A reference of 34 statistics on what flood water costs by depth: building damage from the first inch to six feet, damage as a share of the home's value, contents losses, how much the same depth varies from storm to storm, and how many flood claims come from second homes and rentals. Most figures are our own computation from FEMA's public National Flood Insurance Program claims file (fema.gov); the rest are quoted from FEMA's FloodSmart program (floodsmart.gov), federal regulations (ecfr.gov) and peer-reviewed research (nature.com), each checked against the original.
Key statistics
6 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
The first few inches of flood water are the expensive ones. In FEMA claims on single-family homes, the typical damage almost triples between 1 to 2 inches and half a foot, then climbs more slowly with every extra foot. One inch typically cost less than the $25,000 FEMA quotes, but two inches already cost more, and the same depth can cost more than twice as much in one storm as in another.
With 1 inch of water inside, the typical flood claim was $16,656, below the $25,000 FEMA often quotes; the average was $33,623.
Damage nearly triples from 1 to 2 inches of water ($21,669) to 3 to 6 inches ($59,713).
A foot of water inside: a median $85,176 of damage; the typical claim was about 38% of the home's value.
At 3 to 4 feet of water, about half of claims had damage of at least half the home's pre-flood value.
Same depth, different storm: 3 to 6 inches cost a median $97,173 in Helene and $42,537 in Matthew.
About 1 in 6 flood claims on single homes came from homes that were not the owner's primary residence and not rented out.
How we built this report
Every figure marked Computed is a calculation we ran in November 2026 on FEMA's raw claims file, not a number copied from another publication.
- Downloaded every claim
We pulled all 586,148 National Flood Insurance Program claims with a loss from 2016 to 2025 from FEMA's public claims dataset, as the dataset stood in September 2026. Each claim carries the adjuster's damage amounts, the home's type and the depth of water marks inside, filled in on about two thirds of single-family claims since 2016, though often as 0.
- Compared like with like
The depth tables use 144,835 claims on single-family homes that are not elevated, with 1 to 120 inches of water recorded inside and building damage above zero. Elevated homes are left out because their recorded depth can be water below the living floor.
- Put every year in 2025 dollars
Claim dollars were adjusted to 2025 dollars with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) consumer price index (CPI-U, annual average). The 2025 average uses the 11 months published; October 2025 was never released.
- Checked against FEMA's definitions
Every field was read against FEMA's own data dictionary, and a second analyst recomputed the figures from the raw file without seeing ours.
- Second review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
These are insured losses on federal flood policies, not every flooded home, and the dollar amounts are the adjuster's actual cash value of the damage (replacement cost minus depreciation), not the claim payment or a contractor's quote. FEMA describes the water depth as measured from interior water marks relative to the lowest adjacent grade, the ground next to the house, so where a floor sits above the ground the water on the floor was shallower than the recorded depth. Claims cluster in big storms: Hurricane Harvey alone is 27% of the depth claims. Some depths appear to have been entered in feet rather than inches, most visibly in Hurricane Ian and the August 2016 Louisiana floods, and researchers have reported feet-and-inches mix-ups in FEMA's depth records before. We keep those claims as FEMA recorded them; leaving the two events out lowers the 1-inch median from $16,656 to $14,743 and the 1 to 2 inch median from $21,669 to $19,363, and leaves the pattern by depth unchanged. Home size is not in the public file, so these figures cover homes of every size. Every claim is counted, so there is no sampling error; the middle-half ranges show how widely claims at the same depth spread.
Flood damage by inches of water, by the numbers
All 34 figures, grouped by question. Computed figures are our analysis of FEMA's claims file; Verified figures are quoted from their publisher and checked against the original.
Building damage by depth of water inside
FEMA's flood insurance claims record how high the water marks reached inside each home and what the adjuster found it cost. Across non-elevated single-family homes, the typical claim climbs from $21,669 with 1 to 2 inches of water to $95,603 with 13 to 24 inches and $147,426 with four to six feet, all in 2025 dollars.
