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How Many Homes Have Flood Insurance in Each State?

Learning goal: See how many homes in your state have a federal flood insurance policy, how flood claims have played out there, and what these numbers can't tell you.

Short answer

About 2.9% of U.S. residential structures have a National Flood Insurance Program policy, according to FEMA data from August 2026. Louisiana (22.0%) and Florida (13.7%) are highest, and Minnesota (0.23%) is lowest. Private flood policies aren't counted, because FEMA doesn't have those figures, so total coverage is higher.

Read to the end to complete this lesson.

On this page
  1. The Fuller Picture
  2. Federal flood insurance and flood claims by state
  3. Key Takeaways
  4. Real-World Example
  5. Common Mistakes
  6. Interactive Exercise
  7. Knowledge Check
  8. Questions to explore next

The Fuller Picture

FEMA publishes flood insurance figures county by county. Insurpedia added them up by state, and added 10 years of FEMA claims records (2016 to 2025), to show one view of each state. In 24 states, fewer than 1% of residential structures have a federal flood policy. Nationally, the records show 586,148 claims and about $36.8 billion paid, with an average of about $79,000 on claims that received a payment. About 28% of claims came from properties rated outside FEMA's high-risk A and V zones. These are program records, not a measure of any one home's risk.

Federal flood insurance at a glance
  • 2.9% of U.S. residential structures have an NFIP policy
  • 586,148 NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
  • $36.8 billion paid on those claims
  • 28% of claims came from outside high-risk A and V zones

Rounded, as in the text above.

Share of homes with an NFIP policy, by state
Share of homes with an NFIP policy, by stateA tile map of the 50 states and DC, one square per state, shaded by the share of residential structures with an NFIP policy: darker means a higher share. Louisiana (22.0%) and Florida (13.7%) are highest, and Minnesota (0.23%) is lowest. Every state’s figure is in the table below.Alabama: 1.3%AL1.3%Alaska: 1.1%AK1.1%Arizona: 0.66%AZ0.66%Arkansas: 0.76%AR0.76%California: 1.3%CA1.3%Colorado: 0.57%CO0.57%Connecticut: 2.1%CT2.1%Delaware: 4.8%DE4.8%District of Columbia: 1.1%DC1.1%Florida: 13.7%FL13.7%Georgia: 1.6%GA1.6%Hawaii: 3.9%HI3.9%Idaho: 0.55%ID0.55%Illinois: 0.53%IL0.53%Indiana: 0.51%IN0.51%Iowa: 0.47%IA0.47%Kansas: 0.45%KS0.45%Kentucky: 0.82%KY0.82%Louisiana: 22.0%LA22.0%Maine: 1.2%ME1.2%Maryland: 1.7%MD1.7%Massachusetts: 2.0%MA2.0%Michigan: 0.41%MI0.41%Minnesota: 0.23%MN0.23%Mississippi: 3.5%MS3.5%Missouri: 0.42%MO0.42%Montana: 0.59%MT0.59%Nebraska: 0.67%NE0.67%Nevada: 0.77%NV0.77%New Hampshire: 1.1%NH1.1%New Jersey: 5.0%NJ5.0%New Mexico: 1.4%NM1.4%New York: 2.5%NY2.5%North Carolina: 2.6%NC2.6%North Dakota: 1.8%ND1.8%Ohio: 0.42%OH0.42%Oklahoma: 0.46%OK0.46%Oregon: 1.1%OR1.1%Pennsylvania: 0.69%PA0.69%Rhode Island: 2.7%RI2.7%South Carolina: 6.1%SC6.1%South Dakota: 0.50%SD0.50%Tennessee: 0.70%TN0.70%Texas: 5.8%TX5.8%Utah: 0.32%UT0.32%Vermont: 1.1%VT1.1%Virginia: 2.7%VA2.7%Washington: 0.93%WA0.93%West Virginia: 1.0%WV1.0%Wisconsin: 0.46%WI0.46%Wyoming: 0.48%WY0.48%
Lower share: 0.23% (Minnesota) Higher share: 22.0% (Louisiana)

Shading steps are spaced so differences between low-share states stay visible. Squares show position, not size or shape.

