Flood Help Guide

Texas flood insurance and flood history

From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08

394,204NFIP flood claims since 1978
$17.4 billionPaid on those claims
$103,863Average paid claimlast 10 years
5.8%Homes with NFIP flood insurance
22Flood disaster declarationssince 2000

FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 394,204 flood insurance claims in Texas since 1978. The NFIP paid $17.4 billion on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).

The year with the most claims was 2017, with 93,589, mostly from Hurricane Harvey.

In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 124,721 claims, and the average paid claim was $103,863.

51% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).

About 5.8% of homes in Texas had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (504,754 of 8,773,166 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 48% (171,141 of 360,062).

Since 2000, FEMA has made 22 flood-related disaster declarations covering parts of Texas. The most recent was DR-4935-TX (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared September 1, 2026.

Flood insurance claims in Texas by year

NFIP flood claims per year in Texas, 1978 to 2026025k50k75k100k1978: 673 claims, $2.7 million paid1979: 21,721 claims, $217.8 million paid1980: 7,154 claims, $34.1 million paid19801981: 10,097 claims, $57.2 million paid1982: 2,359 claims, $15.3 million paid1983: 17,691 claims, $152.7 million paid1984: 2,964 claims, $23.8 million paid1985: 2,065 claims, $9.8 million paid1986: 1,363 claims, $6.7 million paid1987: 1,821 claims, $9.9 million paid1988: 695 claims, $3.6 million paid1989: 13,158 claims, $154.7 million paid1990: 1,772 claims, $23.7 million paid19901991: 3,494 claims, $34.2 million paid1992: 4,106 claims, $59.3 million paid1993: 1,280 claims, $10.2 million paid1994: 7,948 claims, $226.2 million paid1995: 1,937 claims, $14.8 million paid1996: 1,055 claims, $10.2 million paid1997: 3,408 claims, $36.8 million paid1998: 12,582 claims, $265.3 million paid1999: 1,361 claims, $8.7 million paid2000: 1,379 claims, $14.7 million paid20002001: 29,242 claims, $1.0 billion paid2002: 9,505 claims, $199.1 million paid2003: 3,867 claims, $53.3 million paid2004: 2,907 claims, $61.0 million paid2005: 4,564 claims, $57.6 million paid2006: 4,705 claims, $99.4 million paid2007: 4,280 claims, $91.6 million paid2008: 47,167 claims, $2.3 billion paid2009: 6,533 claims, $172.6 million paid2010: 2,659 claims, $72.5 million paid20102011: 271 claims, $1.5 million paid2012: 2,104 claims, $35.9 million paid2013: 1,933 claims, $63.4 million paid2014: 1,159 claims, $15.4 million paid2015: 12,576 claims, $582.3 million paid2016: 13,928 claims, $703.7 million paid2017: 93,589 claims, $9.1 billion paid2018: 3,280 claims, $121.0 million paid2019: 13,982 claims, $871.8 million paid2020: 2,286 claims, $44.4 million paid20202021: 2,532 claims, $46.0 million paid2022: 690 claims, $18.2 million paid2023: 565 claims, $14.7 million paid2024: 4,718 claims, $162.4 million paid2025: 2,425 claims, $158.6 million paid2026: 654 claims, $22.6 million paid
NFIP claims per year by year of loss. Hover or tap a bar for the count and amount paid. 2026 is partial.
Show as a table
YearClaimsPaid
2026654$22.6 million
20252,425$158.6 million
20244,718$162.4 million
2023565$14.7 million
2022690$18.2 million
20212,532$46.0 million
20202,286$44.4 million
201913,982$871.8 million
20183,280$121.0 million
201793,589$9.1 billion
201613,928$703.7 million
201512,576$582.3 million
20141,159$15.4 million
20131,933$63.4 million
20122,104$35.9 million
2011271$1.5 million
20102,659$72.5 million
20096,533$172.6 million
200847,167$2.3 billion
20074,280$91.6 million
20064,705$99.4 million
20054,564$57.6 million
20042,907$61.0 million
20033,867$53.3 million
20029,505$199.1 million
200129,242$1.0 billion
20001,379$14.7 million
19991,361$8.7 million
199812,582$265.3 million
19973,408$36.8 million
19961,055$10.2 million
19951,937$14.8 million
19947,948$226.2 million
19931,280$10.2 million
19924,106$59.3 million
19913,494$34.2 million
19901,772$23.7 million
198913,158$154.7 million
1988695$3.6 million
19871,821$9.9 million
19861,363$6.7 million
19852,065$9.8 million
19842,964$23.8 million
198317,691$152.7 million
19822,359$15.3 million
198110,097$57.2 million
19807,154$34.1 million
197921,721$217.8 million
1978673$2.7 million

Biggest flood events by NFIP payments

The flood events FEMA's claims data names most often for Texas, ranked by what the NFIP paid. FEMA names events in its claims records; claims without an event name aren't included here.

