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Flood insurance cost · Chester County, PA

Flood insurance cost in Chester County, Pennsylvania

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 988 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Chester County, PennsylvaniaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,125a year

Half of insured homes paid between $626 and $1,734. That is 9% less than the Pennsylvania median ($1,232). Most insured homes here are rated in zone X (51%).

$0$626 · $1,125 · $1,734$2,168
+9.8% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,025)
988home policies in force
$1,404average cost (mean)
49%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 Chester 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		$1,814$1,171–$2,716$2,099380 (38%)+8.6%
Zone A
High risk		$1,264$890–$1,750$1,580108 (11%)+9.8%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$682$482–$1,137$839500 (51%)+0.9%

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 Chester County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home922$1,159$1,431
2–4 unit building16$1,398$2,406
Condo or apartment unit48$536$572
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.		21$3,482$5,067
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		178$2,551$4,179

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

1,187NFIP policies in force, any building
1,252insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
71%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Chester 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 force1,046988−5.5%
Median annual cost$1,025$1,125+9.8%
Average annual cost$1,314$1,404+6.8%
All policies in force (any building)1,2531,187−5.3%

How many homes have flood insurance?

0.6%of all homes in Chester County have an NFIP policy
39.8%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
159,896residential buildings counted by FEMA
1,279of 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 Chester County, Pennsylvania have filed 1,920 flood claims. 1,544 received a payment, for a total of $37.6 million (an average of $24,381 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2021 (217 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01002003004001978: 57 claims, 48 paid, $196,275 in total1979: 184 claims, 151 paid, $361,133 in total19801983: 36 claims, 30 paid, $120,645 in total1984: 25 claims, 20 paid, $42,783 in total1985: 15 claims, 12 paid, $29,286 in total19901991: 11 claims1994: 30 claims, 23 paid, $621,181 in total1996: 75 claims, 58 paid, $912,284 in total1999: 191 claims, 160 paid, $3,302,675 in total19992000: 12 claims20002003: 170 claims, 130 paid, $2,056,359 in total2004: 104 claims, 81 paid, $1,544,883 in total2006: 193 claims, 181 paid, $3,910,461 in total20062010: 53 claims, 41 paid, $808,718 in total20102011: 160 claims, 120 paid, $2,560,124 in total2012: 10 claims2013: 26 claims, 15 paid, $167,320 in total2014: 93 claims, 73 paid, $1,956,356 in total2018: 36 claims, 30 paid, $1,481,668 in total2019: 20 claims, 15 paid, $91,060 in total2020: 74 claims, 53 paid, $1,360,957 in total20202021: 217 claims, 193 paid, $13,793,235 in total2021
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 (22)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
2021217193$13,793,235$71,468
20207453$1,360,957$25,678
20192015$91,060$6,071
20183630$1,481,668$49,389
20149373$1,956,356$26,799
20132615$167,320$11,155
201210<10––
2011160120$2,560,124$21,334
20105341$808,718$19,725
2006193181$3,910,461$21,605
200410481$1,544,883$19,073
2003170130$2,056,359$15,818
200012<10––
1999191160$3,302,675$20,642
19967558$912,284$15,729
19943023$621,181$27,008
199111<10––
19851512$29,286$2,440
19842520$42,783$2,139
19833630$120,645$4,022
1979184151$361,133$2,392
19785748$196,275$4,089

From 2016 to 2026: 347 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

Downingtown (121 home policies) · Tredyffrin (95 home policies) · East Goshen (52 home policies) · West Whiteland (47 home policies) · Caln (44 home policies) · Willistown (41 home policies)