NFIP records · Cameron County · policies as of July 31, 2026
Flood insurance in Cameron County, Texas
That is 42% below the Texas median of $1,080 and 41% below the U.S. median of $1,055; 3rd lowest of 95 Texas counties with 100+ priced policies.
By ZIP it ranges from $544 (78552 Harlingen) to $1,935 (78597 South Padre Island); find your ZIP.
Check your address on FEMA's flood map →This year’s bills: policies whose term began in 2026 (renewals and policies sold this year together) typically pay $627. Buying? Policies first bought in the past year typically pay $614. Why prices differ.
Your flood zone is set at your exact address and decides whether a lender must require coverage; your price comes mainly from your own building's flood risk, and FEMA's full-risk price is its price for that risk.
Is my quote or renewal normal here?
Type your yearly cost (premium plus fees) to see where it sits among existing single-family policies here.
Enter an amount above.
Built from all 13,730 in-force NFIP policy records and 7,061 claim records FEMA publishes for Cameron County, downloaded October 25, 2026 with every record for Texas, every record the download listed was received, none missing. Download the figures on this page (CSV) · How we check them
Am I required to buy it?
Federal law requires it only in a high-risk zone (A or V) with a federally regulated or backed mortgage, or federal help to buy or build (42 U.S.C. §4012a). Outside them, a lender can still require it.
A private flood policy can meet a lender's flood requirement: federally regulated lenders must accept a private policy that meets the federal definition of private flood insurance and covers at least what the loan requires (12 CFR §339.3(c)). Its price is not in FEMA's records.
38.0% of Cameron County's NFIP policy units are in high-risk zones (not 38.0% of all buildings, and not an answer about your own home).
| Flood zone | Policy units | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Zone X | 11,868 | 60.0% |
| Zone AE (high-risk) | 4,730 | 23.9% |
| Zone AH (high-risk) | 1,776 | 9.0% |
| Zone A (high-risk) | 362 | 1.8% |
| Zone C | 303 | 1.5% |
| Zone VE (high-risk) | 263 | 1.3% |
| Zone AO (high-risk) | 252 | 1.3% |
| Other high-risk zones (AHB, A06, A08, A11) | 139 | 0.7% |
| Other low-risk or unclassified zones | 92 | 0.5% |
Every zone starting with A or V is high-risk, including older numbered labels such as A1 to A30 from older flood maps (newer maps use AE for the same kind of area). Policies keep the label they were rated with, so the old labels are counted on their own.
Insured units by the zone each policy is rated in. How this is counted
Flood map: FEMA's current flood map for unincorporated Cameron County took effect February 16, 2018. Check your own address on FEMA's flood map.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Community Status Book (CRS). Data: FEMA's current Community Status Book; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Source: govinfo.gov, federalreserve.gov, ecfr.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
How much does it cost here?
Typically about $624 a year ($52 a month), fees included. Half of homeowners here pay between $536 and $800. To check a quote, use the checker at the top.
A quarter pay under $536 · Typical $624 · A quarter pay over $800 · A tenth pay $1,172 or more
Each policy's annual cost (premium plus the federal policy fee, reserve fund assessment and HFIAA surcharge), single-family primary residences. The bar is the middle half of policies, from 7,923 single-family primary-home policies. These are existing policies, many still below FEMA's full-risk price.
Coverage in force: $4.2 billion of building and $1.0 billion of contents coverage across all Cameron County policies.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How do I actually get covered — and how fast?
Most policies start 30 days after you buy, but there is no wait if you buy it with a new or refinanced mortgage.
- Waiting period30 days
- Bought with a new or refinanced mortgageNo wait
- NFIP building limit$250,000
- NFIP contents limit$100,000
Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage; flood insurance is bought separately, through the federal NFIP or a private insurer. Exceptions: no wait if you buy while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage; a one-day wait if a map revision puts the property in a high-risk zone and you buy within 13 months of the revision (44 CFR §61.11). To buy: call the NFIP at (877) 336-2627, go to FloodSmart.gov, or ask any licensed insurance agent. Every NFIP insurer offers the same rates.
Already flooded? Insured: report the loss to your insurance agent or company now (FEMA's steps: how to start a flood claim), and send a proof of loss (your signed, sworn statement of the amount you are claiming) within 60 days of the flood (44 CFR 61, App. A(1), Art. VII). Not insured: a policy bought today will not cover a flood that already happened, and FEMA disaster aid is open to people in counties designated in a federally declared disaster. If FEMA aid pays to repair a home in a high-risk zone, you must buy and keep flood insurance on it, or you cannot get that aid again after a later flood.