EventYearClaimsPaid
Hurricane Harvey201791,872$9.0 billion
Hurricane Ike200844,095$2.2 billion
Tropical Storm Allison200126,821$978.1 million
Tropical Storm Imelda201910,937$752.9 million
Spring severe storms20168,414$472.7 million
Early summer storms20157,983$472.3 million
Flooding199810,115$224.8 million
Flooding19947,050$217.6 million
Early summer severe storms20163,587$185.3 million
Tropical Storm Claudette197910,665$144.4 million

Flood history by county

Every Texas county in FEMA's data, sorted by number of NFIP claims since 1978. "Insured" is the share of homes with an NFIP policy.

CountyClaimsPaidInsuredFlood declarations
Harris County170,854$8.8 billion16.6%8
Galveston County60,620$2.5 billion42.2%2
Jefferson County22,715$1.2 billion22.0%3
Brazoria County21,436$631.8 million22.5%5
Montgomery County13,035$633.8 million10.7%7
Orange County12,876$1.0 billion29.8%5
Nueces County8,673$186.7 million17.4%5
Fort Bend County7,389$450.9 million15.4%5
Cameron County7,061$184.7 million9.7%5
Travis County4,418$114.9 million2.0%8
Hidalgo County4,405$117.9 million3.7%7
Aransas County4,128$64.3 million25.5%2
Tarrant County3,569$61.6 million0.9%3
Dallas County3,457$69.5 million0.8%3
Liberty County3,306$109.2 million5.9%9
Guadalupe County2,456$109.5 million3.6%6
Hardin County2,405$191.1 million12.2%6
Bexar County2,309$33.8 million0.8%2
Matagorda County2,137$24.8 million15.1%1
Chambers County2,096$129.5 million22.7%2
San Patricio County1,981$19.8 million9.0%4
Hays County1,489$71.7 million2.3%5
Wichita County1,295$19.9 million1.3%2
Comal County1,223$60.8 million2.4%4
Wharton County1,166$52.0 million10.0%3
Taylor County936$15.6 million3.8%2
Waller County878$44.0 million11.0%5
Calhoun County831$8.0 million14.4%3
El Paso County780$6.3 million1.1%1
Victoria County744$11.3 million2.8%3
Grayson County743$18.3 million0.5%2
Williamson County741$22.3 million1.1%3
Llano County693$20.0 million7.1%3
Burnet County626$24.8 million5.0%4
Brazos County569$7.6 million2.0%2
Denton County563$10.5 million0.7%3
Newton County552$28.0 million4.5%5
Brown County533$9.6 million2.2%6
Willacy County522$5.0 million9.7%3
Bell County499$14.4 million0.7%2
San Jacinto County491$10.2 million2.3%7
McLennan County393$6.7 million1.0%2
Walker County392$15.6 million2.3%10
Potter County387$5.4 million0.4%0
Kerr County373$21.7 million2.4%4
Cooke County370$10.5 million1.0%3
Collin County357$5.3 million0.5%2
Lubbock County346$2.7 million0.7%2
Polk County346$10.1 million2.5%5
Johnson County333$4.9 million0.8%1
Bastrop County331$9.9 million1.3%4
Angelina County328$5.4 million0.9%3
Randall County328$3.3 million0.6%0
Austin County327$14.3 million3.9%5
Smith County311$4.7 million0.6%6
Limestone County291$4.8 million0.7%2
Kleberg County279$2.2 million4.6%2
Parker County278$4.5 million1.0%5
Webb County269$6.8 million0.7%2
Harrison County260$5.7 million0.5%5
Kendall County253$4.5 million2.6%5
Bowie County242$5.2 million0.7%3
Nacogdoches County241$4.1 million0.6%3
Gregg County239$4.0 million0.6%2
Jackson County232$3.4 million6.5%0
Jasper County228$7.5 million2.4%7
DeWitt County227$5.9 million2.4%2
Gonzales County219$6.4 million1.7%4
Bandera County218$5.9 million2.0%4
Tom Green County206$6.5 million1.4%2
Ector County187$2.5 million1.5%0
Jim Wells County187$1.6 million2.9%5
Tyler County187$3.9 million1.1%5
Brooks County185$1.2 million3.3%0
Caldwell County180$7.4 million1.4%6
Hood County179$3.6 million1.7%4
Haskell County176$2.3 million1.9%3
Eastland County171$5.1 million0.8%5
Val Verde County163$3.6 million1.1%3
Maverick County162$5.6 million0.7%2
Ellis County159$6.0 million0.8%4
Medina County148$3.7 million1.9%3
Midland County145$1.6 million1.9%0
Trinity County140$2.5 million0.5%5
Lamar County139$2.6 million0.7%4
Fayette County133$8.4 million1.4%3
Uvalde County130$6.7 million2.0%7
Refugio County122$2.0 million3.3%2
Jones County119$4.0 million1.2%7
Lavaca County115$1.5 million1.5%0
Navarro County108$2.6 million0.7%6
Palo Pinto County97$1.4 million1.0%2
Wise County94$2.5 million0.5%2
Bee County90$1.3 million2.9%2
Henderson County90$3.4 million0.6%5
Grimes County89$1.4 million2.0%7
Starr County84$2.0 million0.9%3
Young County84$497,9960.7%1
Colorado County83$4.4 million3.4%2
Kaufman County77$2.1 million0.5%4
