Flood insurance cost · Pierce County, WA

Flood insurance cost in Pierce County, Washington

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 2,022 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Pierce County, WashingtonPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$932a year

Half of insured homes paid between $674 and $1,225. That is 12% less than the Washington median ($1,058). The most common flood zone for insured homes here is zone AE (42%).

$0$674 · $932 · $1,225$1,531

+6.6% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $874)

2,022home policies in force

$1,061average cost (mean)

59%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.

Disaster declarations: 2 FEMA declarations · individual aid. FEMA declarations and IRS tax relief in Pierce County.

Cost by flood zone in Pierce 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 VE / V High risk, coastal	$759	$646–$962	$828	176 (9%)	+5.4%
Zone AE High risk	$996	$769–$1,347	$1,250	856 (42%)	+7.7%
Zone A High risk	$1,016	$682–$1,471	$1,167	97 (5%)	+1.1%
Zone AO High risk, shallow	$844	$719–$988	$872	48 (2%)	+6.7%
Zone AH High risk, shallow	$846	$620–$1,115	$997	12 (1%)	+9.6%
Zone X Moderate to low risk	$908	$577–$1,200	$915	833 (41%)	+6.3%

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

Type of building	Policies	Median	Average
Single-family home	1,842	$918	$1,010
2–4 unit building	47	$1,215	$2,728
Manufactured (mobile) home	85	$1,361	$1,503
Condo or apartment unit	48	$560	$579
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.	81	$1,769	$2,153
Non-residential building or unit Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.	193	$1,807	$2,575

2,296NFIP policies in force, any building

2,520insured units (condo association policies count every unit)

77%of home policies also cover contents

$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Pierce 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	2,086	2,022	−3.1%
Median annual cost	$874	$932	+6.6%
Average annual cost	$977	$1,061	+8.6%
All policies in force (any building)	2,375	2,296	−3.3%

How many homes have flood insurance?

0.7%of all homes in Pierce County have an NFIP policy

43.7%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one

292,228residential buildings counted by FEMA

2,861of 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 Pierce County, Washington have filed 1,106 flood claims. 864 received a payment, for a total of $26.0 million (an average of $30,061 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2009 (230 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 (22)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Total paid	Average per paid claim
2025	29	23	$1,607,497	$69,891
2022	64	48	$2,775,851	$57,830
2020	14	10	$224,291	$22,429
2015	25	17	$247,776	$14,575
2014	14	10	$110,338	$11,034
2012	17	14	$380,395	$27,171
2009	230	195	$8,002,725	$41,040
2008	11	<10	–	–
2007	12	<10	–	–
2006	143	128	$3,679,731	$28,748
2003	11	<10	–	–
1999	15	<10	–	–
1998	13	<10	–	–
1997	25	20	$290,004	$14,500
1996	207	180	$5,930,642	$32,948
1995	13	<10	–	–
1991	12	10	$56,813	$5,681
1990	78	63	$1,017,573	$16,152
1986	33	26	$418,836	$16,109
1984	10	<10	–	–
1980	15	11	$170,210	$15,474
1979	15	10	$71,506	$7,151

From 2016 to 2026: 107 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 Pierce County

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

ZIP 98360 · Ortingmedian $1,034 · 361 homes

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Pierce County (928 home policies) · Orting (271 home policies) · Puyallup (203 home policies) · Sumner (199 home policies) · Tacoma (104 home policies) · Fife (85 home policies)