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Flood insurance cost · ZIP 36542 · AL

Flood insurance cost in ZIP 36542 (Gulf Shores, AL)

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 2,891 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

ZIP code 36542 (Gulf Shores, AL)Policies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,365a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,124 and $1,789. That is 8% more than the Baldwin County median ($1,266). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (52%).

$0$1,124 · $1,365 · $1,789$2,236
+12.6% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,212)
2,891home policies in force
$1,609average cost (mean)
81%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.

Cost by flood zone in ZIP code 36542

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 VE / V
High risk, coastal		$1,693$1,332–$2,427$2,084841 (29%)+10.9%
Zone AE
High risk		$1,362$1,132–$1,726$1,5391,507 (52%)+12.1%
Zone X
Moderate to low risk		$1,103$774–$1,284$1,066543 (19%)+7.7%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): A, 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 36542, by what they insure.

Type of buildingPoliciesMedianAverage
Single-family home2,618$1,384$1,656
2–4 unit building97$1,476$1,668
Condo or apartment unit172$674$868
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.		382$2,946$6,811
Non-residential building or unit
Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.		199$4,759$5,867

Not shown (fewer than 10 policies): manufactured (mobile) home.

3,472NFIP policies in force, any building
9,484insured units (condo association policies count every unit)
88%of home policies also cover contents
$89,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: ZIP code 36542

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 force3,1222,891−7.4%
Median annual cost$1,212$1,365+12.6%
Average annual cost$1,466$1,609+9.8%
All policies in force (any building)3,7223,472−6.7%

Flood claims history

Since 1978, NFIP policyholders in ZIP 36542 have filed 9,453 flood claims. 7,484 received a payment, for a total of $217.8 million (an average of $29,099 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 2004 (2,847 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

01k2k3k4k1979: 177 claims, 167 paid, $3,617,717 in total19801983: 22 claims, 15 paid, $55,672 in total1985: 308 claims, 172 paid, $1,124,724 in total1987: 16 claims1990: 17 claims, 13 paid, $58,944 in total19901991: 14 claims1995: 892 claims, 667 paid, $8,405,578 in total1997: 270 claims, 84 paid, $436,269 in total1998: 1,343 claims, 904 paid, $17,765,701 in total199820002002: 442 claims, 333 paid, $2,027,980 in total2004: 2,847 claims, 2,588 paid, $129,317,785 in total20042005: 1,527 claims, 1,374 paid, $21,391,889 in total20052007: 23 claims, 20 paid, $480,468 in total2008: 232 claims, 203 paid, $1,358,522 in total2009: 17 claims, 11 paid, $44,913 in total20102012: 71 claims, 54 paid, $308,898 in total2014: 119 claims, 101 paid, $8,633,692 in total2017: 34 claims, 23 paid, $119,251 in total2020: 1,005 claims, 709 paid, $22,216,352 in total20202021: 18 claims, 15 paid, $178,165 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 (20)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsTotal paidAverage per paid claim
20211815$178,165$11,878
20201,005709$22,216,352$31,335
20173423$119,251$5,185
2014119101$8,633,692$85,482
20127154$308,898$5,720
20091711$44,913$4,083
2008232203$1,358,522$6,692
20072320$480,468$24,023
20051,5271,374$21,391,889$15,569
20042,8472,588$129,317,785$49,968
2002442333$2,027,980$6,090
19981,343904$17,765,701$19,652
199727084$436,269$5,194
1995892667$8,405,578$12,602
199114<10––
19901713$58,944$4,534
198716<10––
1985308172$1,124,724$6,539
19832215$55,672$3,711
1979177167$3,617,717$21,663

From 2016 to 2026: 1,057 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

Gulf Shores (1,991 home policies) · Unincorporated Baldwin County (896 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.