California flood insurance and flood history
From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 53,563 flood insurance claims in California since 1978. The NFIP paid $761.2 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 1995, with 8,261, mostly from Flooding.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 7,096 claims, and the average paid claim was $51,340.
36% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 1.3% of homes in California had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (140,683 of 10,537,796 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 31% (91,392 of 299,628).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 33 flood-related disaster declarations covering parts of California. The most recent was DR-4772-CA (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared April 19, 2024.
Flood insurance claims in California by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 136 | $7.4 million |
| 2025 | 255 | $9.2 million |
| 2024 | 583 | $32.1 million |
| 2023 | 1,815 | $64.9 million |
| 2022 | 483 | $20.3 million |
| 2021 | 297 | $6.7 million |
| 2020 | 120 | $1.2 million |
| 2019 | 1,236 | $38.8 million |
| 2018 | 395 | $22.2 million |
| 2017 | 1,776 | $36.0 million |
| 2016 | 426 | $5.6 million |
| 2015 | 125 | $1.5 million |
| 2014 | 563 | $15.0 million |
| 2013 | 76 | $1.3 million |
| 2012 | 278 | $3.0 million |
| 2011 | 275 | $3.0 million |
| 2010 | 826 | $11.9 million |
| 2009 | 153 | $1.4 million |
| 2008 | 274 | $3.7 million |
| 2007 | 54 | $284,091 |
| 2006 | 642 | $14.8 million |
| 2005 | 2,978 | $91.7 million |
| 2004 | 506 | $6.3 million |
| 2003 | 236 | $1.9 million |
| 2002 | 460 | $7.8 million |
| 2001 | 511 | $2.9 million |
| 2000 | 448 | $1.6 million |
| 1999 | 217 | $1.1 million |
| 1998 | 6,768 | $60.7 million |
| 1997 | 3,115 | $44.1 million |
| 1996 | 940 | $8.3 million |
| 1995 | 8,261 | $116.1 million |
| 1994 | 215 | $1.3 million |
| 1993 | 1,291 | $6.7 million |
| 1992 | 823 | $4.1 million |
| 1991 | 267 | $1.2 million |
| 1990 | 53 | $95,597 |
| 1989 | 73 | $229,804 |
| 1988 | 499 | $4.1 million |
| 1987 | 116 | $179,011 |
| 1986 | 2,627 | $35.6 million |
| 1985 | 118 | $231,035 |
| 1984 | 197 | $665,631 |
| 1983 | 4,652 | $30.8 million |
| 1982 | 2,125 | $12.9 million |
| 1981 | 606 | $1.8 million |
| 1980 | 2,846 | $12.4 million |
| 1979 | 629 | $2.1 million |
| 1978 | 1,198 | $3.7 million |
Biggest flood events by NFIP payments
The flood events FEMA's claims data names most often for California, ranked by what the NFIP paid. FEMA names events in its claims records; claims without an event name aren't included here.
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flooding | 1995 | 7,083 | $109.7 million |
| California Atmospheric River | 2023 | 1,583 | $59.1 million |
| Pineapple Express - Southern | 1998 | 6,093 | $57.7 million |
| Flooding | 1986 | 2,394 | $34.2 million |
| Flooding | 1997 | 1,793 | $33.3 million |
| Flooding | 1983 | 3,140 | $24.2 million |
| San Diego Flooding | 2024 | 200 | $19.3 million |
| California Atmospheric River | 2022 | 381 | $18.8 million |
| Mid-Winter California Flooding | 2018 | 207 | $17.1 million |
| Flooding | 1982 | 1,365 | $10.2 million |
What flood insurance costs in California
On June 30, 2026, 170,123 NFIP flood insurance policies were in force in California. For the 122,832 single-family homes among them, the typical (median) yearly cost was about $1,090; the average was $1,220.
| Rated flood zone | Policies | Typical yearly cost, single-family home | Average cost | Average building coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-risk zones (A and V) | 114,302 | $1,090 | $1,320 | $237,000 |
| Moderate- and low-risk zones (B, C and X) | 55,216 | $1,090 | $1,050 | $241,000 |
Cost here is what FEMA's data lists as the policy cost: the premium plus the reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge. It covers single-family homes only (not condos, apartments or businesses), with costs rounded to the nearest $10 and shown only where at least 20 homes back the figure. Your own price depends on your building and the coverage you choose; see how flood insurance is priced. Private flood insurance isn't included.