Typical building damage by water depth inside
Median flood claim, non-elevated single-family homes, 2016 to 2025 losses, 2025 dollars.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims (144,835 claims). Building damage only; contents are separate.
| Water inside | Claims | Median | Middle half of claims | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 inches | 29,105 | $21,669 | $8,204 to $56,267 | $40,506 |
| 3 to 6 inches | 34,244 | $59,713 | $22,092 to $99,107 | $70,923 |
| 7 to 12 inches | 29,081 | $80,217 | $40,567 to $121,292 | $90,640 |
| 13 to 24 inches | 26,812 | $95,603 | $49,601 to $145,897 | $107,718 |
| 25 to 36 inches | 12,088 | $110,329 | $61,219 to $171,473 | $126,977 |
| 37 to 48 inches | 6,568 | $122,276 | $65,367 to $199,812 | $142,716 |
| 49 to 72 inches | 4,852 | $147,426 | $72,244 to $234,263 | $160,548 |
| 73 to 120 inches | 2,085 | $145,111 | $53,558 to $232,536 | $153,529 |
| All depths | 144,835 | $70,591 | $23,212 to $122,666 | $87,707 |
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims, losses 2016 to 2025, non-elevated single-family homes. Middle half = 25th to 75th percentile. Adjuster's actual cash value of building damage, adjusted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U.
Statistic 1
With 1 to 2 inches of water inside, the typical (median) building damage claim was $21,669; half of the 29,105 claims fell between $8,204 and $56,267.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 2
With 3 to 6 inches, the median was $59,713, 2.8 times the 1 to 2 inch figure.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 3
The median rose $38,044 from 1 to 2 inches to 3 to 6 inches, more than the $35,890 it rose from 3 to 6 inches to 13 to 24 inches.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 4
With 7 to 12 inches, the median was $80,217; with exactly 12 inches, $85,176.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 5
With 13 to 24 inches, the median was $95,603; with exactly 24 inches, $103,784.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 6
With 37 to 48 inches, the median was $122,276; with 49 to 72 inches, $147,426.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 7
Averages run well above the typical claim at shallow depths: $40,506 against a median of $21,669 at 1 to 2 inches, because a minority of claims are very large.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 8
Among claims with 1 to 120 inches recorded, the median depth was 8 inches: 43.7% had 6 inches or less, 63.8% a foot or less, and 17.7% more than two feet.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 9
35.3% of claims on non-elevated single-family homes with a depth recorded show 0 inches of water inside, yet their median building damage was $66,292, so a 0 does not always mean the floor stayed dry. They are left out of the depth tables.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
What this means: The jump from a couple of inches to half a foot is the most expensive step in a flood. After that, each extra foot adds less than the first half foot did.
The first inch: FEMA's $25,000 against real claims
According to FEMA's FloodSmart program (floodsmart.gov), "just 1 inch of floodwater can cause roughly $25,000 of damage to your home." That figure comes from a model: FEMA's 2019 cost-of-flooding tool, built on its national flood loss tables, put 1 inch at $26,807 for a 2,500-square-foot one-story home. The claims tell a different story about the first inches: lower at 1 inch, then much steeper.
| Water inside | FEMA model, 2,500 sq ft home | Median claim, 2025 dollars | Median claim, 2016 to 2019 losses, in dollars of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | $26,807 | $16,656 | $11,421 |
| 2 inches | $26,892 | $34,878 | $24,680 |
| 3 inches | $29,287 | $49,317 | $37,046 |
| 6 inches | $52,037 | $68,531 | $52,474 |
| 12 inches | $72,162 | $85,176 | $65,778 |
| 24 inches | $87,326 | $103,784 | $81,567 |
| 48 inches | $103,355 | $125,604 | $117,279 |
FEMA model: FEMA FloodSmart cost-of-flooding tool (2019), medium home; FEMA does not state the model's dollar year. Claims: RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, non-elevated single-family homes, exact recorded depth. The last column uses 2016 to 2019 losses with no inflation adjustment, the same era as the model. FEMA's tool speaks of water in the home, while the claims depth is recorded relative to the ground outside, so the two depth scales may not line up exactly.
Statistic 10
FEMA's FloodSmart program says "just 1 inch of floodwater can cause roughly $25,000 of damage to your home."
