Baldwin County, Alabama
flood insurance data
- One event weighs on these figures: Hurricane Sally accounts for 93.8% of the paid claims in Baldwin County, the next event (Hurricane Zeta) for 1.0%. These figures largely reflect that one disaster.
- 2020 alone holds 96.1% of the paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024).
- The median paid claim, $12,824, is in line with the Alabama median ($13,074) and 65.6% below the national median of the same years ($37,248), the 89th lowest of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources.
- Residential NFIP policies counted by FEMA fell 31.5% between 2019 (12,143) and 2025 (8,323); the first year, 2019, has the highest count of the 7.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipPolicies (v3, data as of 2026-09-09, retrieved 2026-10-11 and 2026-10-12), NfipClaims (v3, data as of 2026-09-09, retrieved 2026-10-12), DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (v2, data as of 2026-10-11, retrieved 2026-10-12), HousingAssistanceOwners (v2, data as of 2026-10-11, retrieved 2026-10-12), NfipCommunityStatusBook (v1, data as of 2026-10-11, retrieved 2026-10-12); CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items (CUUR0000SA0), annual average (BLS Public Data API v1, annual averages 2005-2025, retrieved 2026-10-12). Not an official federal report.
NFIP premiums in Baldwin County
NFIP premiums: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote. Across 8,324 policies (policies effective 2025; occupancy: residential (occupancyType 1,2,3,11,12,13,14); amount: FEMA field policyCost), the median is $1,183, and half of them fall between $983 (Q1) and $1,593 (Q3).
With 8,324 residential NFIP policies effective 2025, Baldwin County has the 68th most of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources, and the most of 5 Alabama counties of that list. Of the 3 zones listed (AE, X, VE), zone VE has the highest median premium ($1,608) and zone X the lowest ($1,003). Coastal high-hazard zone VE is listed, with 1,218 policies. Inside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the median premium in Baldwin County is $1,298, 29.4% higher than outside it ($1,003); most of its zoned policies sit inside the SFHA (71.4%). The median NFIP premium in Baldwin County, $1,183, is 5.7% above the Alabama median ($1,119) and 12.1% above the national median ($1,055); it is the 92nd highest of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources.
| Flood zone group | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFHA (A, AE, AH, AO, AR, A99, V, VE) | 5,943 | $1,057 | $1,298 | $1,868 |
| Outside SFHA (X, B, C) | 2,381 | $690 | $1,003 | $1,087 |
By flood zone
| Flood zone | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE | 4,718 | $1,035 | $1,260 | $1,731 |
| X | 2,381 | $690 | $1,003 | $1,087 |
| VE | 1,218 | $1,226 | $1,608 | $2,408 |
Policies in force by year
| Year | Policies |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 12,143 |
| 2020 | 11,682 |
| 2021 | 11,557 |
| 2022 | 9,868 |
| 2023 | 9,188 |
| 2024 | 8,847 |
| 2025 | 8,323 |
Base of each count: the yearly figures are FEMA API counts of residential policy terms, every premium included; the median and quartiles rest on the policies effective 2025 with a positive policyCost. For 2025 the two bases differ: 8,323 policies counted by the API, 8,324 in the premium statistics.
NFIP paid building claims in Baldwin County
NFIP claims: amounts paid, not repair cost. Window: year of loss 2015-2024; 2,562 paid claims; median $12,824, half of them between $4,067 (Q1) and $55,829 (Q3), in nominal dollars. Median in 2024 dollars (CPI-U): $15,543, a monetary adjustment, not today’s cost of repair.
With 2,562 paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024), Baldwin County has the 34th most of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources, and the most of 5 Alabama counties of that list.
| Event | Paid claims | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Sally | 2,403 | 93.8% |
| Hurricane Zeta | 25 | 1.0% |
| Hurricane Ida | 12 | 0.5% |
| Tropical Storm Nicholas | 3 | 0.1% |
| Early winter storms | 1 | 0.0% |
Paid claims by year of loss
| Year of loss | Paid claims |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 59 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2,462 |
| 2021 | 24 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1 |
FEMA disaster declarations
Since 2000: 24 flood, hurricane and severe-storm declarations (DR and EM) covering Baldwin County, 14 of them major disaster declarations.
| Incident type | Declarations |
|---|---|
| Flood | 0 |
| Hurricane | 18 |
| Severe Storm | 6 |
Latest declarations
- EM-3656: HURRICANE ISAIAS (Hurricane, 2026-10-09)
- EM-3618: HURRICANE HELENE (Hurricane, 2024-09-26)
- DR-4563: HURRICANE SALLY (Hurricane, 2020-09-20)
- EM-3545: HURRICANE SALLY (Hurricane, 2020-09-14)
- EM-3407: HURRICANE MICHAEL (Hurricane, 2018-10-12)
FEMA assistance to homeowners
Since 2002: 30,568 owner registrations inspected by FEMA in Baldwin County after disasters of every declared type; inspected damage is FEMA’s assessment for its assistance program, not repair cost.