The 10 states with the most NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
  1. Florida 199,277
  2. Texas 137,995
  3. Louisiana 71,293
  4. North Carolina 32,329
  5. South Carolina 15,590
  6. New Jersey 14,317
  7. New York 11,892
  8. Pennsylvania 8,433
  9. California 7,386
  10. Georgia 7,250

Federal flood insurance and flood claims by state

StateHomes with an NFIP policyNFIP policiesClaims, 2016–2025Average paid claimClaims outside high-risk zonesSource
Alabama1.3%25,5795,571$42,53423%fema.gov
Alaska1.1%2,708162$54,97851%fema.gov
Arizona0.66%17,476761$37,53348%fema.gov
Arkansas0.76%8,9932,342$50,89928%fema.gov
California1.3%140,6837,386$49,53538%fema.gov
Colorado0.57%11,283529$19,38774%fema.gov
Connecticut2.1%21,0392,012$34,91833%fema.gov
Delaware4.8%17,547594$31,12821%fema.gov
District of Columbia1.1%1,443221$15,75088%fema.gov
Florida13.7%1,040,662199,277$99,30110%fema.gov
Georgia1.6%58,5797,250$37,25927%fema.gov
Hawaii3.9%11,8291,155$69,49126%fema.gov
Idaho0.55%3,768353$18,50348%fema.gov
Illinois0.53%21,0914,421$25,13729%fema.gov
Indiana0.51%13,0931,840$35,80225%fema.gov
Iowa0.47%6,6022,078$39,35629%fema.gov
Kansas0.45%5,331963$36,11936%fema.gov
Kentucky0.82%14,1365,325$45,96114%fema.gov
Louisiana22.0%359,01371,293$73,27428%fema.gov
Maine1.2%6,6511,304$45,34021%fema.gov
Maryland1.7%33,2322,967$28,20045%fema.gov
Massachusetts2.0%36,9393,470$31,93319%fema.gov
Michigan0.41%16,0363,242$31,48929%fema.gov
Minnesota0.23%5,166836$29,77446%fema.gov
Mississippi3.5%40,9545,270$32,14329%fema.gov
Missouri0.42%10,5745,678$52,46916%fema.gov
Montana0.59%3,070307$39,02043%fema.gov
Nebraska0.67%5,5871,434$48,35919%fema.gov
Nevada0.77%7,964315$36,11730%fema.gov
New Hampshire1.1%4,490694$35,68814%fema.gov
New Jersey5.0%121,46214,317$43,67321%fema.gov
New Mexico1.4%11,342668$66,28248%fema.gov
New York2.5%118,00111,892$37,07239%fema.gov
North Carolina2.6%106,56132,329$48,00922%fema.gov
North Dakota1.8%4,925233$7,54963%fema.gov
Ohio0.42%18,0412,701$30,11935%fema.gov
Oklahoma0.46%6,9941,355$62,59833%fema.gov
Oregon1.1%16,155525$36,02532%fema.gov
Pennsylvania0.69%31,9658,433$40,24727%fema.gov
Rhode Island2.7%8,360534$51,37529%fema.gov
South Carolina6.1%121,41715,590$37,58421%fema.gov
South Dakota0.50%2,012631$42,60148%fema.gov
Tennessee0.70%18,0143,888$43,88832%fema.gov
Texas5.8%504,816137,995$99,49754%fema.gov
Utah0.32%3,169211$21,44083%fema.gov
Vermont1.1%2,8481,065$62,38820%fema.gov
Virginia2.7%72,5145,878$30,56940%fema.gov
Washington0.93%23,1222,585$53,52823%fema.gov
West Virginia1.0%7,7482,749$40,35021%fema.gov
Wisconsin0.46%8,9471,970$37,17839%fema.gov
Wyoming0.48%1,30574$21,26145%fema.gov

Each row checked against its source on 30 October 2026. Homes means residential structures. Private flood insurance isn't included. FEMA warns that incomplete building counts in some areas can inflate these shares. We left out state rates inside high-risk zones, because FEMA's county data has gaps there that make them unreliable.

