Harris County, Texas
flood insurance data
- The median paid claim, $60,000, is 8.4% above the Texas median ($55,338) and 61.1% above the national median of the same years ($37,248), the 22nd highest of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources.
- Residential NFIP policies counted by FEMA fell 30.1% between 2019 (313,839) and 2025 (219,252); the count peaked in 2020 (328,272).
- One event weighs on these figures: Hurricane Harvey accounts for 68.7% of the paid claims in Harris County, the next event (Spring severe storms) for 10.6%. These figures largely reflect that one disaster.
- 2017 alone holds 69.4% of the paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024).
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 Harris County
NFIP premiums: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote. Across 219,253 policies (policies effective 2025; occupancy: residential (occupancyType 1,2,3,11,12,13,14); amount: FEMA field policyCost), the median is $1,079, and half of them fall between $876 (Q1) and $1,102 (Q3).
With 219,253 residential NFIP policies effective 2025, Harris County has the most of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources, and the most of 37 Texas counties of that list. Of the 5 zones listed (X, AE, A, AO, VE), zone VE has the highest median premium ($1,647) and zone AO the lowest ($931). Coastal high-hazard zone VE is listed, with 601 policies. Inside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the median premium in Harris County is $1,275, 19.8% higher than outside it ($1,064); most of its zoned policies sit outside it (74.5%).
| Flood zone group | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFHA (A, AE, AH, AO, AR, A99, V, VE) | 55,807 | $972 | $1,275 | $1,819 |
| Outside SFHA (X, B, C) | 163,445 | $848 | $1,064 | $1,084 |
By flood zone
| Flood zone | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | 163,445 | $848 | $1,064 | $1,084 |
| AE | 53,781 | $976 | $1,279 | $1,824 |
| A | 768 | $891 | $1,136 | $1,607 |
| AO | 654 | $757 | $931 | $1,297 |
| VE | 601 | $1,110 | $1,647 | $2,938 |
Policies in force by year
| Year | Policies |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 313,839 |
| 2020 | 328,272 |
| 2021 | 318,412 |
| 2022 | 275,820 |
| 2023 | 253,893 |
| 2024 | 241,520 |
| 2025 | 219,252 |
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: 219,252 policies counted by the API, 219,253 in the premium statistics.
NFIP paid building claims in Harris County
NFIP claims: amounts paid, not repair cost. Window: year of loss 2015-2024; 60,556 paid claims; median $60,000, half of them between $24,628 (Q1) and $114,271 (Q3), in nominal dollars. Median in 2024 dollars (CPI-U): $76,670, a monetary adjustment, not today’s cost of repair.
With 60,556 paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024), Harris County has the most of 339 counties with all four FEMA sources, and the most of 37 Texas counties of that list.
| Event | Paid claims | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Harvey | 41,617 | 68.7% |
| Spring severe storms | 6,396 | 10.6% |
| Early summer storms | 4,947 | 8.2% |
| Tropical Storm Imelda | 3,581 | 5.9% |
| Hurricane Beryl | 768 | 1.3% |
Paid claims by year of loss
| Year of loss | Paid claims |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 5,875 |
| 2016 | 6,936 |
| 2017 | 42,007 |
| 2018 | 111 |
| 2019 | 4,117 |
| 2020 | 184 |
| 2021 | 129 |
| 2022 | 86 |
| 2023 | 88 |
| 2024 | 1,023 |
FEMA disaster declarations
Since 2000: 19 flood, hurricane and severe-storm declarations (DR and EM) covering Harris County, 12 of them major disaster declarations.
With 19 flood, hurricane and severe-storm declarations (DR and EM) since 2000, Harris County has more than the median Texas county with all four FEMA sources (14). Hurricane declarations are the most frequent (11), ahead of Flood and Severe Storm (4 each).
| Incident type | Declarations |
|---|---|
| Flood | 4 |
| Hurricane | 11 |
| Severe Storm | 4 |
Latest declarations
- DR-4798: HURRICANE BERYL (Hurricane, 2024-07-09)
- DR-4781: SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING (Flood, 2024-05-17)
- EM-3540: TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA (Hurricane, 2020-08-24)
- EM-3530: HURRICANE HANNA (Hurricane, 2020-07-26)
- DR-4466: TROPICAL STORM IMELDA (Flood, 2019-10-04)
FEMA assistance to homeowners
Since 2002: 344,490 owner registrations inspected by FEMA in Harris County after disasters of every declared type; inspected damage is FEMA’s assessment for its assistance program, not repair cost.
| Damage band | Registrations |
|---|---|
| No FEMA-inspected damage | 96,065 |
| $1-$10,000 | 191,911 |
| $10,001-$20,000 | 33,692 |
| $20,001-$30,000 | 13,617 |
| More than $30,000 | 9,205 |
Disasters with the most inspections
- DR-4332, HURRICANE HARVEY (declared 2017-08-25): 130,520 inspections
- DR-1791, HURRICANE IKE (declared 2008-09-13): 84,996 inspections
- DR-4798, HURRICANE BERYL (declared 2024-07-09): 48,503 inspections
- DR-4781, SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING (declared 2024-05-17): 27,078 inspections
- DR-1606, HURRICANE RITA (declared 2005-09-24): 19,007 inspections
NFIP communities and flood maps
FEMA’s Community Status Book places 25 NFIP communities in Harris County alone; 11 of them (44.0%) are classed in the Community Rating System (CRS). The best class among the communities counted here is 5 (Jersey Village, City of and La Porte, City of): FEMA applies that 25% 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 Harris County dates from 2007-06-18 (West University Place, City of).
