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Flood insurance cost · Dare County, NC

Flood insurance cost in Dare County, North Carolina

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 12,066 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Dare County, North CarolinaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$957a year

Half of insured homes paid between $756 and $1,208. That is 7% less than the North Carolina median ($1,025). The most common flood zone for insured homes here is zone X (42%).

$0$756 · $957 · $1,208$1,510
+5.4% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $908)
12,066home policies in force
$1,011average cost (mean)
58%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 Dare 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		$1,051$887–$1,266$1,0981,212 (10%)+3.6%
Zone AE
High risk		$945$744–$1,184$1,0164,964 (41%)+7.4%
Zone AO
High risk, shallow		$1,066$909–$1,264$1,114540 (4%)+4.1%
Zone AH
High risk, shallow		$853$744–$996$892231 (2%)+2.5%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$929$725–$1,215$9805,118 (42%)+4.1%

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

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home11,705$958$1,011
2–4 unit building167$1,065$1,208
Manufactured (mobile) home64$864$970
Condo or apartment unit130$685$735
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.		328$1,837$2,241
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		987$1,784$2,191
13,381NFIP policies in force, any building
15,432insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
88%of home policies also cover contents
$71,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Dare 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 force12,48512,066−3.4%
Median annual cost$908$957+5.4%
Average annual cost$950$1,011+6.4%
All policies in force (any building)13,83013,381−3.2%

How many homes have flood insurance?

39.7%of all homes in Dare County have an NFIP policy
84.0%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
31,280residential buildings counted by FEMA
8,571of 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 Dare County, North Carolina have filed 18,958 flood claims. 13,557 received a payment, for a total of $231.0 million (an average of $17,036 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2011 (3,462 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01k2k3k4k1978: 10 claims1980: 32 claims, 21 paid, $190,730 in total19801981: 37 claims, 29 paid, $125,346 in total1982: 31 claims, 14 paid, $99,466 in total1983: 42 claims, 31 paid, $257,176 in total1984: 13 claims1985: 226 claims, 160 paid, $706,479 in total1986: 33 claims, 20 paid, $26,646 in total1987: 31 claims, 16 paid, $243,752 in total1988: 58 claims, 36 paid, $618,793 in total1989: 232 claims, 159 paid, $4,277,998 in total1990: 22 claims19901991: 859 claims, 701 paid, $8,220,141 in total1992: 265 claims, 221 paid, $1,436,146 in total1993: 2,022 claims, 1,450 paid, $16,109,183 in total19931994: 183 claims, 148 paid, $1,415,987 in total1995: 63 claims, 36 paid, $2,227,860 in total1996: 66 claims, 35 paid, $149,642 in total1997: 18 claims, 10 paid, $47,658 in total1998: 432 claims, 245 paid, $1,393,560 in total1999: 1,622 claims, 775 paid, $7,154,960 in total2000: 59 claims, 43 paid, $275,768 in total20002001: 33 claims, 27 paid, $126,409 in total2002: 40 claims, 24 paid, $402,209 in total2003: 2,805 claims, 1,911 paid, $46,670,112 in total20032004: 633 claims, 304 paid, $2,964,256 in total2005: 68 claims, 47 paid, $733,016 in total2006: 254 claims, 210 paid, $3,014,400 in total2007: 36 claims, 33 paid, $158,435 in total2008: 117 claims, 102 paid, $1,157,040 in total2009: 389 claims, 320 paid, $4,325,718 in total2010: 212 claims, 146 paid, $1,192,707 in total20102011: 3,462 claims, 2,518 paid, $47,518,396 in total20112012: 740 claims, 623 paid, $11,079,355 in total2013: 48 claims, 38 paid, $331,046 in total2014: 349 claims, 279 paid, $3,173,464 in total2015: 69 claims, 52 paid, $347,827 in total2016: 1,414 claims, 1,106 paid, $28,032,264 in total2017: 35 claims, 26 paid, $280,295 in total2018: 539 claims, 457 paid, $6,569,063 in total2019: 656 claims, 572 paid, $12,350,250 in total2020: 120 claims, 110 paid, $1,311,713 in total20202021: 55 claims, 43 paid, $555,650 in total2022: 91 claims, 78 paid, $1,518,939 in total2023: 33 claims, 25 paid, $576,018 in total2024: 122 claims, 98 paid, $2,826,539 in total2025: 205 claims, 178 paid, $7,054,822 in total2026: 73 claims, 57 paid, $1,565,153 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 (48)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20267357$1,565,153$27,459
2025205178$7,054,822$39,634
202412298$2,826,539$28,842
20233325$576,018$23,041
20229178$1,518,939$19,474
20215543$555,650$12,922
2020120110$1,311,713$11,925
2019656572$12,350,250$21,591
2018539457$6,569,063$14,374
20173526$280,295$10,781
20161,4141,106$28,032,264$25,346
20156952$347,827$6,689
2014349279$3,173,464$11,374
20134838$331,046$8,712
2012740623$11,079,355$17,784
20113,4622,518$47,518,396$18,871
2010212146$1,192,707$8,169
2009389320$4,325,718$13,518
2008117102$1,157,040$11,344
20073633$158,435$4,801
2006254210$3,014,400$14,354
20056847$733,016$15,596
2004633304$2,964,256$9,751
20032,8051,911$46,670,112$24,422
20024024$402,209$16,759
20013327$126,409$4,682
20005943$275,768$6,413
19991,622775$7,154,960$9,232
1998432245$1,393,560$5,688
19971810$47,658$4,766
19966635$149,642$4,275
19956336$2,227,860$61,885
1994183148$1,415,987$9,567
19932,0221,450$16,109,183$11,110
1992265221$1,436,146$6,498
1991859701$8,220,141$11,726
199022<10––
1989232159$4,277,998$26,906
19885836$618,793$17,189
19873116$243,752$15,234
19863320$26,646$1,332
1985226160$706,479$4,415
198413<10––
19834231$257,176$8,296
19823114$99,466$7,105
19813729$125,346$4,322
19803221$190,730$9,082
197810<10––

From 2016 to 2026: 3,343 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 Dare County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Dare County (5,309 home policies) · Nags Head (2,078 home policies) · Kill Devil Hills (1,572 home policies) · Kitty Hawk (1,159 home policies) · Duck (893 home policies) · Southern Shores (747 home policies)