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Flood insurance cost · Lancaster County, PA

Flood insurance cost in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 657 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Lancaster County, PennsylvaniaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,400a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,004 and $1,850. That is 14% more than the Pennsylvania median ($1,232). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (56%).

$0$1,004 · $1,400 · $1,850$2,312
+13.0% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,239)
657home policies in force
$1,698average cost (mean)
62%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$223,000median 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 Lancaster 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		$1,679$1,386–$2,731$2,167365 (56%)+13.8%
Zone A
High risk		$1,403$959–$1,735$1,49941 (6%)+11.9%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$991$627–$1,230$1,048251 (38%)+10.2%

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 Lancaster County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home610$1,400$1,715
2–4 unit building29$1,647$1,869
Condo or apartment unit10$496$683
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$2,191$3,098
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		173$2,400$3,519

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

851NFIP policies in force, any building
851insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
65%of home policies also cover contents
$99,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Lancaster 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 force690657−4.8%
Median annual cost$1,239$1,400+13.0%
Average annual cost$1,537$1,698+10.5%
All policies in force (any building)889851−4.3%

How many homes have flood insurance?

0.4%of all homes in Lancaster County have an NFIP policy
27.3%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
184,744residential buildings counted by FEMA
1,544of 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 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania have filed 2,120 flood claims. 1,753 received a payment, for a total of $32.8 million (an average of $18,724 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2011 (477 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001978: 319 claims, 279 paid, $1,400,828 in total19781979: 212 claims, 189 paid, $538,575 in total197919801982: 30 claims, 25 paid, $68,258 in total1983: 27 claims, 17 paid, $33,219 in total1984: 51 claims, 40 paid, $362,057 in total1985: 11 claims1986: 85 claims, 60 paid, $842,643 in total1987: 68 claims, 46 paid, $315,753 in total1988: 31 claims, 28 paid, $51,654 in total1989: 16 claims, 12 paid, $122,125 in total19901993: 41 claims, 28 paid, $90,584 in total1994: 22 claims, 14 paid, $63,255 in total1996: 148 claims, 130 paid, $1,659,304 in total1999: 73 claims, 57 paid, $854,457 in total2000: 47 claims, 42 paid, $1,062,340 in total20002001: 20 claims, 19 paid, $501,421 in total2003: 29 claims, 12 paid, $113,832 in total2004: 66 claims, 60 paid, $1,026,766 in total2005: 51 claims, 48 paid, $1,378,221 in total2006: 36 claims, 28 paid, $430,028 in total20102011: 477 claims, 420 paid, $15,965,280 in total20112012: 17 claims2018: 92 claims, 79 paid, $2,594,408 in total20202021: 51 claims, 46 paid, $1,485,454 in total2025: 38 claims, 31 paid, $1,145,676 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 (25)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20253831$1,145,676$36,957
20215146$1,485,454$32,292
20189279$2,594,408$32,841
201217<10––
2011477420$15,965,280$38,013
20063628$430,028$15,358
20055148$1,378,221$28,713
20046660$1,026,766$17,113
20032912$113,832$9,486
20012019$501,421$26,391
20004742$1,062,340$25,294
19997357$854,457$14,990
1996148130$1,659,304$12,764
19942214$63,255$4,518
19934128$90,584$3,235
19891612$122,125$10,177
19883128$51,654$1,845
19876846$315,753$6,864
19868560$842,643$14,044
198511<10––
19845140$362,057$9,051
19832717$33,219$1,954
19823025$68,258$2,730
1979212189$538,575$2,850
1978319279$1,400,828$5,021

From 2016 to 2026: 181 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

Lancaster (68 home policies) · Marietta (50 home policies) · Manheim (46 home policies) · Manheim (42 home policies) · Manor (39 home policies) · Ephrata (38 home policies)