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Flood insurance cost · Erie County, NY

Flood insurance cost in Erie County, New York

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,280 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

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

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,104a year

Half of insured homes paid between $819 and $1,366. That is 16% less than the New York median ($1,313). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (69%).

$0$819 · $1,104 · $1,366$1,708
+10.3% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,001)
1,280home policies in force
$1,219average cost (mean)
71%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$231,500median 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 Erie 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		$1,112$841–$1,405$1,274889 (69%)+10.8%
Zone A
High risk		$1,123$771–$2,733$1,73111 (1%)+1.9%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,080$766–$1,252$1,074377 (29%)+12.9%

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 Erie County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home1,202$1,108$1,210
2–4 unit building42$1,469$1,743
Condo or apartment unit34$732$928
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.		78$1,501$1,872
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		115$2,790$3,502

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

1,473NFIP policies in force, any building
1,473insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
54%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Erie 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 force1,3301,280−3.8%
Median annual cost$1,001$1,104+10.3%
Average annual cost$1,114$1,219+9.4%
All policies in force (any building)1,5431,473−4.5%

How many homes have flood insurance?

0.4%of all homes in Erie County have an NFIP policy
28.4%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
316,416residential buildings counted by FEMA
3,298of 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 Erie County, New York have filed 2,496 flood claims. 1,766 received a payment, for a total of $12.8 million (an average of $7,265 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1979 (729 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001978: 101 claims, 65 paid, $91,596 in total1979: 729 claims, 598 paid, $2,191,277 in total19791980: 72 claims, 39 paid, $161,910 in total19801981: 77 claims, 57 paid, $146,414 in total1982: 113 claims, 85 paid, $173,610 in total19821983: 12 claims1984: 63 claims, 28 paid, $43,194 in total1985: 415 claims, 321 paid, $2,811,112 in total19851986: 82 claims, 54 paid, $117,298 in total1987: 57 claims, 28 paid, $108,927 in total1989: 18 claims19901992: 19 claims, 11 paid, $65,926 in total1994: 18 claims1996: 36 claims, 15 paid, $150,769 in total1998: 58 claims, 36 paid, $583,646 in total1999: 92 claims, 54 paid, $523,742 in total2000: 29 claims, 21 paid, $292,295 in total20002001: 12 claims2002: 23 claims, 17 paid, $79,120 in total2003: 20 claims, 15 paid, $170,419 in total2004: 30 claims, 18 paid, $175,463 in total2005: 12 claims, 10 paid, $100,183 in total2006: 66 claims, 31 paid, $245,843 in total2008: 28 claims, 21 paid, $214,024 in total2009: 43 claims, 39 paid, $407,297 in total20102011: 12 claims2013: 31 claims, 19 paid, $233,381 in total2014: 38 claims, 26 paid, $414,206 in total2015: 14 claims2017: 21 claims, 14 paid, $275,190 in total2019: 22 claims, 14 paid, $398,084 in total2020: 21 claims, 18 paid, $809,574 in total20202021: 17 claims, 11 paid, $485,103 in total2022: 22 claims, 18 paid, $479,775 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 (34)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20222218$479,775$26,654
20211711$485,103$44,100
20202118$809,574$44,976
20192214$398,084$28,435
20172114$275,190$19,656
201514<10––
20143826$414,206$15,931
20133119$233,381$12,283
201112<10––
20094339$407,297$10,444
20082821$214,024$10,192
20066631$245,843$7,930
20051210$100,183$10,018
20043018$175,463$9,748
20032015$170,419$11,361
20022317$79,120$4,654
200112<10––
20002921$292,295$13,919
19999254$523,742$9,699
19985836$583,646$16,212
19963615$150,769$10,051
199418<10––
19921911$65,926$5,993
198918<10––
19875728$108,927$3,890
19868254$117,298$2,172
1985415321$2,811,112$8,757
19846328$43,194$1,543
198312<10––
198211385$173,610$2,042
19817757$146,414$2,569
19807239$161,910$4,152
1979729598$2,191,277$3,664
197810165$91,596$1,409

From 2016 to 2026: 103 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 Erie County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Amherst (512 home policies) · Lackawanna (137 home policies) · Clarence (95 home policies) · Evans (95 home policies) · West Seneca (67 home policies) · Buffalo (56 home policies)