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Flood insurance cost · Suffolk County, MA

Flood insurance cost in Suffolk County, Massachusetts

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 2,651 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Suffolk County, MassachusettsPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,639a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,047 and $2,183. That is 16% more than the Massachusetts median ($1,407). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (70%).

$0$1,047 · $1,639 · $2,183$2,729
+13.7% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,441)
2,651home policies in force
$1,802average cost (mean)
82%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 Suffolk 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		$1,816$1,388–$3,173$2,266156 (6%)+17.1%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,734$1,334–$2,436$1,9851,856 (70%)+12.0%
Zone A
High risk		$844$670–$928$81024 (1%)−0.4%
Zone AO
High risk, shallow		$1,582$1,143–$1,834$1,51381 (3%)+3.5%
Zone AH
High risk, shallow		$2,781$2,402–$3,408$2,78361 (2%)+13.7%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$800$493–$1,204$904473 (18%)+2.3%

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

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home1,317$1,684$2,016
2–4 unit building943$1,705$1,908
Condo or apartment unit391$687$829
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.		620$3,047$6,395
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		502$3,726$4,514

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

3,773NFIP policies in force, any building
9,539insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
59%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Suffolk 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 force2,6872,651−1.3%
Median annual cost$1,441$1,639+13.7%
Average annual cost$1,679$1,802+7.3%
All policies in force (any building)3,8283,773−1.4%

How many homes have flood insurance?

2.5%of all homes in Suffolk County have an NFIP policy
53.3%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
132,056residential buildings counted by FEMA
5,006of 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 Suffolk County, Massachusetts have filed 4,378 flood claims. 3,544 received a payment, for a total of $29.0 million (an average of $8,177 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1991 (732 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001978: 527 claims, 490 paid, $4,050,393 in total19781979: 680 claims, 606 paid, $1,929,485 in total19791980: 23 claims, 13 paid, $163,196 in total19801981: 44 claims, 25 paid, $113,588 in total1982: 160 claims, 121 paid, $262,372 in total1983: 41 claims, 18 paid, $266,916 in total1984: 45 claims, 22 paid, $37,280 in total1985: 44 claims, 18 paid, $26,373 in total1987: 142 claims, 92 paid, $327,463 in total1988: 10 claims1990: 21 claims, 13 paid, $34,551 in total19901991: 732 claims, 682 paid, $7,623,496 in total19911992: 380 claims, 331 paid, $2,501,725 in total1993: 20 claims, 11 paid, $18,583 in total1996: 295 claims, 225 paid, $1,243,693 in total1998: 109 claims, 66 paid, $373,557 in total1999: 31 claims, 22 paid, $74,799 in total2000: 16 claims, 11 paid, $36,297 in total20002001: 98 claims, 61 paid, $220,538 in total2003: 62 claims, 51 paid, $366,118 in total2004: 80 claims, 63 paid, $207,000 in total2005: 26 claims, 15 paid, $89,072 in total2006: 211 claims, 178 paid, $2,095,045 in total2007: 45 claims, 38 paid, $246,016 in total2008: 19 claims, 16 paid, $64,102 in total2010: 117 claims, 80 paid, $405,360 in total20102011: 10 claims2012: 17 claims, 11 paid, $95,613 in total2013: 23 claims, 18 paid, $168,447 in total2014: 24 claims, 16 paid, $103,020 in total2017: 24 claims, 14 paid, $159,156 in total2018: 154 claims, 121 paid, $3,861,607 in total20202021: 29 claims, 21 paid, $219,648 in total2023: 16 claims, 11 paid, $188,811 in total2024: 32 claims, 25 paid, $1,164,158 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 (35)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20243225$1,164,158$46,566
20231611$188,811$17,165
20212921$219,648$10,459
2018154121$3,861,607$31,914
20172414$159,156$11,368
20142416$103,020$6,439
20132318$168,447$9,358
20121711$95,613$8,692
201110<10––
201011780$405,360$5,067
20081916$64,102$4,006
20074538$246,016$6,474
2006211178$2,095,045$11,770
20052615$89,072$5,938
20048063$207,000$3,286
20036251$366,118$7,179
20019861$220,538$3,615
20001611$36,297$3,300
19993122$74,799$3,400
199810966$373,557$5,660
1996295225$1,243,693$5,528
19932011$18,583$1,689
1992380331$2,501,725$7,558
1991732682$7,623,496$11,178
19902113$34,551$2,658
198810<10––
198714292$327,463$3,559
19854418$26,373$1,465
19844522$37,280$1,695
19834118$266,916$14,829
1982160121$262,372$2,168
19814425$113,588$4,544
19802313$163,196$12,554
1979680606$1,929,485$3,184
1978527490$4,050,393$8,266

From 2016 to 2026: 255 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 Suffolk County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Boston (917 home policies) · Revere (863 home policies) · Winthrop (731 home policies) · Chelsea (138 home policies)