Policies and average cost by exact flood zone
Flood history by county
Every California county in FEMA's data, sorted by number of NFIP claims since 1978. "Insured" is the share of homes with an NFIP policy; "typical NFIP cost" is the median yearly cost for single-family homes.
| County | Claims | Paid | Insured | Typical NFIP cost | Flood declarations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 9,104 | $72.4 million | 0.5% | $1,190 | 12 |
| Sonoma County | 7,403 | $132.1 million | 1.1% | $1,360 | 9 |
| Sacramento County | 3,864 | $38.7 million | 9.6% | $860 | 8 |
| Orange County | 3,839 | $21.2 million | 1.0% | $1,090 | 7 |
| Marin County | 3,301 | $54.9 million | 5.4% | $1,640 | 9 |
| San Diego County | 2,442 | $48.0 million | 0.7% | $1,110 | 10 |
| Riverside County | 1,636 | $21.2 million | 0.5% | $1,090 | 10 |
| Santa Cruz County | 1,633 | $24.9 million | 2.5% | $1,460 | 10 |
| Santa Clara County | 1,630 | $24.6 million | 1.7% | $1,310 | 6 |
| Monterey County | 1,492 | $42.4 million | 1.1% | $1,390 | 8 |
| Lake County | 1,432 | $14.2 million | 2.4% | $1,760 | 8 |
| Napa County | 1,361 | $29.8 million | 1.9% | $1,790 | 11 |
| Ventura County | 1,331 | $16.0 million | 1.6% | $1,240 | 9 |
| Santa Barbara County | 1,309 | $31.4 million | 1.9% | $1,260 | 12 |
| Contra Costa County | 1,202 | $12.9 million | 0.9% | $1,340 | 6 |
| San Mateo County | 1,110 | $20.1 million | 1.8% | $1,240 | 8 |
| San Bernardino County | 864 | $10.2 million | 0.3% | $1,240 | 9 |
| Placer County | 628 | $16.1 million | 0.6% | $1,060 | 6 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 613 | $8.6 million | 1.1% | $1,240 | 10 |
| Solano County | 594 | $11.0 million | 1.3% | $1,360 | 6 |
| Alameda County | 568 | $4.6 million | 0.8% | $1,160 | 8 |
| Merced County | 499 | $14.7 million | 5.2% | $810 | 7 |
| Tehama County | 428 | $5.6 million | 2.1% | $1,490 | 4 |
| San Joaquin County | 421 | $8.2 million | 1.8% | $1,090 | 8 |
| Tulare County | 366 | $4.3 million | 2.9% | $990 | 5 |
| Yolo County | 340 | $3.3 million | 5.0% | $1,090 | 7 |
| Butte County | 335 | $7.2 million | 1.9% | $940 | 9 |
| Yuba County | 320 | $8.3 million | 4.9% | $1,240 | 6 |
| Kern County | 280 | $1.5 million | 1.1% | $890 | 7 |
| Fresno County | 278 | $2.2 million | 0.3% | $990 | 4 |
| Shasta County | 256 | $4.9 million | 0.8% | $1,240 | 5 |
| Stanislaus County | 242 | $4.7 million | 0.4% | $860 | 6 |
| El Dorado County | 207 | $4.0 million | 0.3% | $1,240 | 10 |
| Humboldt County | 201 | $3.1 million | 0.7% | $1,260 | 8 |
| Sutter County | 199 | $3.0 million | 11.5% | $690 | 7 |
| Glenn County | 195 | $2.4 million | 3.3% | $840 | 7 |
| Mendocino County | 183 | $4.7 million | 1.0% | $1,490 | 9 |
| Colusa County | 160 | $3.0 million | 6.9% | $890 | 6 |
| San Francisco County | 147 | $2.9 million | 0.1% | $860 | 4 |
| San Benito County | 129 | $3.9 million | 0.6% | $1,410 | 6 |
| Imperial County | 103 | $560,324 | 0.1% | $1,210 | 4 |
| Amador County | 78 | $1.5 million | 0.6% | $1,360 | 8 |
| Calaveras County | 74 | $2.3 million | 0.4% | $1,360 | 9 |
| Siskiyou County | 67 | $469,534 | 0.8% | $1,510 | 6 |
| Madera County | 63 | $698,721 | 1.0% | $1,090 | 5 |
| Nevada County | 63 | $1.1 million | 0.2% | $1,310 | 7 |
| Plumas County | 57 | $1.1 million | 0.5% | $1,460 | 5 |
| Lassen County | 52 | $1.1 million | 0.5% | $1,860 | 3 |
| Mono County | 46 | $384,887 | 1.1% | $1,440 | 6 |
| Del Norte County | 37 | $454,598 | 0.9% | $1,290 | 6 |
| Sierra County | 26 | $592,282 | 1.8% | $2,360 | 5 |
