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Flood insurance cost · Washington County, RI

Flood insurance cost in Washington County, Rhode Island

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 3,264 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Washington County, Rhode IslandPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,283a year

Half of insured homes paid between $962 and $1,714. That is 7% more than the Rhode Island median ($1,204). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (56%).

$0$962 · $1,283 · $1,714$2,142
+7.0% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,199)
3,264home policies in force
$1,450average cost (mean)
71%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 Washington 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		$1,430$1,090–$1,995$1,657458 (14%)+4.4%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,438$1,112–$1,915$1,6331,827 (56%)+5.2%
Zone A
High risk		$820$680–$1,233$1,07529 (1%)−1.0%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$983$740–$1,228$1,008949 (29%)+2.6%

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

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home3,072$1,294$1,461
2–4 unit building97$1,528$1,761
Condo or apartment unit86$699$708
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.		80$1,835$2,262
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		288$2,838$3,698

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

3,632NFIP policies in force, any building
3,955insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
72%of home policies also cover contents
$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Washington 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 force3,3853,264−3.6%
Median annual cost$1,199$1,283+7.0%
Average annual cost$1,375$1,450+5.5%
All policies in force (any building)3,7443,632−3.0%

How many homes have flood insurance?

6.6%of all homes in Washington County have an NFIP policy
49.0%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
50,859residential buildings counted by FEMA
4,832of 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 Washington County, Rhode Island have filed 2,406 flood claims. 1,769 received a payment, for a total of $51.9 million (an average of $29,333 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2012 (856 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02505007501k1978: 66 claims, 50 paid, $199,909 in total1979: 14 claims1980: 16 claims, 10 paid, $31,797 in total19801982: 53 claims, 35 paid, $503,395 in total1983: 15 claims1984: 10 claims1985: 55 claims, 23 paid, $146,373 in total19901991: 331 claims, 212 paid, $3,284,041 in total19911992: 74 claims, 46 paid, $665,447 in total1993: 43 claims, 30 paid, $500,246 in total1994: 26 claims, 19 paid, $172,427 in total1998: 37 claims, 22 paid, $280,063 in total20002001: 14 claims2005: 65 claims, 46 paid, $824,883 in total2007: 55 claims, 35 paid, $331,027 in total2009: 16 claims, 14 paid, $146,935 in total2010: 422 claims, 358 paid, $7,915,390 in total201020102011: 52 claims, 37 paid, $1,296,378 in total2012: 856 claims, 696 paid, $32,554,073 in total201220202021: 16 claims, 12 paid, $408,480 in total2022: 10 claims2023: 14 claims2024: 40 claims, 23 paid, $703,932 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 (23)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20244023$703,932$30,606
202314<10––
202210<10––
20211612$408,480$34,040
2012856696$32,554,073$46,773
20115237$1,296,378$35,037
2010422358$7,915,390$22,110
20091614$146,935$10,495
20075535$331,027$9,458
20056546$824,883$17,932
200114<10––
19983722$280,063$12,730
19942619$172,427$9,075
19934330$500,246$16,675
19927446$665,447$14,466
1991331212$3,284,041$15,491
19855523$146,373$6,364
198410<10––
198315<10––
19825335$503,395$14,383
19801610$31,797$3,180
197914<10––
19786650$199,909$3,998

From 2016 to 2026: 80 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 Washington County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Narragansett (868 home policies) · Westerly (663 home policies) · South Kingstown (571 home policies) · Charlestown (546 home policies) · North Kingstown (518 home policies) · New Shoreham (59 home policies)