202,131 flood insurance claims·$6.3B paid·192,768 policies in force
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around New Jersey. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
New Jersey faces a mixed flood risk dominated by frequent flash floods and standard riverine flooding, alongside significant coastal and tropical storm hazards. Over a thirty-year period recorded by NOAA, the state experienced thousands of events, led by 1,838 flash floods resulting in 40 deaths, 1,032 general floods causing 13 deaths, and 872 coastal floods accounting for 8 deaths. Additional threats include storm surges, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Recent federal disaster declarations underscore this persistent vulnerability, specifically noting severe storms and flooding in July 2023 and widespread damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021.
Federal flood insurance claim data illustrates how risk distributes across different zones throughout the state. The vast majority of National Flood Insurance Program claims and payouts are concentrated in Zone A, which accounts for 175,851 claims totaling $5,592 million paid with an average of $37,495 per claim. High-severity coastal risk is visible in Zone V, where claims average $65,701, totaling $131 million across 2,654 claims.
At the same time, claims outside traditional high-risk areas demonstrate that surprise losses occur regularly. Various designations of Zone X account for over 20,000 combined claims and hundreds of millions of dollars in payouts, including shaded, unshaded, and general categories. While residents in high-risk zones face the most frequent and severe financial exposure, property owners in lower-risk or unshaded zones also experience costly flood events, indicating that flood risk extends beyond standard mapped hazard boundaries.
Summary generated from FEMA disaster declarations, NOAA storm events, and NFIP claim data. Updated quarterly.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, Policies, and Disaster Declarations data. NFIP policies in force and average premium (premium plus federal policy fee) as of August 31, 2026, from OpenFEMA.
New Jersey has received 627 federal disaster declarations, including 74 flood and coastal storm declarations and 88 hurricane declarations.
NFIP claims by county, 1978 to date. Source: OpenFEMA. Counties ranked by recorded flood events →
Properties in New Jersey FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender, or a federally backed loan, are required to carry flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
New Jersey had 192,768 NFIP policies in force on August 31, 2026, and the average NFIP premium was $1,127 a year (premium plus the federal policy fee; the reserve fund assessment and HFIAA surcharge come on top, and nationally they make actual bills about a quarter higher). Under FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 each building is priced on its own flood risk, so a state average says little about what any one home will pay.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from properties outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. New Jersey residents can purchase flood insurance through the NFIP or private insurers.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.
See the most flood-prone counties in New Jersey →
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