Source: floodsmart.gov, govinfo.gov, fema.gov, ecfr.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
What do floods actually pay out here?
Floods here have led to 7,061 NFIP flood claims and $184.7 million in payouts since 1978; the worst years were 2025, 2019 and 2008.
Bar height is dollars paid that year. Orange bars are the three costliest years: 2025 ($88,950,651), 2019 ($36,792,382), 2008 ($22,682,959). Total paid $184,685,444. Totals for the latest two years are not final while their claims stay open. How this is counted
That is 7,061 claims since 1978 against 19,785 policy units in force today — a cumulative tally spanning ~49 years over a present-day snapshot, not an annual claim rate or a flood probability.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective 1978–2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Do flood claims here actually pay out?
Most do: 73.5% of claims here paid something. The average paid claim was $35,570 (all years, in dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation).
Typical claim: the median paid building claim was $11,699.
- Average paid claim, incl. code-upgrade (ICC) pay$35,570Texas: $55,153
- Closed with no payment26.5%Texas: 20.0%
- Claims that paid5,193
| Decade of the flood | Claims filed | Share that paid something |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,717 | 67.3% |
| 1990s | 724 | 70.3% |
| 2000s | 1,999 | 66.6% |
| 2010s | 1,086 | 81.3% |
| 2020s | 1,508 | 86.2% |
FEMA lists reasons a claim closes without payment, such as damage below the deductible, no flood as the policy defines it, or seepage and drain backup the policy does not cover. The average is over claims that paid something and includes Increased Cost of Compliance payments (help to elevate or rebuild to code), which the yearly totals above leave out. Dollars are as paid at the time, not adjusted for inflation; a single home can file across several floods over the years.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective 1978–2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Why do flood claims here go unpaid?
Of the 1,868 claims here closed without payment, the top specific reason FEMA recorded was “not an actual flood” (464 claims).
| Reason recorded | Claims |
|---|---|
| Not an actual flood | 464 |
| Damage less than the deductible | 299 |
| Other | 266 |
| No demonstrable damage | 234 |
| Claim deleted in error | 96 |
| Smaller reasons, or none recorded | 509 |
Closed without payment can mean paperwork (a duplicate, a claim opened in error) or damage the policy did not count as flood damage; the table shows which here. How this is counted
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective 1978–2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Which floods paid out the biggest totals here?
The costliest flood FEMA named here was Hurricane Dolly (2008): $22.0 million across 976 NFIP flood claims. The costliest year, 2025 ($88,950,651), has no single named flood.
| Flood (FEMA's name) | Claims | Total paid | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Dolly (2008) | 976 | $22.0 million | $22,577 |
| Hurricane Allen (1980) | 707 | $8.2 million | $11,596 |
| Hurricane Hanna (2020) | 91 | $1.9 million | $20,371 |
| Fall severe storms (2015) | 22 | $556,241 | $25,284 |
| Flooding (1979–1999): FEMA's records use this name for claims in several years | 492 | $6.4 million | $13,000 |
Grouped by the flood event FEMA named; only claims that paid something, and only floods with 20 or more paid claims here. Totals include code-upgrade (ICC) payments, which the yearly chart leaves out. How this is counted
Among the five costliest years, these have no flood FEMA named for that year alone: 2025, 2019, 1991 (their totals are in the yearly chart above).
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective 1978–2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Would a policy here pay to rebuild my home?
Not in full for at least 16.5% of the 4,483 single-family policies here that report a rebuilding cost: FEMA's records put it above the NFIP's $250,000 building limit.
- Rebuilding cost above the building limit (of 4,483 policies reporting one)16.5%Texas: 35.8%
- Single-family policies insured to the building maximum (all of them, not only those above)60.4%
- Damage was more than the coverage (of 4,731 claims paid with a damage figure)2.7%
The two shares have different bases: insured-to-the-maximum counts every single-family policy with the full building limit; the rebuilding-cost share counts only the policies that report a rebuilding cost. Homes insured for less than their own rebuilding cost can also fall short. How this is counted
The NFIP pays the cost to rebuild (not a depreciated value) only for a single-family home that is your principal residence and is insured for at least 80% of its full rebuilding cost, or for the $250,000 maximum.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies; FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Source: floodsmart.gov, ecfr.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
What does it cost in my flood zone?
