Brunswick County, North Carolina
flood insurance data
- Inside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the median premium in Brunswick County is $1,162, 74.0% higher than outside it ($668); most of its zoned policies sit inside the SFHA (55.7%).
- Of the 3 zones listed (AE, X, VE), zone VE has the highest median premium ($1,986) and zone X the lowest ($668). Coastal high-hazard zone VE is listed, with 1,028 policies.
- The median paid claim, $7,751, is 51.2% below the North Carolina median ($15,871) and 79.2% below the national median of the same years ($37,248), the 22nd lowest of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources.
- With 17,970 residential NFIP policies effective 2025, Brunswick County has the 36th most of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources, and the most of 35 North Carolina counties of that list.
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 Brunswick County
NFIP premiums: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote. Across 17,970 policies (policies effective 2025; occupancy: residential (occupancyType 1,2,3,11,12,13,14); amount: FEMA field policyCost), the median is $938, and half of them fall between $668 (Q1) and $1,249 (Q3).
The median NFIP premium in Brunswick County, $938, is 5.3% below the North Carolina median ($990) and 11.1% below the national median ($1,055); it is the 110th lowest of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources.
| Flood zone group | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFHA (A, AE, AH, AO, AR, A99, V, VE) | 10,002 | $937 | $1,162 | $1,552 |
| Outside SFHA (X, B, C) | 7,968 | $538 | $668 | $863 |
By flood zone
| Flood zone | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE | 8,864 | $924 | $1,134 | $1,438 |
| X | 7,968 | $538 | $668 | $863 |
| VE | 1,028 | $1,313 | $1,986 | $2,706 |
Policies in force by year
| Year | Policies |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 18,150 |
| 2020 | 18,398 |
| 2021 | 18,236 |
| 2022 | 17,286 |
| 2023 | 17,148 |
| 2024 | 17,649 |
| 2025 | 17,970 |
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 both bases count 17,970 policies.
NFIP paid building claims in Brunswick County
NFIP claims: amounts paid, not repair cost. Window: year of loss 2015-2024; 2,096 paid claims; median $7,751, half of them between $2,897 (Q1) and $23,099 (Q3), in nominal dollars. Median in 2024 dollars (CPI-U): $9,328, a monetary adjustment, not today’s cost of repair.
With 2,096 paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024), Brunswick County has the 42nd most of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources, and the 4th most of 35 North Carolina counties of that list. The named event with the most paid claims in Brunswick County, Hurricane Florence, accounts for 37.2% of them, ahead of Hurricane Isaias (29.3%): no single event holds a majority. Two years hold 68.6% of the paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024): 2018 with 806 and 2020 with 631.
| Event | Paid claims | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Florence | 780 | 37.2% |
| Hurricane Isaias | 615 | 29.3% |
| Tropical Cyclone Eight | 247 | 11.8% |
| Hurricane Matthew | 234 | 11.2% |
| Hurricane Ian | 63 | 3.0% |
Paid claims by year of loss
| Year of loss | Paid claims |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 66 |
| 2016 | 239 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 806 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 631 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 75 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 256 |
FEMA disaster declarations
Since 2000: 19 flood, hurricane and severe-storm declarations (DR and EM) covering Brunswick County, 10 of them major disaster declarations.
With 19 flood, hurricane and severe-storm declarations (DR and EM) since 2000, Brunswick County has more than the median North Carolina county with all four FEMA sources (14). Hurricane declarations are the most frequent (17), ahead of Severe Storm (2).
| Incident type | Declarations |
|---|---|
| Flood | 0 |
| Hurricane | 17 |
| Severe Storm | 2 |
Latest declarations
- EM-3586: HURRICANE IAN (Hurricane, 2022-10-01)
- DR-4568: HURRICANE ISAIAS (Hurricane, 2020-10-14)
- EM-3534: HURRICANE ISAIAS (Hurricane, 2020-08-02)
- DR-4465: HURRICANE DORIAN (Hurricane, 2019-10-04)
- EM-3423: HURRICANE DORIAN (Hurricane, 2019-09-03)
FEMA assistance to homeowners
Since 2002: 5,803 owner registrations inspected by FEMA in Brunswick County after disasters of every declared type; inspected damage is FEMA’s assessment for its assistance program, not repair cost.