Key Takeaways

  • About 2.9% of residential structures nationally have a National Flood Insurance Program policy, from 22.0% in Louisiana to 0.23% in Minnesota.
  • In 24 states, the share is under 1%. Private flood policies aren't included, so total coverage is higher by an amount FEMA can't measure.
  • About 28% of NFIP claims from 2016 to 2025 came from properties rated outside high-risk A and V zones, so a low-risk label doesn't mean no risk.
  • Standard homeowners policies generally don't cover flood, so it's worth checking your own coverage instead of relying on a state average.

Real-World Example

Reading your state's row

Take Texas. About 5.8% of its residential structures have a federal flood policy. From 2016 to 2025, Texas had 137,995 claims, and paid claims averaged about $99,497. About 54% of those claims came from properties rated outside high-risk zones, a period that includes Hurricane Harvey. A homeowner there could read this as a reason to check their own flood map and policy, not as a forecast for their street.

Common Mistakes

  • Reading a low share as low risk. It shows how many homes have a federal policy, not how likely a flood is.
  • Reading the table as all flood insurance. Private flood policies aren't in it.
  • Assuming a home outside a high-risk zone can't flood. Over a quarter of the claims here came from properties rated outside those zones.
  • Comparing small states too closely. Where there are few claims, one storm or a handful of claims can move the averages a lot.

Interactive Exercise

Check your home against your state's row

Use your state's row as a prompt to check your own situation, not as an answer about your home.

Tick each step as you do it. Your checklist is saved in this browser.

Knowledge Check

Question: A state has a low share of homes with a federal flood policy. What does that tell you?

Explanation: The share counts NFIP policies against residential structures. It doesn't measure flood risk, and it doesn't include private flood insurance, so it only tells you how many homes have a federal policy.

Recommended Insurpedia Tools

  • Coverage Builder: Answer a few questions about your home, vehicles, family and work, and see insurance topics worth researching for your situation, each linked to a plain-English explanation. It doesn’t tell you what to buy.

Related Insurance Terms

Related Scenarios

Questions to explore next

Questions readers often ask next about this topic:

  • How do I find out whether my home is in a high-risk flood zone?
  • Would my mortgage lender require flood insurance?
  • What's the difference between NFIP and private flood insurance?

See every lesson in the Homeowners Insurance course.

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Sources

The factual claims on this page were checked against these sources. Rules and figures change, so check the source itself if you need to confirm the current version.

  • fema.govNFIP Residential Penetration Rates, version 1 · Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA
  • fema.govNFIP Redacted Claims, version 3 · Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA
  • fema.govOpenFEMA Terms and Conditions · Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Educational information, not advice: This lesson is for general education only, not legal, financial, or insurance advice. Actual coverage, discounts, and requirements depend on your policy’s wording, your insurer, and the laws of your state. Confirm specifics with your own insurer or a licensed agent before making a decision. Insurpedia does not sell insurance and does not recommend specific insurers. Insurpedia's own calculation from two FEMA datasets, retrieved from the OpenFEMA API on 30 October 2026. Share of homes: NFIP Residential Penetration Rates v1 (as of 3 August 2026), adding each state's county counts of residential policies and structures. Claims: NFIP Redacted Claims v3, with a date of loss from 2016 to 2025. Paid claims are those with a building, contents or increased cost of compliance payment, in dollars not adjusted for inflation. Outside high-risk zones means a rated flood zone that doesn't begin with A or V; national claim totals include U.S. territories and records with no state. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).