Of the 30,568 owner registrations FEMA inspected in Baldwin County after disasters of every declared type, 1.9% show more than $30,000 of FEMA-inspected damage, against 1.8% across Alabama and 2.6% nationally. The disaster with the most inspections is DR-1549, HURRICANE IVAN (declared 2004-09-15), with 15,173.
| Damage band | Registrations |
|---|---|
| No FEMA-inspected damage | 3,486 |
| $1-$10,000 | 24,275 |
| $10,001-$20,000 | 1,724 |
| $20,001-$30,000 | 499 |
| More than $30,000 | 584 |
Disasters with the most inspections
- DR-1549, HURRICANE IVAN (declared 2004-09-15): 15,173 inspections
- DR-4563, HURRICANE SALLY (declared 2020-09-20): 6,758 inspections
- DR-1605, HURRICANE KATRINA (declared 2005-08-29): 4,256 inspections
- DR-4176, SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING (declared 2014-05-02): 2,620 inspections
- DR-1593, HURRICANE DENNIS (declared 2005-07-10): 1,037 inspections
NFIP communities and flood maps
FEMA’s Community Status Book places 15 NFIP communities in Baldwin County alone; 4 of them (26.7%) are classed in the Community Rating System (CRS). The best class among the communities counted here is 6 (Orange Beach, City of): FEMA applies that 20% discount to the full-risk premium of Regular Program NFIP policies in that community, inside or outside the SFHA, not to the whole county; a policy can be excluded if its building does not comply with local floodplain rules. The oldest flood map still in effect in Baldwin County dates from 2019-04-19 (Orange Beach, City of).
In Alabama, 5.7% of the Status Book’s communities span several counties or match no county by name, so community counts by county are partial there.
| Community | In the NFIP | CRS class | CRS discount (all policies) | Map in effect | First FIRM | Sanction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Beach, City of | yes | 6 | 20% | 2019-04-19 | 1973-01-12 | — |
| Baldwin County* | yes | 7 | 15% | 2019-04-19 | 1973-01-12 | — |
| Foley, City of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2019-04-19 | 1986-07-03 | — |
| Gulf Shores, City of | yes | 10 | — | 2019-04-19 | 1971-07-10 | — |
| Bay Minette, City of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 1981-12-01 | — |
| Daphne, City of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 1981-03-02 | — |
| Elberta, Town of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 2002-06-17 | — |
| Fairhope, City of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 1978-01-05 | — |
| Loxley, Town of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 1981-12-01 | — |
| Magnolia Springs, Town of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 2002-06-17 | — |
| Perdido Beach, Town of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 2002-06-17 | — |
| Robertsdale, City of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 1981-12-01 | — |
| Silverhill, Town of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 (M) | 1979-12-14 | — |
| Spanish Fort, City of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 2002-06-17 | — |
| Summerdale, Town of | yes | — | — | 2019-04-19 | 2002-06-17 | — |
Questions about flood insurance in Baldwin County
How much is flood insurance in Baldwin County?
NFIP policyholders in Baldwin County paid a median of $1,183 for residential policies effective 2025 (8,324 policies; FEMA field policyCost: premium, reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge); half paid between $983 and $1,593; $1,298 inside the Special Flood Hazard Area against $1,003 outside it: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote.
How many flood insurance claims has Baldwin County had?
2,562 NFIP building claims were paid (year of loss 2015-2024), with a median of $12,824; the year with the most was 2020 (2,462), and the named event with the most was Hurricane Sally (2,403). These are amounts paid, not repair cost.
Is Baldwin County in a flood zone?
Of the residential NFIP policies of Baldwin County (policies effective 2025), 5,943 are rated inside the Special Flood Hazard Area and 2,381 outside it (zones listed: AE, X, VE), but these aggregates cannot tell the flood zone of an address: FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center shows it for a given property.
Statewide figures: Alabama flood insurance data.
Named storms with paid claims in Baldwin County
Related tools
NFIP paid claims and premiums are not repair estimates: to estimate the cleanup of a flooded basement from published cost-guide rates, use the basement water damage repair cost calculator; for water removal and drying after any water loss, the water damage and mitigation calculator.
To set these figures against every State on one claims window, amounts paid, not repair cost: NFIP paid building claims by state.
Before using these figures
A county figure can rest on one disaster, and FEMA’s county code may not be the county where every property stands. Method and limits.
Source and notice
- Dominant event: Hurricane Sally = 0.938 of paid claims 2015-2024.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).