California Flood Insurance.
What the FEMA data shows.
165,567 NFIP flood policies are in force in California. The average one costs $979 a year. In the last 10 years, NFIP paid $237.9 million on 7,212 flood claims in California.
FEMA policy data as of July 4, 2026.
California flood insurance in 5 numbers
165,567
NFIP policies in force in California.
$979
Average yearly premium per policy.
$237.9 million
Paid on 7,212 flood claims in 10 years.
67%
Share of policies in high-risk zones (A or V).
98
California communities in FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS). Best: City of Roseville, Class 1. That takes 45% off the NFIP premium for eligible policies, in any zone.
California’s costliest floods in 10 years
These are the flood events with the most NFIP money paid in California from July 3, 2016 to July 4, 2026. The names are FEMA’s own event labels, written out in plain words.
| FEMA event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| California Atmospheric River | 1,964 | $77.1 million |
| San Diego Flooding | 200 | $19.3 million |
| Mid-Winter California Flooding | 207 | $17.1 million |
What will flood insurance cost at your California address?
The $979 average is a number for all of California. Your price is set by your own home. Same flood zone, very different prices. It turns on how high your first floor sits, what your home costs to rebuild, and how often your spot floods.
Your flood zone tells you if your lender will require a policy. Start there. Type your address and see your FEMA flood zone in seconds. A licensed, independent insurance agent can then compare NFIP and private options for you.
Checked against FEMA’s flood map for that exact spot.
3 questions California buyers ask next
Sources and dates
- Policies in force, average premium and the share in A or V zones: FEMA, OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP Redacted Policies v2. Policies in force on July 4, 2026. A condo association policy counts once for each unit it covers. The average is total premium divided by policies.
- Claims and money paid: FEMA, OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims v2. Losses from July 3, 2016 to July 4, 2026. Paid means building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments added together.
- Counted by ShoutFlood from FEMA’s public files on November 3, 2026. Places with fewer than 50 policies show no numbers.
- CRS communities and classes: FEMA, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), read November 4, 2026, with the class changes effective October 1, 2026. A community counts when its class is 1 to 9. The discount by class is FEMA’s CRS table in the NFIP Flood Insurance Manual. It comes off the NFIP premium, not the fees.