Montague County77$1.5 million0.8%3
Coryell County72$1.1 million0.5%5
Washington County71$1.7 million1.4%5
Wilson County71$2.0 million0.9%4
Stephens County68$896,1432.7%2
Cherokee County66$624,6740.5%5
Burleson County63$1.5 million1.0%3
Hunt County63$1.6 million0.4%1
Rusk County62$382,5540.3%3
Rockwall County61$1.5 million0.5%2
Fannin County60$1.7 million1.0%4
Real County60$683,8926.3%7
Live Oak County56$928,0412.0%3
Nolan County56$1.1 million1.0%2
Robertson County53$1.5 million1.8%3
Clay County48$1.7 million0.8%2
Zavala County47$776,4161.4%5
Marion County46$689,5450.3%2
Blanco County43$2.5 million1.4%4
Bosque County43$1.5 million0.8%6
Lampasas County43$754,9641.3%3
Van Zandt County40$1.6 million0.5%5
Menard County38$290,1475.9%5
Atascosa County36$515,9010.6%4
Hopkins County36$304,1930.4%5
Somervell County34$632,5901.4%2
Hill County31$462,5780.5%5
Howard County31$479,7630.4%0
Cass County30$773,2710.2%6
Sutton County30$894,3650.7%4
Houston County28$382,7700.8%5
San Saba County28$1.3 million3.7%5
Madison County26$451,8980.6%7
Lee County25$648,0030.4%3
Archer County24$889,4001.1%3
Shackelford County23$114,1251.0%2
Erath County21$669,6500.4%4
Anderson County19$292,9900.3%4
Gillespie County19$738,2871.2%4
La Salle County19$114,3530.1%3
Kimble County18$389,4101.8%4
Duval County17$299,1570.5%3
Freestone County17$587,3940.3%2
Goliad County16$423,7041.5%1
Hockley County15$131,5330.5%2
Karnes County15$104,6560.4%1
Milam County15$200,3240.4%5
Yoakum County14$72,6321.0%0
Coleman County13$138,5050.3%4
Franklin County13$326,2670.2%2
Hale County13$34,3530.5%0
Terry County13$84,4440.2%1
Brewster County12$52,1722.8%1
Comanche County12$73,4950.4%4
Dimmit County11$475,9890.6%4
Jim Hogg County11$37,0560.6%1
Wood County11$154,5340.3%1
Dawson County10$142,6030.3%0
Deaf Smith County10$33,0180.1%1
Gaines County10$57,7530.1%1
Wilbarger County10$186,9140.3%2
Falls County9$177,6850.0%2
Fisher County8$66,5900.0%2
Leon County8$129,7580.4%5
Rains County8$254,8850.2%2
Upshur County8$180,9120.2%3
Donley County7$7,1750.3%1
Kinney County7$158,7810.7%3
Panola County7$67,1660.1%2
Zapata County7$97,6390.5%0
Callahan County6$46,0800.2%6
Frio County6$56,8600.1%4
Jack County6$284,4870.2%1
Lipscomb County6$237,8450.9%0
Mitchell County6$52,9000.1%0
Runnels County6$140,2370.2%1
San Augustine County6$82,2830.9%4
Scurry County6$14,1060.1%1
Shelby County6$99,0260.2%4
Titus County6$248,8790.2%3
Mason County5$119,0620.5%5
Morris County5$26,9070.3%2
Sabine County5$25,6390.1%4
Collingsworth County4$17,3161.4%2
Baylor County3$22,6020.4%4
Camp County3$6,8870.0%0
Carson County3$36,3110.3%0
Crockett County3$26,6621.0%2
Dallam County3$8840.3%0
Gray County3$5,0510.0%0
Presidio County3$24,0320.6%0
Terrell County3$5,1590.3%2
Throckmorton County3$158,5520.1%4
Hall County2$2,7610.1%3
Hamilton County2$5,5230.1%3
Hutchinson County2$14,5150.1%0
Irion County2$13,4100.7%0
McMullen County2$6421.9%2
Reeves County2$1,0200.3%1
Childress County1$7,8000.0%1
Concho County1$26,3450.1%2
Crosby County1$32,5190.3%1
Culberson County1$63,1120.5%0
Delta County1$2,8410.0%4
Garza County1$11,8530.1%1
Hansford County1$9660.0%0
Hartley County1$3,5350.1%1
Hudspeth County1$245,3140.4%1
Kenedy County1$59,3280.8%0
Lamb County1$00.1%1
Lynn County1$21,7270.0%2
Martin County1$3900.4%0
McCulloch County1$18,9900.5%4
Schleicher County1$00.1%4
Stonewall County1$5,9520.0%1
Swisher County1$9,0640.4%0
Wheeler County1$29,9640.3%1
Andrews County0$00.0%0
Armstrong County0$00.0%0
Bailey County0$00.5%2
Borden County0$00.0%1
Briscoe County0$00.0%0
Castro County0$00.2%1
Cochran County0$00.1%2
Coke County0$00.3%2
Cottle County0$00.0%2
Crane County0$00.0%0
Dickens County0$00.0%2
Edwards County0$00.0%6
Floyd County0$00.0%1
Foard County0$00.1%1
Glasscock County0$00.0%0
Hardeman County0$00.0%1
Hemphill County0$00.0%0
Jeff Davis County0$00.7%0
Kent County0$00.0%1
King County0$00.0%1
Knox County0$00.1%2
Loving County0$00.0%0
Mills County0$00.1%2
Moore County0$00.1%0
Motley County0$00.0%1
Ochiltree County0$00.0%0
Oldham County0$00.0%0
Parmer County0$00.0%1
Pecos County0$00.2%1
Reagan County0$00.0%0
Red River County0$00.0%4
Roberts County0$00.0%0
Sherman County0$00.0%0
Sterling County0$00.0%1
Upton County0$00.0%0
Ward County0$00.1%0
Winkler County0$00.0%0