| Trinity County | 23 | $72,552 | 0.7% | $1,340 | 9 |
| Tuolumne County | 20 | $308,820 | 0.1% | $1,240 | 8 |
| Kings County | 10 | $150,801 | 0.5% | $860 | 5 |
| Alpine County | 5 | $45,997 | 1.4% | n/a | 5 |
| Inyo County | 4 | $11,669 | 0.5% | $1,110 | 7 |
| Mariposa County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | n/a | 7 |
| Modoc County | 0 | $0 | 1.0% | $1,160 | 4 |
Flood-related FEMA disaster declarations in California
Declarations since 2000 that FEMA lists as involving flooding. "Help for individuals" means FEMA's Individual Assistance was approved for at least part of the area.
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4772-CA | Apr 19, 2024 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4769-CA | Apr 13, 2024 | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4758-CA | Feb 19, 2024 | Severe Storm and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-4750-CA | Nov 21, 2023 | Tropical Storm Hilary | No |
| DR-4746-CA | Oct 18, 2023 | Tropical Storm Hilary | No |
| DR-4743-CA | Sep 27, 2023 | Tropical Storm Hilary | No |
| DR-4714-CA | May 25, 2023 | Severe Storm and Flooding | No |
| DR-4713-CA | May 18, 2023 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | No |
| DR-4699-CA | Apr 3, 2023 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3592-CA | Mar 10, 2023 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4683-CA | Jan 14, 2023 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3591-CA | Jan 9, 2023 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4434-CA | May 17, 2019 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4431-CA | May 1, 2019 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4425-CA | Apr 8, 2019 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4423-CA | Mar 28, 2019 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4422-CA | Mar 26, 2019 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4353-CA | Jan 2, 2018 | Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debris Flows | Yes |
| DR-4312-CA | May 2, 2017 | Flooding | No |
| DR-4308-CA | Apr 1, 2017 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4305-CA | Mar 16, 2017 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4301-CA | Feb 14, 2017 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | No |
| EM-3381-CA | Feb 14, 2017 | Potential Failure of the Emergency Spillway At Oroville Lake | No |
| DR-4206-CA | Jan 27, 2015 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-1952-CA | Jan 26, 2011 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows | No |
Showing the 25 most recent of 33.
What to do with this
A county's history doesn't tell you your own building's risk. To see your property's flood zone, use FEMA's flood map lookup. To weigh coverage, start with do I need flood insurance? and what flood insurance costs.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- NFIP Redacted Policies (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP policies in force on June 30, 2026 (a policy counts if its term covers that date and it wasn't cancelled), downloaded 2026-10-08. Policy counts are FEMA's insured units, so a condominium association policy counts each unit. Costs are FEMA's "policy cost" (premium plus reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge) for single-family homes only. Policies FEMA's data doesn't place in a county count toward the state only.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.