Flood insurance cost · Durham County, NC

Flood insurance cost in Durham County, North Carolina

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,200 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

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

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$999a year

Half of insured homes paid between $664 and $1,303. That is 3% less than the North Carolina median ($1,025). Most insured homes here are rated in zone X (62%).

$0$664 · $999 · $1,303$1,629

+8.9% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $917)

1,200home policies in force

$1,121average cost (mean)

38%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 Durham 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 zone	Median	Middle half (25th–75th percentile)	Average	Policies	vs last year
Zone AE High risk	$1,319	$1,010–$1,926	$1,528	459 (38%)	+9.4%
Zone X Moderate to low risk	$794	$581–$1,087	$869	741 (62%)	+1.9%

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

Type of building	Policies	Median	Average
Single-family home	1,151	$1,004	$1,114
2–4 unit building	27	$1,481	$1,949
Condo or apartment unit	22	$442	$495
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.	46	$3,261	$3,730
Non-residential building or unit Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.	82	$2,597	$3,345

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

1,328NFIP policies in force, any building

1,328insured units (condo association policies count every unit)

84%of home policies also cover contents

$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Durham 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, 2025	Aug 31, 2026	Change
Home policies in force	1,271	1,200	−5.6%
Median annual cost	$917	$999	+8.9%
Average annual cost	$1,043	$1,121	+7.5%
All policies in force (any building)	1,404	1,328	−5.4%

How many homes have flood insurance?

1.3%of all homes in Durham County have an NFIP policy

64.4%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one

97,169residential buildings counted by FEMA

756of 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 Durham County, North Carolina have filed 447 flood claims. 350 received a payment, for a total of $11.0 million (an average of $31,369 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1996 (76 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

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 (10)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Total paid	Average per paid claim
2025	47	44	$5,013,386	$113,941
2024	30	27	$1,031,395	$38,200
2018	58	55	$1,350,905	$24,562
2016	41	31	$967,173	$31,199
2013	16	14	$173,253	$12,375
2002	17	13	$169,291	$13,022
2000	16	11	$63,918	$5,811
1999	18	15	$147,773	$9,852
1998	16	11	$82,831	$7,530
1996	76	54	$703,312	$13,024

From 2016 to 2026: 176 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

Durham (1,012 home policies) · Unincorporated Durham County (170 home policies)