FEMA FloodSmart (2023)
Statistic 11
FEMA's 2019 cost-of-flooding tool estimated 1 inch of water at $10,819 for a 1,000-square-foot one-story home, $26,807 for a 2,500-square-foot one-story home and $53,454 for a 5,000-square-foot two-story home.
FEMA FloodSmart (2019)
Statistic 12
With exactly 1 inch of water recorded inside, the median claim was $16,656 and the average $33,623 (17,638 claims).
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 13
The median claim was $34,878 at 2 inches and $49,317 at 3 inches, while FEMA's model barely moves from 1 to 3 inches ($26,807 to $29,287).
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims; FEMA FloodSmart (2019)
Statistic 14
In losses from 2016 to 2019, without inflation adjustment, the median 6-inch claim was $52,474, close to FEMA's 2019 model value of $52,037.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims; FEMA FloodSmart (2019)
What this means: "$25,000 for 1 inch" is a fair warning but a rough estimate. At a single inch, most claims came in under it, though the average was higher. In 2025 dollars, from 2 inches on the typical claim already passes it, and from half a foot up the model and the claims of the same years stay within about 15% of each other. FEMA's figure is for a 2,500-square-foot home; the claims cover homes of every size.
How much of a home's value a flood takes
Each claim also records the adjuster's estimate of the building's value before the flood, so damage can be read as a share of the home. That share matters because of a federal rule: under 44 CFR 59.1, published at ecfr.gov, a building is "substantial damage" when restoring it "would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred."
| Water inside | Median damage, share of value | Claims with damage of half the value or more |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 inches | 9.9% | 7.5% |
| 3 to 6 inches | 28.8% | 16.8% |
| 7 to 12 inches | 36.2% | 25.2% |
| 13 to 24 inches | 41.4% | 34.4% |
| 25 to 36 inches | 45.1% | 41.6% |
| 37 to 48 inches | 49.5% | 49.3% |
| 49 to 72 inches | 57.7% | 58.9% |
| 73 to 120 inches | 60.9% | 60.4% |
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, non-elevated single-family homes with a recorded building value. Both damage and value are the adjuster's actual cash value figures, which is not the same as the local official's market-value test, so read the 50% column as a rough guide.
Statistic 15
With 1 to 2 inches of water, the typical claim was 9.9% of the home's pre-flood value, and 7.5% of claims reached half the value.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 16
With 3 to 6 inches, the typical claim was 28.8% of value, and 16.8% reached half.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 17
With 13 to 24 inches, the typical claim was 41.4% of value, and 34.4%, about 1 in 3, reached half.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 18
With 37 to 48 inches, 49.3% of claims reached half the home's value; with 49 to 72 inches, 58.9% did.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 19
Federal floodplain rules define substantial damage as restoration costs equal to or above 50% of the building's pre-damage market value.
44 CFR 59.1, eCFR (2026)
What this means: Shallow floods rarely come near the halfway mark, but by three to four feet about half of claims reach it. That threshold is about cost, not depth, and the local floodplain official, not the insurer, makes the call.
Furniture and belongings
Building coverage and contents coverage are separate in a federal flood policy. Among the same homes, claims that carried contents coverage and recorded contents damage show a second bill on top of the building: a median of $6,819 at 1 to 2 inches, rising to $36,828 at 13 to 24 inches.
Statistic 20
Contents damage: median $6,819 with 1 to 2 inches of water, $15,980 with 3 to 6 inches and $26,185 with 7 to 12 inches.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 21
Contents damage: median $36,828 with 13 to 24 inches and $46,543 with 25 to 36 inches.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
What this means: Contents losses climb with depth about as steeply as building losses do. For a furnished second home or rental, the furniture, appliances and linens are a real share of the bill, and only claims with contents coverage are counted here.
