Flood zones, flood insurance and FEMA help, in plain English

Kansas flood insurance and flood history

From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08

7,901NFIP flood claims since 1978
$116.8 millionPaid on those claims
$37,361Average paid claimlast 10 years
0.5%Homes with NFIP flood insurance
$1,040Typical yearly NFIP costsingle-family home
38Flood disaster declarationssince 2000

FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 7,901 flood insurance claims in Kansas since 1978. The NFIP paid $116.8 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 1993, with 1,162, mostly from Midwest Flooding.

In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 851 claims, and the average paid claim was $37,361.

33% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).

About 0.5% of homes in Kansas had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (5,331 of 1,172,094 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 15% (3,568 of 23,562).

Since 2000, FEMA has made 38 flood-related disaster declarations covering parts of Kansas. The most recent was DR-4943-KS (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared September 1, 2026.

Flood insurance claims in Kansas by year

NFIP flood claims per year in Kansas, 1978 to 202605001k1.5k2k1978: 32 claims, $74,741 paid1979: 344 claims, $2.4 million paid1980: 38 claims, $50,293 paid19801981: 539 claims, $2.4 million paid1982: 275 claims, $1.5 million paid1983: 187 claims, $916,431 paid1984: 225 claims, $1.1 million paid1985: 153 claims, $654,468 paid1986: 213 claims, $2.5 million paid1987: 120 claims, $618,099 paid1988: 12 claims, $16,780 paid1989: 89 claims, $520,965 paid1990: 78 claims, $362,191 paid19901991: 18 claims, $43,920 paid1992: 86 claims, $794,600 paid1993: 1,162 claims, $11.9 million paid1994: 104 claims, $1.0 million paid1995: 216 claims, $1.8 million paid1996: 110 claims, $718,825 paid1997: 110 claims, $1.2 million paid1998: 665 claims, $18.3 million paid1999: 134 claims, $869,423 paid2000: 13 claims, $14,850 paid20002001: 69 claims, $669,179 paid2002: 22 claims, $80,669 paid2003: 73 claims, $700,242 paid2004: 84 claims, $1.6 million paid2005: 204 claims, $3.3 million paid2006: 5 claims, $1,673 paid2007: 646 claims, $17.1 million paid2008: 165 claims, $3.1 million paid2009: 149 claims, $4.1 million paid2010: 115 claims, $1.2 million paid20102011: 128 claims, $2.5 million paid2012: 42 claims, $221,943 paid2013: 111 claims, $1.5 million paid2014: 29 claims, $250,186 paid2015: 122 claims, $1.4 million paid2016: 163 claims, $4.3 million paid2017: 162 claims, $4.2 million paid2018: 91 claims, $5.6 million paid2019: 306 claims, $5.7 million paid2020: 43 claims, $376,861 paid20202021: 28 claims, $672,501 paid2022: 17 claims, $230,312 paid2023: 7 claims, $68,967 paid2024: 35 claims, $1.2 million paid2025: 111 claims, $5.3 million paid2026: 51 claims, $1.6 million paid
NFIP claims per year by year of loss. Hover or tap a bar for the count and amount paid. 2026 is partial.
Show as a table
YearClaimsPaid
202651$1.6 million
2025111$5.3 million
202435$1.2 million
20237$68,967
202217$230,312
202128$672,501
202043$376,861
2019306$5.7 million
201891$5.6 million
2017162$4.2 million
2016163$4.3 million
2015122$1.4 million
201429$250,186
2013111$1.5 million
201242$221,943
2011128$2.5 million
2010115$1.2 million
2009149$4.1 million
2008165$3.1 million
2007646$17.1 million
20065$1,673
2005204$3.3 million
200484$1.6 million
200373$700,242
200222$80,669
200169$669,179
200013$14,850
1999134$869,423
1998665$18.3 million
1997110$1.2 million
1996110$718,825
1995216$1.8 million
1994104$1.0 million
19931,162$11.9 million
199286$794,600
199118$43,920
199078$362,191
198989$520,965
198812$16,780
1987120$618,099
1986213$2.5 million
1985153$654,468
1984225$1.1 million
1983187$916,431
1982275$1.5 million
1981539$2.4 million
198038$50,293
1979344$2.4 million
197832$74,741

Biggest flood events by NFIP payments

The flood events FEMA's claims data names most often for Kansas, ranked by what the NFIP paid. FEMA names events in its claims records; claims without an event name aren't included here.

