Montana flood insurance and flood history
From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 2,220 flood insurance claims in Montana since 1978. The NFIP paid $19.2 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 2011, with 460.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 301 claims, and the average paid claim was $39,328.
46% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.6% of homes in Montana had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (3,070 of 523,618 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 16% (2,168 of 13,743).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 16 flood-related disaster declarations covering parts of Montana. The most recent was DR-4901-MT (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared April 7, 2026.
Flood insurance claims in Montana by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | $105,461 |
| 2025 | 2 | $0 |
| 2024 | 3 | $17,643 |
| 2023 | 14 | $126,142 |
| 2022 | 119 | $7.0 million |
| 2021 | 5 | $1,947 |
| 2020 | 4 | $55,662 |
| 2019 | 23 | $168,415 |
| 2018 | 117 | $1.1 million |
| 2017 | 10 | $26,897 |
| 2016 | 10 | $76,593 |
| 2015 | 8 | $23,373 |
| 2014 | 39 | $468,983 |
| 2013 | 24 | $143,694 |
| 2012 | 8 | $50,220 |
| 2011 | 460 | $4.3 million |
| 2010 | 18 | $26,328 |
| 2009 | 7 | $14,038 |
| 2008 | 18 | $126,749 |
| 2007 | 13 | $79,541 |
| 2006 | 8 | $16,927 |
| 2005 | 10 | $19,644 |
| 2004 | 5 | $1,196 |
| 2003 | 11 | $63,256 |
| 2002 | 6 | $4,444 |
| 2001 | 10 | $3,486 |
| 2000 | 1 | $0 |
| 1999 | 2 | $20,059 |
| 1998 | 15 | $32,047 |
| 1997 | 405 | $2.3 million |
| 1996 | 77 | $609,118 |
| 1995 | 10 | $38,650 |
| 1994 | 1 | $0 |
| 1993 | 5 | $6,871 |
| 1992 | 2 | $12,972 |
| 1991 | 23 | $69,092 |
| 1990 | 2 | $68,150 |
| 1989 | 11 | $60,846 |
| 1986 | 44 | $155,309 |
| 1985 | 8 | $29,110 |
| 1984 | 12 | $95 |
| 1983 | 5 | $2,683 |
| 1982 | 28 | $38,176 |
| 1981 | 114 | $308,788 |
| 1980 | 39 | $37,854 |
| 1979 | 215 | $677,290 |
| 1978 | 245 | $626,582 |
Biggest flood events by NFIP payments
The flood events FEMA's claims data names most often for Montana, ranked by what the NFIP paid. FEMA names events in its claims records; claims without an event name aren't included here.
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone Flooding | 2022 | 107 | $6.8 million |
| Flooding | 1986 | 12 | $63,602 |
Flood history by county
Every Montana county in FEMA's data, sorted by number of NFIP claims since 1978. "Insured" is the share of homes with an NFIP policy.