Same depth, different storm
Depth is only part of the story: the same inches of water cost far more in some floods than in others. Floods differ in how long the water stands, what it carries and what repairs cost locally afterward, and the public file cannot separate those effects. The table compares every named flood event with at least 500 claims at 1 to 2 inches, except two whose depth records look unreliable (Statistic 23).
| Flood event | 1 to 2 inches | 3 to 6 inches | 7 to 24 inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene, 2024 | $54,182 | $97,173 | $113,800 |
| Tropical Storm Imelda, 2019 | $36,375 | $65,535 | $81,780 |
| Hurricane Milton, 2024 | $34,458 | $67,978 | $76,012 |
| Hurricane Ida, 2021 | $24,169 | $63,013 | $87,981 |
| Hurricane Harvey, 2017 | $22,817 | $78,541 | $111,668 |
| Hurricane Matthew, 2016 | $21,890 | $42,537 | $49,185 |
| Hurricane Irma, 2017 | $14,915 | $44,066 | $64,481 |
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, non-elevated single-family homes. Event names are FEMA's. About a quarter of 1 to 2 inch claims (7,436) carry no event name and are not shown. Hurricane Ian and the August 2016 Louisiana floods (filed by FEMA as "Mid-summer severe storms") are left out of this comparison; see Statistic 23.
Statistic 22
With 3 to 6 inches of water, the median claim was $97,173 in Hurricane Helene but $42,537 in Hurricane Matthew, more than twice as much.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 23
In Hurricane Ian and the August 2016 Louisiana floods, claims recorded at 1 to 2 inches inside with only 0 to 3 inches outside had medians of $80,516 and $101,189, about what a foot of water typically cost, a sign that many depths there were entered in feet.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 24
Hurricane Harvey produced 39,191 of the 144,835 depth claims, 27%, with a median of $111,668 at 7 to 24 inches.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 25
By year of loss, leaving out the two events with suspect depth records, the median 1 to 2 inch claim ranged from $12,868 (2018) to $27,098 (2024).
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 26
On elevated single-family homes, left out of the tables above, claims with 1 to 6 inches recorded had a median of $15,830, against $39,999 for non-elevated homes.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
What this means: A single national number per inch hides a twofold or larger spread between storms. Any per-inch estimate is a starting point; which flood it was matters too.
Second homes and rentals
Every claim also says whether the home was the policyholder's primary residence and whether the owner rents it out. Across 490,089 claims on single homes (single-family houses, mobile homes and single units in multi-unit buildings), 15.4% were on homes that were not insured as the policyholder's primary residence and not rented out, such as second homes, and 4.2% were on rentals.
| State | Claims, 2016 to 2025 | Not primary, not rented | Rented out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 161,178 | 16.3% | 5.7% |
| Texas | 123,386 | 10.7% | 3.8% |
| Louisiana | 62,378 | 12.3% | 3.0% |
| North Carolina | 27,402 | 28.9% | 4.0% |
| South Carolina | 13,240 | 26.2% | 3.3% |
| New Jersey | 9,705 | 12.5% | 2.0% |
| New York | 8,841 | 11.8% | 1.9% |
| Alabama | 4,582 | 30.6% | 4.2% |
| Missouri | 4,089 | 23.4% | 3.2% |
| Massachusetts | 2,527 | 26.0% | 2.5% |
| All states | 490,089 | 15.4% | 4.2% |
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, all losses 2016 to 2025 (any depth). The seven largest states by claims, plus the states with the highest non-primary shares among those with at least 2,000 claims. Whole 2 to 4 unit buildings and condo association master policies are excluded. "Not primary" uses FEMA's primary residence flag on the policy; "rented out" uses its rental property flag (the owner receives rent from the occupants).
Statistic 27
15.4% of flood claims on single homes were on homes not insured as the policyholder's primary residence and not rented out, and 4.2% were on rentals.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 28
Among states with at least 2,000 claims, that non-primary share was highest in Alabama (30.6%), North Carolina (28.9%), South Carolina (26.2%) and Massachusetts (26.0%).
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 29
In Florida, 16.3% of claims on single homes were non-primary and 5.7% were rentals; in Texas, 10.7% and 3.8%.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 30
Contents coverage was on 81.1% of claims on primary homes, 70.8% on non-primary homes and 60.6% on rentals.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
Statistic 31
On non-elevated single-family homes with 7 to 24 inches of water, the median building claim was $90,311 on primary homes, $75,670 on rentals and $67,239 on non-primary homes.
RapidEye Research analysis of FEMA NFIP claims, 2016 to 2025
What this means: In Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Massachusetts, more than 1 in 4 flood claims came from homes that were not the policyholder's primary residence and not rented out. Owners of homes they do not live in were also less likely to have their furniture and belongings covered.
