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Flood insurance cost · Chautauqua County, NY

Flood insurance cost in Chautauqua County, New York

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 365 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Chautauqua County, New YorkPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,227a year

Half of insured homes paid between $881 and $1,596. That is 7% less than the New York median ($1,313). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (57%).

$0$881 · $1,227 · $1,596$1,995
+14.2% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,074)
365home policies in force
$1,357average cost (mean)
68%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$200,000median 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 Chautauqua 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 AE
High risk		$1,339$970–$1,806$1,500209 (57%)+10.8%
Zone A
High risk		$929$649–$1,381$1,13537 (10%)+17.9%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,184$891–$1,400$1,171118 (32%)+15.5%

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 Chautauqua County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home353$1,225$1,349
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		48$2,065$3,799

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

416NFIP policies in force, any building
416insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
58%of home policies also cover contents
$60,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Chautauqua 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 force398365−8.3%
Median annual cost$1,074$1,227+14.2%
Average annual cost$1,222$1,357+11.0%
All policies in force (any building)451416−7.8%

How many homes have flood insurance?

0.6%of all homes in Chautauqua County have an NFIP policy
–of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
59,141residential buildings counted by FEMA
0of 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 Chautauqua County, New York have filed 1,831 flood claims. 1,515 received a payment, for a total of $10.1 million (an average of $6,654 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1979 (453 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001978: 73 claims, 67 paid, $125,636 in total1979: 453 claims, 384 paid, $1,031,693 in total197919801981: 94 claims, 75 paid, $99,771 in total1982: 217 claims, 194 paid, $459,606 in total1984: 35 claims, 20 paid, $35,464 in total1985: 266 claims, 220 paid, $1,305,590 in total19851986: 229 claims, 195 paid, $1,268,735 in total19861987: 19 claims, 10 paid, $14,824 in total19901994: 15 claims, 11 paid, $54,847 in total1998: 16 claims, 11 paid, $111,682 in total20002003: 99 claims, 91 paid, $933,545 in total2007: 10 claims2009: 23 claims, 22 paid, $880,550 in total20102011: 124 claims, 103 paid, $1,106,283 in total2014: 21 claims, 11 paid, $313,940 in total2015: 21 claims, 19 paid, $493,504 in total2020: 12 claims, 11 paid, $427,471 in total20202021: 12 claims, 11 paid, $347,123 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 (18)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20211211$347,123$31,557
20201211$427,471$38,861
20152119$493,504$25,974
20142111$313,940$28,540
2011124103$1,106,283$10,741
20092322$880,550$40,025
200710<10––
20039991$933,545$10,259
19981611$111,682$10,153
19941511$54,847$4,986
19871910$14,824$1,482
1986229195$1,268,735$6,506
1985266220$1,305,590$5,934
19843520$35,464$1,773
1982217194$459,606$2,369
19819475$99,771$1,330
1979453384$1,031,693$2,687
19787367$125,636$1,875

From 2016 to 2026: 24 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.

Main NFIP communities in the county

Hanover (116 home policies) · Chautauqua (32 home policies) · Ellery (29 home policies) · Busti (26 home policies) · Dunkirk (18 home policies) · Mina (14 home policies)