1982: 115 claims, 87 paid, $607,221 in total1983: 73 claims, 52 paid, $306,444 in total1984: 62 claims, 32 paid, $97,298 in total1985: 19 claims1986: 12 claims1987: 231 claims, 165 paid, $1,633,620 in total1990: 19 claims19901991: 763 claims, 646 paid, $15,008,801 in total19911992: 224 claims, 176 paid, $2,308,141 in total1993: 33 claims, 17 paid, $497,022 in total1994: 15 claims1995: 22 claims, 13 paid, $96,929 in total1996: 276 claims, 198 paid, $2,591,584 in total1997: 12 claims1998: 68 claims, 44 paid, $641,863 in total1999: 18 claims, 13 paid, $135,668 in total20002001: 201 claims, 144 paid, $1,299,077 in total2003: 47 claims, 33 paid, $561,811 in total2004: 93 claims, 79 paid, $1,032,781 in total2005: 24 claims, 13 paid, $184,236 in total2006: 662 claims, 592 paid, $24,401,398 in total20062007: 175 claims, 152 paid, $5,371,280 in total2008: 21 claims, 12 paid, $424,457 in total2010: 360 claims, 260 paid, $4,111,926 in total20102011: 118 claims, 94 paid, $2,615,450 in total2012: 27 claims, 18 paid, $517,282 in total2013: 109 claims, 74 paid, $3,640,152 in total2014: 50 claims, 41 paid, $501,561 in total2015: 14 claims2017: 39 claims, 31 paid, $381,313 in total2018: 425 claims, 341 paid, $13,381,462 in total2020: 15 claims20202021: 38 claims, 26 paid, $982,655 in total2022: 44 claims, 25 paid, $806,218 in total2023: 31 claims, 16 paid, $350,570 in total2024: 165 claims, 145 paid, $4,785,020 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
2024165145$4,785,020$33,000
20233116$350,570$21,911
20224425$806,218$32,249
20213826$982,655$37,794
202015<10––
2018425341$13,381,462$39,242
20173931$381,313$12,300
201514<10––
20145041$501,561$12,233
201310974$3,640,152$49,191
20122718$517,282$28,738
201111894$2,615,450$27,824
2010360260$4,111,926$15,815
20082112$424,457$35,371
2007175152$5,371,280$35,337
2006662592$24,401,398$41,219
20052413$184,236$14,172
20049379$1,032,781$13,073
20034733$561,811$17,025
2001201144$1,299,077$9,021
19991813$135,668$10,436
19986844$641,863$14,588
199712<10––
1996276198$2,591,584$13,089
19952213$96,929$7,456
199415<10––
19933317$497,022$29,237
1992224176$2,308,141$13,114
1991763646$15,008,801$23,233
199019<10––
1987231165$1,633,620$9,901
198612<10––
198519<10––
19846232$97,298$3,041
19837352$306,444$5,893
198211587$607,221$6,980
19812919$36,072$1,899
198016<10––
1979305242$819,869$3,388
1978436382$3,156,600$8,263

From 2016 to 2026: 757 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 Essex County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Salisbury (583 home policies) · Gloucester (432 home policies) · Newbury (419 home policies) · Newburyport (372 home policies) · Salem (319 home policies) · Saugus (313 home policies)