Flood-related FEMA disaster declarations in Texas

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.

DeclarationDeclaredEventHelp for individuals
DR-4935-TX Sep 1, 2026 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding No
EM-3649-TX Jul 18, 2026 Flooding No
DR-4879-TX Jul 6, 2025 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding Yes
DR-4871-TX May 21, 2025 Severe Storms and Flooding Yes
DR-4781-TX May 17, 2024 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding Yes
DR-4466-TX Oct 4, 2019 Tropical Storm Imelda Yes
DR-4454-TX Jul 17, 2019 Severe Storms and Flooding Yes
DR-4416-TX Feb 25, 2019 Severe Storms and Flooding No
DR-4377-TX Jul 6, 2018 Severe Storms and Flooding Yes
DR-4272-TX Jun 11, 2016 Severe Storms and Flooding Yes
DR-4269-TX Apr 25, 2016 Severe Storms and Flooding Yes
DR-4266-TX Mar 19, 2016 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding Yes
DR-4255-TX Feb 9, 2016 Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding No
DR-4245-TX Nov 25, 2015 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding Yes
DR-4223-TX May 29, 2015 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding Yes
DR-4159-TX Dec 20, 2013 Severe Storms and Flooding No
DR-1791-TX Sep 13, 2008 Hurricane Ike Yes
DR-1709-TX Jun 29, 2007 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding Yes
DR-1658-TX Aug 15, 2006 Severe Storms and Flooding Yes
DR-1439-TX Nov 5, 2002 Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding Yes
DR-1425-TX Jul 4, 2002 Severe Storms and Flooding Yes
DR-1323-TX Apr 7, 2000 Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding Yes

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:

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.