Flood insurance in Delaware: cost by ZIP code and county
Delaware's 14,966 single-family flood policies had a median bill of $1,156 on July 31, 2026; most of them are in Sussex County.
Median single-family flood bill, Delaware
$1,156
14,966 policies in force on July 31, 2026, premium and fees included.
| Median full-risk price, same policies | $1,325 |
| Policies still below their full-risk price | 43 % |
| Median paid in August 2023 | $884 |
| Increase left from the median | 1 renewal at 18 % |
| Next five bills, added up | $6,625 |
| Median claim paid, 2016 to 2025 (342 claims) | $5,156 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where the numbers come from · 55 ZIP codes and 3 counties of Delaware in FEMA's tables · not a quote
A Delaware single-family flood policy cost a median $1,156 a year on July 31, 2026, with the Reserve Fund Assessment, HFIAA surcharge and Federal Policy Fee in the total, for 14,966 policies. The state has only three counties, and one dominates: Sussex County, which includes Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach, holds 12,701 policies, about 85 % of the state, at a median of $1,168. FEMA's 2023 tables rate 84 % of Delaware's single-family policies as exposed to storm surge. Even so, the gap to full price is moderate: the full-risk median is $1,325 and 43 % of policies are still capped. Claims have been small. From 2016 to 2025, the program paid 342 single-family claims with a median of $5,156, roughly 4 years of the median bill.
Three counties, one beach market
Sussex County alone holds about 85 % of Delaware's single-family flood policies. Its median single-family bill, $1,168, is close to the state figure because it is most of the state. New Castle County, which includes Wilmington, has 1,489 policies and a similar median, $1,176, but a wider gap: its full-risk median is $1,527, and FEMA's 2023 tables named it the county with the largest gap in the state. Kent County, which includes Dover, is the cheapest, with 774 policies at $940.
A zones carry the cost, X zones are already at full price
The 9,500 Delaware policies in A zones pay a median $1,344, with a full-risk median of $1,741. That is where yearly increases remain. The 4,887 X zone policies pay $751, practically their full-risk level of $755, so their bills move with FEMA's general rate changes rather than with the cap. The 579 V zone policies, in the coastal high hazard areas, pay $1,479.
FEMA also rated 25 % of the state's 2023 single-family policies as exposed to coastal erosion, against 8 % nationally. That share is 3.1 times the national one.
Small claims so far
Delaware has not had a major flood disaster in the recent claims file. Hurricane Ida in 2021 produced the most paid single-family claims, 58, for $570,986 in total. The median claim, $5,156, is a fraction of the national $42,494. New Castle County, though it has far fewer policies than Sussex, accounted for 125 of the paid claims, against 184 in Sussex. Of the 342 paid claims, 252 were in A zones and 73 in X zones.
A median Delaware claim measured against your bill
Median single-family claim paid in Delaware, 2016 to 2025
$5,156
| Years of the bill entered that one median claim equals | 4 |
| Median claim, whole country | $42,494 |
| Average claim, whole country | $70,978 |
A small claim record is not a forecast for any one house. Homes in Delaware are valuable, a median replacement cost of $543,036 in 2023, and the coverage limits of a federal policy stop at $250,000 for the building.
The Delaware counties with the most policies
| County | Policies | Median bill | Full-risk median | Still below full risk | Renewals left at 18 % | Median bill, August 2023 | Median claim 2016-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County | 12,701 | $1,168 | $1,331 | 43 % | 1 | $899 | $5,497 |
| New Castle County | 1,489 | $1,176 | $1,527 | 48 % | 2 | $833 | $4,949 |
| Kent County | 774 | $940 | $974 | 31 % | 1 | $762 | $4,792 |
Full-risk prices of Delaware homes, band by band
| Full risk-based price a year | Policies | Share | Median rebuild value |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $1,000 | 6,075 | 38.0 % | $550,836 |
| $1,000 to $2,000 | 5,596 | 35.0 % | $522,457 |
| $2,000 to $3,000 | 2,412 | 15.1 % | $543,882 |
| $3,000 to $4,000 | 1,031 | 6.5 % | $553,605 |
| $4,000 to $5,000 | 457 | 2.9 % | $565,702 |
| $5,000 or more | 412 | 2.6 % |
The floods that paid the most Delaware claims since 2016
| Event (FEMA name) | Year | Paid claims | Paid in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ida | 2021 | 58 | $570,986 |
| 2025-10-Nor'easter | 2025 | 4 | $34,220 |
| 2025-08-Erin-HU | 2025 | 4 | $15,196 |