EventYearClaimsPaid
Thunderstorms2007307$10.1 million
Midwest Flooding1993859$9.8 million
Late spring storms2011123$2.5 million
Hurricane Ike200889$2.4 million
Flooding1981448$2.1 million
Flooding198680$1.4 million
Not a named storm1982155$1.2 million
Flooding1984143$867,035
Late spring storms20128$38,452

What flood insurance costs in Kansas

On June 30, 2026, 6,547 NFIP flood insurance policies were in force in Kansas. For the 4,784 single-family homes among them, the typical (median) yearly cost was about $1,040; the average was $1,160.

Rated flood zonePoliciesTypical yearly cost, single-family homeAverage costAverage building coverage
High-risk zones (A and V)4,396$1,110$1,260$151,000
Moderate- and low-risk zones (B, C and X)2,140$940$950$207,000

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
Rated zonePoliciesAverage cost, single-family home
AE3,088$1,320
X2,088$950
A956$1,220
AH257$890
C44$900
AO34$900
A0618n/a
A1515n/a
A029n/a
B8n/a
A146n/a
A054n/a
A083n/a
A162n/a
A012n/a

Flood history by county

Every Kansas 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.

CountyClaimsPaidInsuredTypical NFIP costFlood declarations
Johnson County1,155$13.2 million0.3%$1,0102
Sedgwick County990$14.7 million0.4%$1,1604
Barton County513$2.3 million0.6%$76013
Butler County507$12.7 million0.5%$1,21013
Wyandotte County434$10.8 million0.1%$1,01011
Riley County406$9.2 million1.5%$7108
Harvey County403$3.2 million1.0%$1,11011
Shawnee County368$4.0 million1.1%$1,2904
Montgomery County311$5.7 million0.6%$1,0106
Saline County240$4.6 million0.8%$9608
Sumner County211$3.7 million0.9%$1,14015
Leavenworth County208$3.0 million0.5%$1,0608
Douglas County150$1.9 million0.7%$9906
Crawford County149$1.7 million0.4%$1,26011
Cowley County142$2.1 million0.3%$81014
Reno County108$1.2 million0.7%$79010
Labette County100$1.6 million0.7%$1,1404
Neosho County100$1.5 million0.7%$1,06010
Ellis County97$245,8010.9%$8905
Doniphan County95$852,5061.5%$8109
Allen County91$3.3 million0.9%$9606
Cherokee County86$1.7 million0.4%$1,14016
Dickinson County86$174,1500.5%$1,0106
Pottawatomie County72$367,1540.8%$9409
Wilson County72$1.7 million0.5%$9908
Bourbon County64$2.4 million0.2%n/a8
Lyon County64$969,9850.3%$1,04011
Ford County55$142,6600.4%$1,0103
Jefferson County49$1.1 million0.5%$1,3605
Ottawa County39$167,1061.5%$7408
Seward County39$113,9770.4%$5103
McPherson County37$310,2290.6%$9606
Geary County31$226,6700.3%n/a6
Chase County29$260,3380.7%n/a10
Franklin County28$711,2920.3%$1,2409
Marshall County27$101,6850.0%n/a8
Miami County27$1.1 million0.3%$1,3605
Rice County26$298,3620.6%$81012
Marion County18$272,5920.2%n/a8
Mitchell County16$153,6860.1%n/a6
Osage County14$171,4820.3%n/a12
Finney County13$33,5130.2%$7604
Pratt County12$2,0090.3%n/a8
Edwards County10$1,6692.2%$86013
Kingman County9$992,5650.6%$89010
Republic County9$127,3390.4%n/a5
Osborne County8$167,6000.0%n/a9
Wabaunsee County8$112,8680.5%$1,26012
Ellsworth County7$54,5340.4%n/a7
Pawnee County7$12,5010.6%$64013
Rush County7$16,0460.2%n/a10
Greenwood County6$18,2850.0%n/a13
Clay County5$10,7460.6%$1,0108
Coffey County5$134,6220.2%n/a8
Anderson County4$220,5540.1%n/a10
Jackson County4$103,6090.2%n/a7
Nemaha County4$52,9630.0%n/a4
Sheridan County4$00.0%n/a7
Atchison County3$31,3910.2%n/a8
