Flood insurance cost · Dorchester County, SC

Flood insurance cost in Dorchester County, South Carolina

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 2,613 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Dorchester County, South CarolinaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$813a year

Half of insured homes paid between $607 and $1,086. That is 14% less than the South Carolina median ($949). Most insured homes here are rated in zone X (55%).

$0$607 · $813 · $1,086$1,358

+1.1% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $804)

2,613home policies in force

$893average cost (mean)

45%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 Dorchester 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 zone	Median	Middle half (25th–75th percentile)	Average	Policies	vs last year
Zone AE High risk	$961	$702–$1,234	$1,042	1,167 (45%)	+3.6%
Zone A High risk	$906	$598–$1,070	$840	10 (0%)	+8.1%
Zone X Moderate to low risk	$704	$563–$959	$772	1,436 (55%)	−1.5%

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 Dorchester County, by what they insure.

Type of building	Policies	Median	Average
Single-family home	2,457	$819	$899
2–4 unit building	35	$959	$847
Manufactured (mobile) home	54	$843	$972
Condo or apartment unit	67	$552	$641
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.	87	$2,475	$3,080
Non-residential building or unit Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.	83	$1,973	$2,270

2,783NFIP policies in force, any building

2,989insured units (condo association policies count every unit)

89%of home policies also cover contents

$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Dorchester 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, 2025	Aug 31, 2026	Change
Home policies in force	2,784	2,613	−6.1%
Median annual cost	$804	$813	+1.1%
Average annual cost	$863	$893	+3.5%
All policies in force (any building)	2,953	2,783	−5.8%

How many homes have flood insurance?

5.0%of all homes in Dorchester County have an NFIP policy

71.0%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one

54,797residential buildings counted by FEMA

1,754of 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 Dorchester County, South Carolina have filed 779 flood claims. 584 received a payment, for a total of $16.9 million (an average of $28,899 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2015 (387 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

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 (10)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Total paid	Average per paid claim
2024	69	62	$2,884,901	$46,531
2022	17	<10	–	–
2020	17	13	$354,752	$27,289
2017	21	18	$779,197	$43,289
2016	104	87	$3,035,949	$34,896
2015	387	292	$8,691,510	$29,765
2013	23	12	$99,182	$8,265
1999	16	10	$138,843	$13,884
1989	23	<10	–	–
1983	11	<10	–	–

From 2016 to 2026: 228 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 Dorchester County

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

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Dorchester County (1,525 home policies) · Summerville (568 home policies) · North Charleston (505 home policies)