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Flood insurance cost · McDowell County, WV

Flood insurance cost in McDowell County, West Virginia

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 115 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

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

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,336a year

Half of insured homes paid between $950 and $2,077. That is about the same as the West Virginia median ($1,335). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (61%).

$0$950 · $1,336 · $2,077$2,596
+12.5% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,188)
115home policies in force
$1,603average cost (mean)
74%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$66,000median 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 McDowell 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		$1,480$1,012–$2,308$1,79070 (61%)+6.0%
Zone A
High risk		$1,776$956–$2,138$1,59915 (13%)−3.0%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,084$835–$1,390$1,16730 (26%)+22.1%

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 McDowell County, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home84$1,388$1,656
Manufactured (mobile) home30$1,167$1,462
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		35$4,311$5,818

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): 2–4 unit building, condo or apartment unit, whole residential building (5+ units or condo association).

153NFIP policies in force, any building
153insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
54%of home policies also cover contents
$22,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: McDowell 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 force123115−6.5%
Median annual cost$1,188$1,336+12.5%
Average annual cost$1,444$1,603+11.0%
All policies in force (any building)157153−2.5%

How many homes have flood insurance?

4.6%of all homes in McDowell County have an NFIP policy
19.4%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one
9,264residential buildings counted by FEMA
2,006of 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 McDowell County, West Virginia have filed 1,052 flood claims. 815 received a payment, for a total of $9,678,546 (an average of $11,876 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2002 (319 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01002003004001978: 117 claims, 94 paid, $180,895 in total1979: 23 claims, 13 paid, $34,890 in total1980: 10 claims19801981: 28 claims, 20 paid, $40,723 in total1984: 159 claims, 122 paid, $422,434 in total198419901996: 21 claims, 19 paid, $112,022 in total20002001: 125 claims, 108 paid, $1,640,264 in total20012002: 319 claims, 261 paid, $3,776,116 in total20022003: 33 claims, 24 paid, $75,770 in total2004: 11 claims2009: 25 claims, 17 paid, $241,888 in total2010: 54 claims, 39 paid, $347,182 in total201020202025: 60 claims, 50 paid, $2,546,788 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 (13)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20256050$2,546,788$50,936
20105439$347,182$8,902
20092517$241,888$14,229
200411<10––
20033324$75,770$3,157
2002319261$3,776,116$14,468
2001125108$1,640,264$15,188
19962119$112,022$5,896
1984159122$422,434$3,463
19812820$40,723$2,036
198010<10––
19792313$34,890$2,684
197811794$180,895$1,924

From 2016 to 2026: 60 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 McDowell County (61 home policies) · Welch (36 home policies)