In Texas, 8.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey Village, City of | yes | 5 | 25% | 2019-11-15 | 1982-03-15 | — |
| La Porte, City of | yes | 5 | 25% | 2017-01-06 | 1971-02-17 | — |
| Deer Park, City of | yes | 6 | 20% | 2017-01-06 | 1980-08-15 | — |
| Nassau Bay, City of | yes | 6 | 20% | 2017-01-06 | 1970-11-13 | — |
| West University Place, City of | yes | 6 | 20% | 2007-06-18 | 2000-04-20 | — |
| Bellaire, City of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2007-06-18 | 1981-09-30 | — |
| El Lago, City of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2017-01-06 | 1971-07-02 | — |
| Harris County* | yes | 7 | 15% | 2019-11-15 | 1970-05-26 | — |
| Pasadena, City of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2019-05-02 | 1974-12-31 | — |
| Shoreacres, City of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2017-01-06 | 1970-11-20 | — |
| Taylor Lake Village, City of | yes | 7 | 15% | 2017-01-06 | 1974-12-31 | — |
| Bunker Hill Village, City of | yes | — | — | (NSFHA) | 1979-04-17 | — |
| Galena Park, City of | yes | — | — | 2018-05-02 | 1982-11-02 | — |
| Hedwig Village, City of | yes | — | — | 2007-06-18 | 1990-09-28 | — |
| Hilshire Village, City of | yes | — | — | 2014-06-09 | 1992-09-30 | — |
| Humble, City of | yes | — | — | 2014-06-09 | 1982-09-16 | — |
| Hunter's Creek Village, City of | yes | — | — | 2014-06-09 | 1980-11-05 | — |
| Jacinto City, City of | yes | — | — | 2017-01-06 | 1981-09-02 | — |
| Morgans Point, City of | yes | — | — | 2017-01-06 | 1983-12-01 | — |
| Piney Point Village, City of | yes | — | — | 2007-06-18 | 1980-12-02 | — |
| South Houston,city of | yes | — | — | 2019-05-02 | 1987-03-18 | — |
| Southside Place, City of | yes | — | — | 2007-06-18 | 2000-04-20 | — |
| Spring Valley Village, City of | yes | — | — | 2014-06-09 | 1980-06-04 | — |
| Tomball, City of | yes | — | — | 2007-06-18 | 1984-12-18 | — |
| Webster, City of | yes | — | — | 2017-01-06 | 1974-12-31 | — |
Communities that extend into other counties
15 more communities list Harris County among several counties; they are not counted above.
| Community | Counties | CRS class | CRS discount (all policies) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, City of | Fort Bend County/Montgomery County/Harris County | 4 | 30% |
| Baytown, City of | Chambers County/Harris County | 5 | 25% |
| Friendswood, City of | Harris County/Galveston County | 5 | 25% |
| League City, City of | Harris County/Galveston County | 5 | 25% |
| Pearland, City of | Fort Bend County/Harris County/Brazoria County | 5 | 25% |
| Missouri City, City of | Harris County/Fort Bend County | 7 | 15% |
| Seabrook, City of | Galveston County/Harris County | 7 | 15% |
| Chelford M.U.D., City | Fort Bend County/Harris County | — | — |
| Katy, City of | Waller County/Harris County/Fort Bend County | — | — |
| Kingsbridge M.U.D. | Harris County/Fort Bend County | — | — |
| Mission Bend M.U.D. #1 | Fort Bend County/Harris County | — | — |
| Stafford, City of | Harris County/Fort Bend County | — | — |
| Waller, City of | Harris County/Waller County | — | — |
| West Keegans Bayou Improvement District | Harris County/Fort Bend County | — | — |
| Willow Fork Drainage District | Harris County/Fort Bend County | — | — |
Questions about flood insurance in Harris County
How much is flood insurance in Harris County?
NFIP policyholders in Harris County paid a median of $1,079 for residential policies effective 2025 (219,253 policies; FEMA field policyCost: premium, reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge); half paid between $876 and $1,102; $1,275 inside the Special Flood Hazard Area against $1,064 outside it: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote.
How many flood insurance claims has Harris County had?
60,556 NFIP building claims were paid (year of loss 2015-2024), with a median of $60,000; the year with the most was 2017 (42,007), and the named event with the most was Hurricane Harvey (41,617). These are amounts paid, not repair cost.
Is Harris County in a flood zone?
Of the residential NFIP policies of Harris County (policies effective 2025), 55,807 are rated inside the Special Flood Hazard Area and 163,445 outside it (zones listed: X, AE, A, AO, 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: Texas flood insurance data.
Named storms with paid claims in Harris County
- Hurricane Harvey
- Hurricane Ike
- Tropical Storm Imelda
- Hurricane Beryl
- Tropical Storm Paul
- Tropical Storm Erin
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 Harvey = 0.687 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).