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Flood insurance cost · Kanawha County, WV

Flood insurance cost in Kanawha County, West Virginia

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 1,084 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Kanawha County, West VirginiaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,442a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,084 and $2,153. That is 8% more than the West Virginia median ($1,335). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (74%).

$0$1,084 · $1,442 · $2,153$2,691
+12.0% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,287)
1,084home policies in force
$1,750average cost (mean)
86%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$112,000median 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 Kanawha 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		$1,551$1,139–$2,336$1,858797 (74%)+9.5%
Zone A
High risk		$1,384$1,051–$2,096$1,666133 (12%)+14.6%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,201$964–$1,388$1,261154 (14%)+16.5%

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 Kanawha County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home971$1,460$1,781
2–4 unit building19$1,516$2,255
Manufactured (mobile) home88$1,152$1,350
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.		17$6,880$8,890
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		134$5,158$7,441

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): condo or apartment unit.

1,235NFIP policies in force, any building
1,235insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
32%of home policies also cover contents
$50,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Kanawha 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 force1,2041,084−10.0%
Median annual cost$1,287$1,442+12.0%
Average annual cost$1,569$1,750+11.5%
All policies in force (any building)1,3511,235−8.6%

How many homes have flood insurance?

1.5%of all homes in Kanawha County have an NFIP policy
9.8%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
78,314residential buildings counted by FEMA
10,173of 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 Kanawha County, West Virginia have filed 2,481 flood claims. 1,940 received a payment, for a total of $43.2 million (an average of $22,268 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2003 (483 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02004006008001978: 137 claims, 116 paid, $267,541 in total1980: 37 claims, 29 paid, $94,338 in total19801981: 10 claims1982: 34 claims, 29 paid, $53,028 in total1985: 10 claims1989: 56 claims, 28 paid, $76,980 in total19901991: 20 claims, 13 paid, $81,758 in total1994: 14 claims1995: 37 claims, 25 paid, $463,592 in total1996: 60 claims, 39 paid, $582,804 in total1997: 203 claims, 155 paid, $2,386,345 in total19971998: 132 claims, 109 paid, $2,797,358 in total2000: 65 claims, 56 paid, $780,209 in total20002001: 36 claims, 18 paid, $234,024 in total2002: 13 claims2003: 483 claims, 380 paid, $5,071,877 in total20032004: 149 claims, 121 paid, $2,150,546 in total2006: 11 claims2007: 34 claims, 28 paid, $701,095 in total2008: 18 claims, 12 paid, $142,285 in total2009: 47 claims, 39 paid, $364,366 in total2010: 102 claims, 87 paid, $1,414,516 in total20102013: 33 claims, 28 paid, $358,075 in total2014: 17 claims, 11 paid, $74,625 in total2015: 81 claims, 71 paid, $936,777 in total2016: 336 claims, 297 paid, $18,684,672 in total20162018: 14 claims, 11 paid, $166,421 in total20202021: 74 claims, 62 paid, $2,013,354 in total2022: 46 claims, 35 paid, $1,050,267 in total2023: 20 claims, 18 paid, $548,790 in total2024: 33 claims, 29 paid, $727,210 in total2025: 22 claims, 19 paid, $273,997 in total2026: 34 claims, 13 paid, $171,774 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 (33)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20263413$171,774$13,213
20252219$273,997$14,421
20243329$727,210$25,076
20232018$548,790$30,488
20224635$1,050,267$30,008
20217462$2,013,354$32,473
20181411$166,421$15,129
2016336297$18,684,672$62,911
20158171$936,777$13,194
20141711$74,625$6,784
20133328$358,075$12,788
201010287$1,414,516$16,259
20094739$364,366$9,343
20081812$142,285$11,857
20073428$701,095$25,039
200611<10––
2004149121$2,150,546$17,773
2003483380$5,071,877$13,347
200213<10––
20013618$234,024$13,001
20006556$780,209$13,932
1998132109$2,797,358$25,664
1997203155$2,386,345$15,396
19966039$582,804$14,944
19953725$463,592$18,544
199414<10––
19912013$81,758$6,289
19895628$76,980$2,749
198510<10––
19823429$53,028$1,829
198110<10––
19803729$94,338$3,253
1978137116$267,541$2,306

From 2016 to 2026: 579 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

Unincorporated Kanawha County (675 home policies) · Dunbar (115 home policies) · Charleston (114 home policies) · Nitro (41 home policies) · St. Albans (33 home policies) · South Charleston (32 home policies)