NFIP records · Cape May County · policies as of July 31, 2026
Flood insurance in Cape May County, New Jersey
That is 1% below the New Jersey median of $1,210 and 14% above the U.S. median of $1,055; 8th lowest of 21 New Jersey counties with 100+ priced policies.
Check your address on FEMA's flood map →Your flood zone is set at your exact address and drives your price and whether coverage is required. Look it up first, then read your zone's row in "What does it cost in my flood zone?" below.
Built from all 27,482 in-force NFIP policy records and 28,016 claim records FEMA publishes for Cape May County, downloaded October 25, 2026 with every record for New Jersey, matched to FEMA's own count for the state, none missing. Download the figures on this page (CSV) · How we check them
Is my quote or renewal normal here?
Type your yearly flood cost (premium plus fees, as on your bill) to see where it sits among Cape May County's existing single-family policies. This is a comparison, not a quote.
Enter an amount above.
Am I required to carry it?
Only if your home is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and your mortgage is from a federally regulated lender, or federal help to buy or build (42 U.S.C. §4012a). Check your zone on FEMA's flood map.
92.8% of Cape May County's NFIP policies are in high-risk zones (not 92.8% of all buildings, and not an answer about your own home).
| Flood zone | Policies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Zone AE (high-risk) | 40,576 | 83.7% |
| Zone A07 (high-risk) | 3,353 | 6.9% |
| Zone X | 2,999 | 6.2% |
| Other or unclassified zones | 1,545 | 3.2% |
Insured units by the flood zone each policy is rated in (a condo-building policy counts each unit). Outside those zones the federal requirement drops, but a lender can still require coverage.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Source: govinfo.gov, federalreserve.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
I'm outside the high-risk zone. Do floods happen there?
Yes. 0.7% of the flood-insurance claim money paid in Cape May County went to homes outside the high-risk zones, which hold 7.2% of policies here: less per policy than inside the high-risk zone, but not zero.
- Claim dollars paid outside A/V zones0.7%New Jersey: 8.4%
- Policies outside A/V zones7.2%
- Zone X median cost$1,083
Insured claims only, by each policy's rated zone. Whether a lender can require coverage outside these zones is under “Am I required to carry it?”
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims; FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective claims 1978–2026; policies July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How much does it cost here?
Typically about $1,200 a year ($100 a month), fees included. Half of homeowners here pay between $923 and $1,691. To check a quote, use the checker at the top.
Low end $923 · Typical $1,200 · High end $1,691 · Highest tenth pay $2,321 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 4,943 single-family primary-home policies.
Coverage in force: $11.0 billion of building and $1.0 billion of contents coverage across all Cape May 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?
Buy it now: most policies start 30 days after you buy, but there's 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
Most 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, or change coverage at renewal; 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). NFIP covers up to $250,000 on the building and $100,000 on contents, which is a separate policy. 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). 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. Past aid paid here is in “Did the government pay homeowners after floods?” below.
Source: floodsmart.gov, govinfo.gov, fema.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
What do floods actually pay out here?
Floods here have led to 28,016 NFIP flood claims and $404.0 million in payouts since 1978; the worst years were 2012, 1992 and 2016.
Orange bars are the three costliest years: 2012 ($266,722,037), 1992 ($41,137,485), 2016 ($22,829,865). Total paid $403,987,698: net building + contents payments by year of loss. Claims are matched by the claims dataset's county code, which may not exactly match a policy's property county.
That is 28,016 claims since 1978 against 48,473 policies 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: 81.1% of claims here paid something. The average paid claim was $18,219.
- Average paid claim$18,219New Jersey: $38,445
- Closed with no payment18.9%New Jersey: 16.4%
- Claims that paid22,712
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; 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 5,304 claims here closed without payment, the top reason FEMA recorded was “damage less than the deductible” (1,905 claims).
| Reason recorded | Claims |
|---|---|
| Damage less than the deductible | 1,905 |
| No demonstrable damage | 586 |
| Not an actual flood | 370 |
The building non-payment reason on each NFIP claim closed with nothing paid. Records marked “other” or entered in error are left out.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective 1978–2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Which floods paid out the biggest totals here?
The costliest single flood here was Hurricane Sandy (2012): $274.6 million across 8,649 NFIP flood claims.
| Flood (FEMA's name) | Claims | Total paid | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Sandy (2012) | 8,649 | $274.6 million | $31,750 |
| Winter Storm Jonas (2016) | 1,028 | $23.1 million | $22,495 |
| December Storm Nor'easter (1992) | 2,175 | $21.3 million | $9,779 |
| Hurricane Gloria (1985) | 1,422 | $9.9 million | $6,975 |
| The "Halloween" Storm (1991) | 423 | $4.0 million | $9,383 |
| Hurricane Irene (2011) | 135 | $1.9 million | $14,156 |
| Hurricane Ida (2021) | 3 | $511,983 | $170,661 |
NFIP claims that were paid, grouped by the flood event FEMA assigned (FEMA's name). Claims with no event, or a catch-all label spanning many years, are left out.