Barber County3$1,2190.1%n/a8
Thomas County3$00.4%n/a6
Cloud County2$35,0000.3%n/a6
Lincoln County2$4,5700.2%n/a6
Meade County2$00.0%n/a5
Ness County2$00.0%n/a7
Washington County2$1,7610.1%n/a7
Brown County1$15,0000.0%n/a7
Chautauqua County1$4390.0%n/a8
Elk County1$25,0000.1%n/a11
Grant County1$1,8820.0%n/a1
Harper County1$00.3%n/a12
Jewell County1$11,8560.0%n/a7
Kearny County1$00.5%n/a3
Linn County1$9,1840.2%n/a8
Cheyenne County0$00.1%n/a5
Clark County0$00.0%n/a6
Comanche County0$00.2%n/a9
Decatur County0$00.0%n/a5
Gove County0$00.0%n/a5
Graham County0$00.0%n/a5
Gray County0$00.1%n/a4
Greeley County0$00.0%n/a4
Hamilton County0$00.3%n/a4
Haskell County0$00.1%n/a5
Hodgeman County0$00.0%n/a11
Kiowa County0$00.1%n/a8
Lane County0$00.0%n/a3
Logan County0$00.0%n/a8
Morris County0$00.0%n/a15
Morton County0$00.0%n/a2
Norton County0$00.3%n/a5
Phillips County0$00.0%n/a8
Rawlins County0$00.1%n/a4
Rooks County0$00.1%n/a6
Russell County0$00.1%n/a11
Scott County0$00.1%n/a4
Sherman County0$00.1%n/a5
Smith County0$00.0%n/a7
Stafford County0$00.0%n/a11
Stanton County0$00.0%n/a4
Stevens County0$00.0%n/a3
Trego County0$00.0%n/a2
Wallace County0$00.0%n/a9
Wichita County0$00.0%n/a2
Woodson County0$00.1%n/a12

Flood-related FEMA disaster declarations in Kansas

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.

DeclarationDeclaredEventHelp for individuals
DR-4943-KS Sep 1, 2026 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4940-KS Sep 1, 2026 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4926-KS Jun 30, 2026 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4897-KS Dec 19, 2025 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4891-KS Sep 11, 2025 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4883-KS Jul 22, 2025 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4869-KS May 21, 2025 Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires No
DR-4824-KS Sep 24, 2024 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4811-KS Aug 20, 2024 Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4800-KS Jul 15, 2024 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4747-KS Oct 26, 2023 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4449-KS Jun 20, 2019 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,Landslides,And Mudslides No
EM-3412-KS May 28, 2019 Tornadoes and Flooding No
DR-4417-KS Feb 25, 2019 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4403-KS Oct 19, 2018 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4347-KS Nov 7, 2017 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4319-KS Jun 16, 2017 Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4287-KS Oct 20, 2016 Severe Storms and Flooding No
DR-4230-KS Jul 20, 2015 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4150-KS Oct 22, 2013 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
DR-4063-KS May 24, 2012 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4035-KS Sep 23, 2011 Flooding No
DR-4010-KS Jul 29, 2011 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
EM-3324-KS Jun 25, 2011 Flooding No
DR-1932-KS Aug 10, 2010 Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes No

Showing the 25 most recent of 38.

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:

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.