What the research says about the spread
The wide middle-half ranges above are not noise in this one dataset. A 2020 study in Nature Communications (nature.com), by researchers who analyzed an earlier, confidential version of FEMA's claims, found that damage at any given depth follows no single typical value.
Statistic 32
The study analyzed 2,085,015 flood insurance claims from 1972 to 2014, of which 976,363 had the depth, damage, building type and value needed to study depth and damage.
Wing et al., Nature Communications (2020)
Statistic 33
Damage at each depth was "distinctly bimodal," with a disproportionate number of claims at both the low and high ends, and at shallow depths a plurality of claims lay in the 0 to 10% damage range.
Wing et al., Nature Communications (2020)
Statistic 34
In the study's example of 100 buildings flooded to 4 feet, 22 had under 10% damage and 16 had over 90%, though the median was 38%.
Wing et al., Nature Communications (2020)
What this means: A depth tells you the likely range, not the bill. Two neighboring homes with the same water line can end up with very different claims. The study's levels differ from ours: measuring depth above the first floor in 1972 to 2014 claims, it found a median of 11% of building value at 1 foot, against about 38% at 12 inches in our 2016 to 2025 claims, so compare the shapes rather than the levels.
For what water damage costs to fix once it happens, including leaks and burst pipes rather than floods, see our restoration cost statistics. For basement water specifically, see the sump pump and basement waterproofing statistics.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How much damage does 1 inch of flood water cause?
In FEMA flood insurance claims from 2016 to 2025, the typical (median) single-family home with 1 inch of water recorded inside had $16,656 of building damage in 2025 dollars. Half of those claims fell between $6,664 and $42,292, and the average was $33,623 because a minority of claims ran very high. Furniture and belongings are extra: across 1 to 2 inches, the median contents claim among homes with contents coverage was $6,819.
Is it true that 1 inch of water causes $25,000 of damage?
It is a modeled estimate, not a claims figure. FEMA's FloodSmart program says just 1 inch of floodwater can cause roughly $25,000 of damage, and its 2019 cost-of-flooding tool put 1 inch at $26,807 for a 2,500-square-foot one-story home. In real claims, the typical 1-inch claim was lower ($16,656) and the average higher ($33,623). Claims then climbed much faster than the model: $34,878 at 2 inches and $49,317 at 3 inches, while the model stayed under $30,000.
How much damage does a foot of flood water do to a house?
The typical claim with exactly 12 inches of water inside was $85,176 of building damage in 2025 dollars, and the typical claim at that depth came to about 38% of the home's pre-flood value as the adjuster estimated it. Across 7 to 12 inches the median was $80,217, and across 13 to 24 inches it was $95,603.
At what water depth is a house substantially damaged?
The rule is about cost, not depth. Federal floodplain rules call a building substantially damaged when restoring it would cost 50% or more of its pre-damage market value. In FEMA claims, damage reached half the adjuster's estimate of the home's value in 7.5% of claims with 1 to 2 inches inside, 34.4% with 13 to 24 inches, 49.3% with 37 to 48 inches and 58.9% with 49 to 72 inches.
Do second homes and rentals file many flood claims?
Yes. Of 490,089 FEMA flood claims on single homes from 2016 to 2025, 15.4% were on homes not insured as the policyholder's primary residence and not rented out, such as second homes, and 4.2% were on rentals. The non-primary share was 30.6% in Alabama, 28.9% in North Carolina, 26.2% in South Carolina and 26.0% in Massachusetts, against 16.3% in Florida and 10.7% in Texas.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these public sources, each checked against the original before publishing.
FEMANational Flood Insurance Program claims dataset (OpenFEMA)fema.gov
FEMA FloodSmartFlood insurance agent materials on the cost of 1 inch of waterfloodsmart.govFEMA FloodSmartCost-of-flooding estimate tool, 2019 versionfloodsmart.gov
Bureau of Labor StatisticsConsumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)bls.gov
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations44 CFR 59.1, floodplain management definitionsecfr.gov
Nature CommunicationsPeer-reviewed study of US flood insurance claims, 2020nature.com