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 35.9% of insured single-family homes here: FEMA's records put their rebuilding cost above the NFIP's $250,000 building limit.
- Rebuilding cost above the building limit (of 3,838 policies reporting one)35.9%New Jersey: 38.1%
- Carry the maximum building coverage81.7%
- Damage was more than the coverage (of 21,680 claims paid with a damage figure)1.0%
NFIP covers up to $250,000 on the building and $100,000 on contents, which is a separate policy. Rebuilding cost is the replacement-cost figure on each single-family primary-home policy record.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies; FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Source: floodsmart.gov (official pages, checked October 25, 2026). Not endorsed by FEMA.
What does it cost in my flood zone?
From about $961 a year (Zone C) to $1,263 (Zone AE) here. Your zone is on your lender's flood determination or FEMA's map; find its row below.
| Flood zone | Median / yr | Policies |
|---|---|---|
| Zone AE | $1,263 | 3,975 |
| Zone X | $1,083 | 372 |
| Zone A05 | $974 | 204 |
| Zone A07 | $1,181 | 191 |
| Zone B | $1,085 | 96 |
| Zone C | $961 | 65 |
Why can a high-risk zone cost less than Zone X here? Since FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0, price is set from each building's own flood risk, not its zone, and these are existing policies whose buildings differ. The reason for any one zone is not in this data.
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.
Find your ZIP in this county
Costs vary by ZIP here, from about $822 to $1,424 a year among the largest. Type yours to see its own figures.
Enter a five-digit ZIP above.
| ZIP | Median annual cost | Policy units |
|---|---|---|
| 08260 | $1,424 | 15,859 |
| 08226 | $1,245 | 14,618 |
| 08243 | $1,120 | 5,947 |
| 08202 | $1,166 | 4,460 |
| 08204 | $1,104 | 3,163 |
| 08247 | $1,358 | 2,411 |
| 08251 | $997 | 756 |
| 08212 | $1,260 | 364 |
Median shown only for ZIPs with 25 or more priced single-family policies; smaller ZIPs show count only.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How do current premiums compare with FEMA's full-risk price?
62.9% of bills here can keep rising: they pay less than FEMA's full-risk price. Those prices step up toward full-risk each year, limited by the yearly cap. Median premium $956, full-risk $1,481 (premiums only, before fees).
- Median premium charged (before fees)$956
- Median full-risk premium$1,481
- Pay below full-risk62.9% of 4,943New Jersey: 56.1%
Years to the full-risk price: By law most premiums cannot rise more than 18% a year (FloodSmart puts it at 18–25% for most policyholders); the cap usually does not apply to new policies, and fees and surcharges sit outside it. At the 18% cap, a policy at today's median premium ($956) would take at least about 3 annual renewals to reach the median full-risk premium ($1,481). This is the limit on how fast a bill can climb, not a forecast of any one policy.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Policies. Data effective July 31, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Can I pay less than the sticker price?
Yes, in 11 of the 16 towns here: up to 35% off in Avalon. It applies to every eligible policy there. Find your town below.
| Community | High-risk zone | Other areas | CRS class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalon | 35% | 10% | 3 |
| Sea Isle City | 35% | 10% | 3 |
| Ocean City | 30% | 10% | 4 |
| Upper | 25% | 10% | 5 |
| Cape May | 25% | 10% | 5 |
| Stone Harbor | 25% | 10% | 5 |
| Wildwood | 25% | 10% | 5 |
| Cape May Point | 20% | 10% | 6 |
| North Wildwood | 20% | 10% | 6 |
| Wildwood Crest | 20% | 10% | 6 |
| Lower | 15% | 5% | 7 |
No CRS discount (5): Middle; West Cape May; Woodbine; Dennis; West Wildwood.
The Community Rating System cuts NFIP premiums for every eligible policy in a community that does extra flood work. The discount shown is the community's rate; what share of its policies currently receive it is not in this data. Confirm with your agent.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Community Status Book (CRS). Data effective current Community Status Book; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How much flood risk is here?
Relatively Moderate for rivers and heavy rain and Very High for coastal flooding, by FEMA's county rating. That compares this county with others; it is not a forecast for your address.