| County | Claims | Paid | Insured | Flood declarations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone County | 272 | $2.3 million | 0.4% | 2 |
| Cascade County | 257 | $854,701 | 0.7% | 1 |
| Valley County | 250 | $1.5 million | 0.3% | 6 |
| Missoula County | 172 | $973,326 | 0.5% | 2 |
| Custer County | 156 | $400,061 | 11.7% | 3 |
| Park County | 141 | $3.3 million | 0.8% | 6 |
| Flathead County | 132 | $690,321 | 0.8% | 2 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 102 | $431,717 | 0.6% | 2 |
| Gallatin County | 76 | $340,091 | 0.8% | 0 |
| Musselshell County | 60 | $1.2 million | 0.5% | 6 |
| Stillwater County | 60 | $1.4 million | 0.9% | 5 |
| Carbon County | 59 | $2.7 million | 0.8% | 4 |
| Blaine County | 50 | $69,070 | 0.3% | 6 |
| Lincoln County | 39 | $447,458 | 0.4% | 2 |
| Phillips County | 39 | $134,717 | 0.3% | 2 |
| Ravalli County | 36 | $115,489 | 0.4% | 2 |
| Fergus County | 27 | $243,625 | 0.4% | 4 |
| Wheatland County | 19 | $38,369 | 0.2% | 3 |
| Powell County | 18 | $119,585 | 0.4% | 2 |
| Hill County | 17 | $55,508 | 0.1% | 7 |
| Big Horn County | 16 | $245,117 | 0.1% | 1 |
| Beaverhead County | 12 | $2,464 | 0.5% | 0 |
| Lake County | 12 | $20,285 | 0.2% | 2 |
| Rosebud County | 12 | $15,452 | 0.1% | 3 |
| Silver Bow County | 10 | $8,245 | 0.2% | 0 |
| Sweet Grass County | 10 | $419,108 | 0.5% | 2 |
| Deer Lodge County | 9 | $8,284 | 0.3% | 1 |
| Roosevelt County | 9 | $65,078 | 0.1% | 2 |
| Sanders County | 9 | $223,031 | 0.4% | 2 |
| Glacier County | 8 | $32,243 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Richland County | 8 | $94,830 | 0.2% | 2 |
| Dawson County | 7 | $144,610 | 0.1% | 3 |
| Granite County | 7 | $16,934 | 0.5% | 1 |
| Powder River County | 7 | $25,382 | 0.1% | 2 |
| Madison County | 6 | $26,091 | 0.6% | 1 |
| Meagher County | 6 | $78,058 | 0.5% | 1 |
| Garfield County | 5 | $105,461 | 0.4% | 3 |
| Jefferson County | 5 | $6,966 | 0.3% | 2 |
| Mineral County | 5 | $10,768 | 0.6% | 0 |
| Teton County | 5 | $30,662 | 0.4% | 2 |
| Liberty County | 4 | $7,075 | 0.2% | 3 |
| Wibaux County | 3 | $77,084 | 0.4% | 1 |
| Broadwater County | 2 | $6,500 | 0.1% | 2 |
| Fallon County | 1 | $0 | 0.1% | 1 |
| Sheridan County | 1 | $73 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Toole County | 1 | $416 | 0.0% | 4 |
| Carter County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Chouteau County | 0 | $0 | 0.1% | 4 |
| Daniels County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | 4 |
| Golden Valley County | 0 | $0 | 0.1% | 4 |
| Judith Basin County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | 2 |
| McCone County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Petroleum County | 0 | $0 | 0.2% | 6 |
| Pondera County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | 5 |
| Prairie County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Treasure County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | 5 |
Flood-related FEMA disaster declarations in Montana
Declarations since 2000 that FEMA lists as involving flooding. "Help for individuals" means FEMA's Individual Assistance was approved for at least part of the area.
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4901-MT | Apr 7, 2026 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| EM-3630-MT | Dec 19, 2025 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4887-MT | Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4801-MT | Jul 18, 2024 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | No |
| DR-4745-MT | Oct 11, 2023 | Flooding | No |
| DR-4726-MT | Aug 12, 2023 | Flooding | No |
| DR-4655-MT | Jun 16, 2022 | Severe Storm and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-4437-MT | May 24, 2019 | Flooding | No |
| DR-4405-MT | Oct 31, 2018 | Flooding | No |
| DR-4388-MT | Aug 30, 2018 | Flooding | No |
| DR-4198-MT | Oct 9, 2014 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4172-MT | Apr 17, 2014 | Ice Jams and Flooding | No |
| DR-4127-MT | Jul 10, 2013 | Flooding | No |
| DR-1996-MT | Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1922-MT | Jul 10, 2010 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-1424-MT | Jul 3, 2002 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
What to do with this
A county's history doesn't tell you your own building's risk. To see your property's flood zone, use FEMA's flood map lookup. To weigh coverage, start with do I need flood insurance? and what flood insurance costs.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.