From about $598 a year (Zone X) to $1,822 (Zone AE) here. Your zone is on your lender's flood determination or FEMA's map; find its row below.
| Flood zone | Median / yr | Priced policies |
|---|---|---|
| Zone X | $598 | 5,505 |
| Zone AH | $623 | 1,118 |
| Zone AE | $1,822 | 611 |
| Zone A | $650 | 238 |
| Zone AO | $626 | 204 |
| Zone C | $736 | 132 |
| Zone B | $781 | 57 |
What the zone codes mean (44 CFR §64.3): A, AE and A1–A30 are high-risk; AO and AH are high-risk with shallow flooding; A99 is high-risk behind a flood barrier FEMA treats as complete; V, VE and V1–V30 are coastal high-risk with waves; B and shaded X are moderate risk; C and unshaded X are minimal risk; D is not yet studied.
Zones with fewer than 50 priced single-family policies are omitted. Your own premium still depends on elevation and coverage.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Source: ecfr.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
Find your ZIP in this county
Typical costs run from $544 a year in 78552 Harlingen to $1,935 in 78597 South Padre Island. All 20 ZIPs on NFIP policy records here are in the lookup.
Enter a five-digit ZIP above.
ZIPs exactly as FEMA recorded them on policies here; a ZIP with only a policy or two may be a ZIP from elsewhere, as entered on the policy.
| ZIP | Median / yr | Priced policies | Policy units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78552 Harlingen | $544 | 1,560 | 1,932 |
| 78550 Harlingen | $571 | 1,435 | 2,023 |
| 78526 Brownsville | $615 | 1,029 | 1,334 |
| 78578 Brownsville | $1,230 | 735 | 2,108 |
| 78586 | $654 | 707 | 891 |
| 78521 Brownsville | $618 | 630 | 1,191 |
| 78520 Brownsville | $675 | 605 | 880 |
| 78597 South Padre Island | $1,935 | 315 | 8,255 |
The ZIPs with the largest number of priced single-family policies. How this is counted
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Why do sites quote different prices for Cameron County?
Because they measure different things. Existing single-family policies here typically cost $624 a year, and policies first bought in the past year $614; other sites count other policies, years or averages.
| Measure | Amount | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost, single-family homes (median) | $624 | premium plus fees; the middle policy |
| Typical premium only | $468 | before the federal fee, reserve fund and surcharge |
| Typical cost, policies whose term began in 2025 | $620 | 2,975 policies |
| Typical cost, policies whose term began in 2026 | $627 | 4,948 policies |
| Typical cost, policies first bought in the past year | $614 | 953 policies, past year |
| FEMA's full-risk premium (median) | $472 | the price FEMA's model sets for these existing policies |
| Full-risk premium plus average fees | $653 | what these existing policies would cost at FEMA's full price |
| Average (mean) cost, single-family homes | $783 | pulled up by a few expensive policies |
| Average cost, every policy type | $1,245 | adds condos, rentals and businesses |
Condo owners: condo-unit policies are 6.8% of NFIP policy units here. The single-family figures above leave both out; only the every-policy-type average includes them.
All from the NFIP policies in force on July 31, 2026. How this is counted
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Can I pay less?
The usual building deductible here is $1,250 (65.1% of single-family policies). FEMA's ways to lower an NFIP bill: a higher deductible (you pay more of any loss), work that lowers the building's flood risk, and an Elevation Certificate.
| Building deductible | Share of policies |
|---|---|
| $1,000 | 4.0% |
| $1,250 | 65.1% |
| $2,000 | 25.7% |
| $5,000 | 3.0% |
Single-family primary homes; the commonest deductibles. Your lender may limit how high you can go.
Elevated vs not elevated is not what raising your home would save: the two groups sit in different zones and places, so compare like with like on your own quote.
- Median premium, elevated buildings$828 (178 policies)
- Median premium, not elevated$466 (7,745 policies)
Premium before fees, single-family primary homes.
Community discount: see Does my town get a community discount?
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Source: agents.floodsmart.gov, floodsmart.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
Does my town get a community discount?
Not through a community discount: none of Cameron County's 19 NFIP communities has one.
No CRS discount (19): Bayview; Brownsville; Cameron County; Combes; Harlingen; Indian Lake; La Feria; Laguna Vista; Los Fresnos; Los Indios; Palm Valley; Port Isabel; Primera; Rancho Viejo; Rangerville; Rio Hondo; San Benito; Santa Rosa; South Padre Island.
