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Flood insurance cost · Onslow County, NC

Flood insurance cost in Onslow County, North Carolina

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 4,349 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

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

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,043a year

Half of insured homes paid between $710 and $1,416. That is about the same as the North Carolina median ($1,025). The most common flood zone for insured homes here is zone AE (45%).

$0$710 · $1,043 · $1,416$1,770
+12.8% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $925)
4,349home policies in force
$1,272average 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 Onslow 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		$1,517$1,162–$2,436$2,051604 (14%)+10.9%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,204$982–$1,710$1,4921,938 (45%)+11.7%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$701$550–$937$7761,807 (42%)+2.5%

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 Onslow County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home4,086$1,034$1,263
2–4 unit building136$1,202$1,548
Manufactured (mobile) home90$1,411$1,418
Condo or apartment unit37$830$978
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.		28$4,222$4,307
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		89$1,748$2,453
4,466NFIP policies in force, any building
4,895insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
82%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Onslow 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 force4,6474,349−6.4%
Median annual cost$925$1,043+12.8%
Average annual cost$1,164$1,272+9.3%
All policies in force (any building)4,7984,466−6.9%

How many homes have flood insurance?

6.3%of all homes in Onslow County have an NFIP policy
73.4%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
69,807residential buildings counted by FEMA
3,491of 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 Onslow County, North Carolina have filed 4,426 flood claims. 3,094 received a payment, for a total of $70.7 million (an average of $22,850 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1996 (1,445 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

05001k1.5k2k19801986: 18 claims, 13 paid, $31,778 in total1987: 19 claims, 13 paid, $36,701 in total19901993: 77 claims, 60 paid, $252,556 in total1996: 1,445 claims, 986 paid, $19,583,181 in total19961998: 253 claims, 129 paid, $923,242 in total1999: 895 claims, 698 paid, $8,313,248 in total199920002001: 31 claims, 23 paid, $145,738 in total2002: 36 claims, 19 paid, $87,461 in total2003: 18 claims2004: 18 claims2005: 213 claims, 138 paid, $3,909,068 in total2006: 22 claims, 18 paid, $505,226 in total2007: 13 claims, 13 paid, $384,575 in total2008: 11 claims, 10 paid, $929,939 in total2009: 10 claims2010: 66 claims, 51 paid, $1,233,366 in total20102011: 58 claims, 24 paid, $749,152 in total2012: 31 claims, 24 paid, $334,543 in total2014: 37 claims, 33 paid, $714,995 in total2015: 37 claims, 16 paid, $327,023 in total2016: 37 claims, 21 paid, $325,019 in total2018: 975 claims, 737 paid, $30,700,654 in total20182020: 14 claims20202023: 13 claims, 10 paid, $341,207 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 (24)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20231310$341,207$34,121
202014<10––
2018975737$30,700,654$41,656
20163721$325,019$15,477
20153716$327,023$20,439
20143733$714,995$21,667
20123124$334,543$13,939
20115824$749,152$31,215
20106651$1,233,366$24,184
200910<10––
20081110$929,939$92,994
20071313$384,575$29,583
20062218$505,226$28,068
2005213138$3,909,068$28,327
200418<10––
200318<10––
20023619$87,461$4,603
20013123$145,738$6,336
1999895698$8,313,248$11,910
1998253129$923,242$7,157
19961,445986$19,583,181$19,861
19937760$252,556$4,209
19871913$36,701$2,823
19861813$31,778$2,444

From 2016 to 2026: 1,039 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 Onslow County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Onslow County (2,092 home policies) · North Topsail Beach (1,007 home policies) · Jacksonville (556 home policies) · Surf City (332 home policies) · Swansboro (179 home policies) · Holly Ridge (153 home policies)