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Flood insurance cost · MT

Flood insurance cost in Montana

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 3,011 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

MontanaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$995a year

Half of insured homes paid between $680 and $1,405. That is 8% less than the national median ($1,082). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (59%).

$0$680 · $995 · $1,405$1,756
+4.6% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $951)
3,011home policies in force
$1,217average cost (mean)
71%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.

Disaster declarations: see FEMA declarations and IRS tax relief in Montana, county by county.

Cost by flood zone in Montana

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		$899$649–$1,381$1,1661,789 (59%)+3.7%
Zone A
High risk		$1,444$890–$2,460$1,824272 (9%)+16.5%
Zone AO
High risk, shallow		$1,032$832–$1,260$1,14066 (2%)+0.7%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,138$772–$1,369$1,129863 (29%)+10.4%
Zone D
Undetermined		$794$590–$1,667$1,46121 (1%)+11.8%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): VE, AH, A99/AR. 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 Montana, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home2,716$1,013$1,232
2–4 unit building44$1,138$1,129
Manufactured (mobile) home205$965$1,171
Condo or apartment unit46$544$570
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.		33$1,715$2,183
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		406$1,176$1,777
3,450NFIP policies in force, any building
3,638insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
65%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Montana

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 force3,2103,011−6.2%
Median annual cost$951$995+4.6%
Average annual cost$1,132$1,217+7.5%
All policies in force (any building)3,6633,450−5.8%

Flood claims history

Since 1978, NFIP policyholders in Montana have filed 2,220 flood claims. 1,641 received a payment, for a total of $19.2 million (an average of $11,680 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2011 (460 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001978: 245 claims, 202 paid, $626,582 in total19781979: 215 claims, 185 paid, $677,290 in total1980: 39 claims, 33 paid, $37,854 in total19801981: 114 claims, 83 paid, $308,788 in total1982: 28 claims, 16 paid, $38,176 in total1984: 12 claims1986: 44 claims, 31 paid, $155,309 in total1989: 11 claims19901991: 23 claims, 11 paid, $69,092 in total1995: 10 claims1996: 77 claims, 59 paid, $609,118 in total1997: 405 claims, 332 paid, $2,330,402 in total19971998: 15 claims20002001: 10 claims2003: 11 claims2005: 10 claims2007: 13 claims2008: 18 claims, 14 paid, $126,749 in total2010: 18 claims20102011: 460 claims, 326 paid, $4,271,510 in total20112013: 24 claims, 17 paid, $143,694 in total2014: 39 claims, 26 paid, $468,983 in total2016: 10 claims2017: 10 claims2018: 117 claims, 90 paid, $1,121,332 in total2019: 23 claims, 15 paid, $168,415 in total20202022: 119 claims, 95 paid, $7,028,705 in total2023: 14 claims
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 (28)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
202314<10––
202211995$7,028,705$73,986
20192315$168,415$11,228
201811790$1,121,332$12,459
201710<10––
201610<10––
20143926$468,983$18,038
20132417$143,694$8,453
2011460326$4,271,510$13,103
201018<10––
20081814$126,749$9,054
200713<10––
200510<10––
200311<10––
200110<10––
199815<10––
1997405332$2,330,402$7,019
19967759$609,118$10,324
199510<10––
19912311$69,092$6,281
198911<10––
19864431$155,309$5,010
198412<10––
19822816$38,176$2,386
198111483$308,788$3,720
19803933$37,854$1,147
1979215185$677,290$3,661
1978245202$626,582$3,102

From 2016 to 2026: 293 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.

Counties in Montana

Counties with at least 100 NFIP home policies in force have their own page.

Other counties (fewer policies, no separate page)
CountyHome policiesMedian
Beaverhead County33$938
Blaine County13$1,012
Carbon County66$1,494
Deer Lodge County18$621
Fergus County32$1,309
Granite County15$1,270
Jefferson County22$1,282
Lake County30$1,266
Lincoln County51$1,371
Madison County46$1,130
Meagher County11$1,217
Mineral County16$1,598
Musselshell County16$1,016
Park County94$1,512
Phillips County11$1,348
Powell County18$645
Ravalli County89$1,034
Richland County12$1,068
Sanders County27$1,364
Silver Bow County27$622
Stillwater County50$1,554
Sweet Grass County14$1,276
Teton County16$1,266
Valley County17$1,656

ZIP codes with the most insured homes