Of the 5,803 owner registrations FEMA inspected in Brunswick County after disasters of every declared type, 1.0% show more than $30,000 of FEMA-inspected damage, against 1.7% across North Carolina and 2.6% nationally. The disaster with the most inspections is DR-4393, HURRICANE FLORENCE (declared 2018-09-14), with 4,517.
| Damage band | Registrations |
|---|---|
| No FEMA-inspected damage | 962 |
| $1-$10,000 | 4,582 |
| $10,001-$20,000 | 127 |
| $20,001-$30,000 | 73 |
| More than $30,000 | 59 |
Disasters with the most inspections
- DR-4393, HURRICANE FLORENCE (declared 2018-09-14): 4,517 inspections
- DR-4285, HURRICANE MATTHEW (declared 2016-10-10): 469 inspections
- DR-1942, SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS (declared 2010-10-14): 412 inspections
- DR-1490, HURRICANE ISABEL (declared 2003-09-18): 272 inspections
- DR-4019, HURRICANE IRENE (declared 2011-08-31): 133 inspections
NFIP communities and flood maps
FEMA’s Community Status Book places 20 NFIP communities in Brunswick County alone; 11 of them (55.0%) are classed in the Community Rating System (CRS). The best class among the communities counted here is 6 (Holden Beach, Town of, Oak Island, Town of, Sunset Beach, Town of): FEMA applies that 20% discount to the full-risk premium of Regular Program NFIP policies in those communities, 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 Brunswick County dates from 2008-10-16 (Bolivia, Town of). 1 of these communities do not participate in the NFIP; 1 carry a sanction, 0 coded as a suspension and 0 as a withdrawal.
In North Carolina, 5.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holden Beach, Town of | yes | 6 | 20% | 2018-08-28 | 1972-05-26 | — |
| Oak Island, Town of | yes | 6 | 20% | 2018-08-28 | 1977-02-16 | — |
| Sunset Beach, Town of | yes | 6 | 20% | 2018-08-28 | 1972-11-18 | — |
| Bald Head Island, Village of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2018-08-28 | 1986-05-15 | — |
| Leland, Town of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2018-08-28 | 1986-05-15 | — |
| Ocean Isle Beach, Town of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2018-08-28 | 1972-11-18 | — |
| Southport, City of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2018-08-28 | 1977-04-15 | — |
| St James, Town of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2018-08-28 | 1986-05-15 | — |
| Brunswick County* | yes | 8 | 10% | 2019-12-06 | 1986-05-15 | — |
| Caswell Beach, Town of | yes | 8 | 10% | 2018-08-28 | 1986-01-17 | — |
| Carolina Shores, Town of | yes | 9 | 5% | 2018-08-28 | 1988-02-04 | — |
| Belville, Town of | yes | — | — | 2018-08-28 | 1986-05-15 | — |
| Boiling Spring Lakes, City of | yes | — | — | 2018-08-28 | 1989-03-02 | — |
| Bolivia, Town of | yes | — | — | 2008-10-16 | 2006-06-02 | — |
| Calabash, Town of | yes | — | — | 2018-08-28 | 1988-02-04 | — |
| Navassa, Town of | yes | — | — | 2019-12-06 | 1986-05-15 | — |
| Northwest, City of | yes | — | — | 2019-12-06 | 1986-05-15 | — |
| Sandy Creek, Town of | no | — | — | 2019-12-06 | 2006-06-02 | 2007-06-02 |
| Shallotte, Town of | yes | — | — | 2018-08-28 | 1986-01-03 | — |
| Varnamtown, Town of | yes | — | — | 2018-08-28 | 1986-05-15 | — |
Questions about flood insurance in Brunswick County
How much is flood insurance in Brunswick County?
NFIP policyholders in Brunswick County paid a median of $938 for residential policies effective 2025 (17,970 policies; FEMA field policyCost: premium, reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge); half paid between $668 and $1,249; $1,162 inside the Special Flood Hazard Area against $668 outside it: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote.
How many flood insurance claims has Brunswick County had?
2,096 NFIP building claims were paid (year of loss 2015-2024), with a median of $7,751; the year with the most was 2018 (806), and the named event with the most was Hurricane Florence (780). These are amounts paid, not repair cost.
Is Brunswick County in a flood zone?
Of the residential NFIP policies of Brunswick County (policies effective 2025), 10,002 are rated inside the Special Flood Hazard Area and 7,968 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: North Carolina flood insurance data.
Named storms with paid claims in Brunswick 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 Florence = 0.372 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).