The Community Rating System cuts NFIP premiums in communities that do extra flood work. A community named for the county covers its unincorporated area only.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Community Status Book (CRS). Data: FEMA's current Community Status Book; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How much flood risk is here?
Relatively Moderate for coastal flooding and Relatively Moderate for inland (river) flooding, by FEMA's county rating. That compares this county with others; it is not a forecast for your address.
- Coastal flood risk rating (FEMA)Relatively Moderate
- Inland flood risk rating (FEMA)Relatively Moderate
FEMA's rating weighs modeled loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; it is not a prediction for your home, and it can differ from the loss percentile below. Coastal: FEMA models roughly $547,393 of flood loss a year (buildings, people and farmland valued in dollars, insured or not; a model, not insurance payouts); a separate FEMA measure, loss per dollar of building value: coastal flood loss here is higher than in about 58% of U.S. counties. Inland: FEMA models roughly $32.4 million of flood loss a year (buildings, people and farmland valued in dollars, insured or not; a model, not insurance payouts); a separate FEMA measure, loss per dollar of building value: inland flood loss here is higher than in about 16% of U.S. counties. Loss figures model all flood loss, insured or not, so they run far above insurance payouts. How this is counted
Source: FEMA — National Risk Index (flood). Data: NRI 2023 release; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Local sea level: NOAA's tide gauge at South Padre Island measured a sea-level trend of +1.61 inches per decade (give or take 0.09 inches per decade) from 1958 to 2025; NOAA's tide gauge at Port Isabel measured a sea-level trend of +1.71 inches per decade (give or take 0.06 inches per decade) from 1944 to 2025. A plus sign means the water there got higher over that period. A tide gauge measures one spot on the coast; it is not your property's flood risk.
Source: NOAA Tides & Currents — Sea Level Trends. Data: NOAA's published trends; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Do the same homes flood again here?
Yes: FEMA's disaster-aid records hold 2,988 damage records from homes here that flooded more than once; 68 records are from homes FEMA's disaster-aid data flags as severe repeat-loss (SRL).
- Repeat-flood damage records2,988
- Records from homes flagged severe repeat-loss (SRL)68
These count damage events on repeat-flooded homes, not distinct homes. How this is counted
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — Individual Assistance Multiple-Loss Flood Properties. Data: FEMA's current multiple-loss list; retrieved October 26, 2026.
How often is this county a flood disaster?
21 federal disasters for floods or storms here; the latest was Severe Storms and Flooding (2025).
- May 2025 — Severe Storms and Flooding
- July 2024 — Hurricane Beryl
- August 2020 — Tropical Storms Marco and Laura (emergency declaration)
- July 2020 — Hurricane Hanna (emergency declaration)
- July 2019 — Severe Storms and Flooding
- July 2018 — Severe Storms and Flooding
Only the latest are listed, newest first; disasters with the same month and title share one line, which says how many; the count covers every flood, hurricane, tropical-storm and coastal-storm declaration FEMA lists here, plus severe-storm declarations whose title names flooding, including emergency declarations. How this is counted
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — Disaster Declarations Summaries. Data: declarations through 2025; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Did FEMA aid homeowners after floods and storms?
Yes: FEMA approved $63.9 million for homeowners here after floods and storms, about $2,499 per registration.
FEMA disaster aid helps with uninsured and underinsured losses, and is separate from NFIP insurance. The average is over every registration, including those approved for nothing. Only disasters counted in the flood-disaster card are included; their aid can still cover wind or tornado damage from the same storm. Disasters for COVID, fire, winter storms or tornadoes alone are left out.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — Housing Assistance (Owners). Data: homeowner aid by disaster; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Are these counts complete?
Every record FEMA's download lists was received and counted.
In-force count: 19,785 policy units (from 13,730 API records; condo-association records carry more than one unit). Download check: policies: 13,730 of 13,730 fetched; claims: 7,061 of 7,061 fetched.
What these records cannot tell you (your own premium, private prices, your exact zone) is on the methodology page.
The federal datasets behind this page
Every figure comes from a public U.S. federal dataset; estimates are labeled where they appear. This page joins 8 of them for Cameron County. The newest of these downloads was October 26, 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies
- FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims
- FEMA — National Risk Index (flood)
- FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Community Status Book (CRS)
- FEMA OpenFEMA — Disaster Declarations Summaries
- FEMA OpenFEMA — Housing Assistance (Owners)
- FEMA OpenFEMA — Individual Assistance Multiple-Loss Flood Properties
- NOAA Tides & Currents — Sea Level Trends