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Flood insurance cost · ZIP 18702 · PA

Flood insurance cost in ZIP 18702 (Wilkes-Barre, PA)

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 679 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

ZIP code 18702 (Wilkes-Barre, PA)Policies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,228a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,088 and $1,403. That is 3% more than the Luzerne County median ($1,198). Most insured homes here are rated in zone X (60%).

$0$1,088 · $1,228 · $1,403$1,754
+9.7% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,119)
679home policies in force
$1,285average cost (mean)
40%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)
$200,000median 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 ZIP code 18702

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		$1,340$1,082–$1,583$1,369234 (34%)+7.3%
Zone A
High risk		$1,666$1,361–$1,915$1,72122 (3%)+13.1%
Zone AO
High risk, shallow		$1,619$1,479–$1,745$1,57017 (3%)+12.2%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,198$1,079–$1,366$1,201406 (60%)+16.2%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): VE, 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 ZIP code 18702, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home563$1,204$1,252
2–4 unit building112$1,469$1,484
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.		12$1,808$2,738
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		77$3,749$4,198

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): manufactured (mobile) home, condo or apartment unit.

768NFIP policies in force, any building
768insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
75%of home policies also cover contents
$80,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: ZIP code 18702

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 force691679−1.7%
Median annual cost$1,119$1,228+9.7%
Average annual cost$1,154$1,285+11.4%
All policies in force (any building)781768−1.7%

Flood claims history

Since 1978, NFIP policyholders in ZIP 18702 have filed 758 flood claims. 608 received a payment, for a total of $11.3 million (an average of $18,652 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1996 (266 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01002003004001978: 15 claims, 10 paid, $21,170 in total1979: 37 claims, 30 paid, $94,384 in total1980: 13 claims, 12 paid, $13,514 in total19801983: 20 claims, 14 paid, $35,955 in total1985: 13 claims19901993: 17 claims1996: 266 claims, 218 paid, $1,937,970 in total199620002004: 153 claims, 136 paid, $2,066,441 in total20042005: 10 claims2006: 81 claims, 71 paid, $950,242 in total200620102011: 69 claims, 61 paid, $4,823,260 in total2020
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 (11)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20116961$4,823,260$79,070
20068171$950,242$13,384
200510<10––
2004153136$2,066,441$15,194
1996266218$1,937,970$8,890
199317<10––
198513<10––
19832014$35,955$2,568
19801312$13,514$1,126
19793730$94,384$3,146
19781510$21,170$2,117

2026 is a partial year. Claims are counted where the insured property is; they include buildings and contents, homes and businesses.

NFIP communities in this ZIP code

Wilkes-Barre (657 home policies). A ZIP code can cross city and county lines; each policy is counted once, in the ZIP code reported for the insured building.