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Flood insurance cost · ZIP 26003 · WV

Flood insurance cost in ZIP 26003 (Wheeling, WV)

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 308 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

ZIP code 26003 (Wheeling, WV)Policies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,364a year

Half of insured homes paid between $998 and $1,990. That is about the same as the Ohio County median ($1,371). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (83%).

$0$998 · $1,364 · $1,990$2,488
+11.2% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,227)
308home policies in force
$1,665average cost (mean)
89%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 ZIP code 26003

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		$1,414$1,066–$2,112$1,743255 (83%)+4.3%
Zone A
High risk		$1,060$994–$1,754$1,61920 (6%)+4.6%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,086$877–$1,273$1,09033 (11%)+16.6%

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 ZIP code 26003, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home290$1,385$1,699
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.		27$2,400$4,175
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		72$8,262$10,465

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): 2–4 unit building, manufactured (mobile) home, condo or apartment unit.

407NFIP policies in force, any building
407insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
31%of home policies also cover contents
$15,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: ZIP code 26003

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 force324308−4.9%
Median annual cost$1,227$1,364+11.2%
Average annual cost$1,509$1,665+10.3%
All policies in force (any building)405407+0.5%

Flood claims history

Since 1978, NFIP policyholders in ZIP 26003 have filed 3,002 flood claims. 2,715 received a payment, for a total of $30.8 million (an average of $11,352 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2004 (984 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

02505007501k1978: 67 claims, 58 paid, $102,409 in total1979: 35 claims, 21 paid, $19,654 in total1980: 321 claims, 288 paid, $878,479 in total198019801981: 113 claims, 95 paid, $134,067 in total1985: 321 claims, 295 paid, $1,414,360 in total1990: 56 claims, 45 paid, $149,724 in total19901994: 162 claims, 154 paid, $677,593 in total1996: 520 claims, 486 paid, $2,874,135 in total199620002004: 984 claims, 940 paid, $16,555,562 in total20042005: 227 claims, 193 paid, $1,915,914 in total20102011: 11 claims2017: 13 claims, 10 paid, $317,575 in total2018: 36 claims, 29 paid, $2,103,529 in total20202024: 58 claims, 49 paid, $1,706,346 in total2025: 20 claims, 17 paid, $1,275,143 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 (15)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20252017$1,275,143$75,008
20245849$1,706,346$34,823
20183629$2,103,529$72,535
20171310$317,575$31,758
201111<10––
2005227193$1,915,914$9,927
2004984940$16,555,562$17,612
1996520486$2,874,135$5,914
1994162154$677,593$4,400
19905645$149,724$3,327
1985321295$1,414,360$4,794
198111395$134,067$1,411
1980321288$878,479$3,050
19793521$19,654$936
19786758$102,409$1,766

From 2016 to 2026: 127 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.

NFIP communities in this ZIP code

Wheeling (285 home policies) · Unincorporated Ohio County (19 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.