Menu

Flood insurance cost · New Hanover County, NC

Flood insurance cost in New Hanover County, North Carolina

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 12,077 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

New Hanover County, North CarolinaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,037a year

Half of insured homes paid between $729 and $1,361. That is about the same as the North Carolina median ($1,025). The most common flood zone for insured homes here is zone AE (49%).

$0$729 · $1,037 · $1,361$1,701
+10.8% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $936)
12,077home policies in force
$1,231average cost (mean)
54%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 New Hanover 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		$1,322$1,002–$1,913$1,639669 (6%)+10.3%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,244$988–$1,709$1,5525,862 (49%)+13.0%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$776$601–$1,066$8435,546 (46%)+1.8%

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

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home11,136$1,050$1,227
2–4 unit building378$1,348$2,111
Manufactured (mobile) home27$946$1,229
Condo or apartment unit536$594$703
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.		696$2,282$3,324
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		514$2,018$3,311
13,287NFIP policies in force, any building
17,142insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
86%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: New Hanover 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 force12,70812,077−5.0%
Median annual cost$936$1,037+10.8%
Average annual cost$1,131$1,231+8.8%
All policies in force (any building)13,91113,287−4.5%

How many homes have flood insurance?

14.7%of all homes in New Hanover County have an NFIP policy
74.8%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
87,145residential buildings counted by FEMA
9,484of 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 New Hanover County, North Carolina have filed 11,191 flood claims. 8,288 received a payment, for a total of $187.8 million (an average of $22,654 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1996 (3,785 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01k2k3k4k1979: 20 claims1980: 17 claims, 13 paid, $193,305 in total19801981: 24 claims, 19 paid, $48,187 in total1982: 10 claims1983: 12 claims1984: 226 claims, 90 paid, $331,145 in total1985: 17 claims, 11 paid, $16,557 in total1986: 34 claims, 22 paid, $57,435 in total1987: 138 claims, 94 paid, $447,130 in total1988: 19 claims1989: 22 claims, 11 paid, $44,384 in total1990: 12 claims19901991: 49 claims, 27 paid, $117,392 in total1992: 16 claims, 10 paid, $28,854 in total1993: 38 claims, 13 paid, $93,072 in total1994: 10 claims1995: 18 claims1996: 3,785 claims, 3,087 paid, $86,525,363 in total19961998: 1,401 claims, 911 paid, $9,753,243 in total1999: 2,394 claims, 1,857 paid, $31,109,445 in total19992000: 22 claims, 15 paid, $140,459 in total20002002: 12 claims2003: 15 claims2004: 60 claims, 10 paid, $210,076 in total2005: 193 claims, 98 paid, $1,594,544 in total2006: 34 claims, 17 paid, $313,442 in total2008: 20 claims, 17 paid, $279,790 in total2009: 13 claims2010: 60 claims, 48 paid, $710,373 in total20102011: 79 claims, 47 paid, $521,854 in total2015: 135 claims, 68 paid, $2,043,149 in total2016: 34 claims, 21 paid, $244,410 in total2018: 1,635 claims, 1,233 paid, $34,435,977 in total20182019: 27 claims, 20 paid, $505,995 in total2020: 56 claims, 37 paid, $691,174 in total20202021: 32 claims, 22 paid, $938,072 in total2022: 26 claims, 20 paid, $456,280 in total2024: 426 claims, 363 paid, $15,217,093 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 (38)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
2024426363$15,217,093$41,920
20222620$456,280$22,814
20213222$938,072$42,640
20205637$691,174$18,680
20192720$505,995$25,300
20181,6351,233$34,435,977$27,929
20163421$244,410$11,639
201513568$2,043,149$30,046
20117947$521,854$11,103
20106048$710,373$14,799
200913<10––
20082017$279,790$16,458
20063417$313,442$18,438
200519398$1,594,544$16,271
20046010$210,076$21,008
200315<10––
200212<10––
20002215$140,459$9,364
19992,3941,857$31,109,445$16,753
19981,401911$9,753,243$10,706
19963,7853,087$86,525,363$28,029
199518<10––
199410<10––
19933813$93,072$7,159
19921610$28,854$2,885
19914927$117,392$4,348
199012<10––
19892211$44,384$4,035
198819<10––
198713894$447,130$4,757
19863422$57,435$2,611
19851711$16,557$1,505
198422690$331,145$3,679
198312<10––
198210<10––
19812419$48,187$2,536
19801713$193,305$14,870
197920<10––

From 2016 to 2026: 2,236 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 New Hanover County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated New Hanover County (5,501 home policies) · Wilmington (3,109 home policies) · Carolina Beach (1,593 home policies) · Wrightsville Beach (1,231 home policies) · Kure Beach (638 home policies)