- Coastal flood riskVery High
- Inland flood riskRelatively Moderate
This is FEMA's plain risk rating for the county, a comparison — not a prediction for your home. The rating multiplies expected flood loss by a community factor for social vulnerability and resilience; the percentile below is expected loss alone, so the two can differ. Coastal: expected annual flood loss above about 100% of U.S. counties; FEMA models roughly $30,702,175 of flood loss a year across all its buildings. Inland: expected annual flood loss above about 60% of U.S. counties; FEMA models roughly $38,947,571 of flood loss a year across all its buildings. Any loss figure is a whole-county estimate across all buildings, never one home's expected loss or premium.
Source: FEMA — National Risk Index (flood). Data effective NRI 2023 release; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How often has it actually flooded here?
51 flood events here since 1996, by the weather service's count, with about $5.7 million in reported property damage.
- Flood events logged51
- Reported property damage$5.7 million
Physical flood events recorded by the National Weather Service for this county (1996 on), separate from insured NFIP claims — it counts floods that happened, insured or not. Damage figures are NWS field estimates, not audited, and undercount in early years.
Source: NOAA NCEI — Storm Events Database. Data effective 1996-2025; retrieved October 26, 2026.
How often do the same homes flood here?
Some homes here flood again and again: 172 flood-damage applications in FEMA's disaster-aid records came from homes that flooded more than once.
- Repeat-flood damage records172
One home appears once for each declared disaster that damaged it, so this counts damage events on repeat-flooded homes, not distinct homes (FEMA says these records cannot be totaled by property). Disaster-aid applications since 2002, separate from NFIP insurance claims.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — Repetitive-Loss Flood Properties. Data effective FEMA's current list; retrieved October 26, 2026.
How Cape May County compares across the state
Cape May County is rated Very High: 6 of the state's 21 counties are rated the same or higher.
| FEMA flood-risk rating | Counties | Which |
|---|---|---|
| Very High | 6 | Atlantic County, Bergen County, Cape May County, Hudson County, Ocean County, Salem County |
| Relatively High | 12 | Burlington County, Camden County, Cumberland County, Essex County, Gloucester County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Passaic County, Somerset County, Union County |
| Relatively Moderate | 3 | |
| Relatively Low | 0 | |
| Very Low | 0 |
FEMA's National Risk Index rating (coastal and inland flooding, the worse of the two), a model of expected loss. Names are listed for the two highest ratings and for this county, in bold.
Source: FEMA — National Risk Index (flood). Data effective NRI 2023 release; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How many homes here carry flood insurance?
About 4 in 10 homes here have flood insurance (40.1%). Inside the high-risk zone it's 74.4%.
- All homes insured40.1%New Jersey: 5.0%
- High-risk-zone homes insured74.4%
- Residential policies in force25,975
FEMA's NFIP residential take-up rate — share of residential structures with an NFIP policy, overall and inside the Special Flood Hazard Area. NFIP only (excludes private flood insurance); the structure count is a FEMA estimate.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Residential Penetration Rates. Data effective August 3, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
How often is this county a flood disaster?
17 federal disasters for floods or storms here; the latest was Remnants Of Hurricane Ida (2021).
- 2021 — Remnants Of Hurricane Ida
- 2020 — Tropical Storm Isaias
- 2016 — Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm
- 2012 — Hurricane Sandy
- 2011 — Severe Storm
- 2011 — Hurricane Irene
Distinct storms by calendar year (one storm's emergency and major-disaster declarations are counted once), not individual declaration records.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — Disaster Declarations Summaries. Data effective declarations through 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Did the government pay homeowners after floods?
Yes, but not much per household: FEMA approved $7.8 million for homeowners here, about $1,177 per registration, against an average paid flood claim of $18,219.
FEMA disaster aid helps with uninsured and underinsured losses, and is separate from NFIP insurance.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA — Housing Assistance (Owners); FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Claims. Data effective owner registrations by disaster; retrieved October 25, 2026.
Reconciliation & data completeness
Our record counts match the API's own totals; FEMA's official policy count is not yet joined for Cape May County.
In-force count: 48,473 policy units (from 27,482 API records; condo-association records carry more than one unit). Count reconciliation (not a snapshot proof): policies: 27,482 of 27,482 fetched; claims: 28,016 of 28,016 fetched.
What this data cannot tell you
- Your own premium — it depends on elevation, coverage and deductible. We show where existing policies fall.
- Private (non-NFIP) flood insurance prices.
- Your address's exact flood zone — use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.
- Why any one premium changes — we show the gap to full-risk, not the cause.
- A year-over-year premium trend — the in-force snapshot holds only current-term policies, so a like-for-like multi-year index isn't possible from this data. A per-effective-year median is shown only where several years of policies exist.
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 9 of them for Cape May County. Last pulled 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 — Repetitive-Loss Flood Properties
- FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP Residential Penetration Rates
- NOAA NCEI — Storm Events Database