Home insurance costs & natural hazards in California
Plain facts for California homeowners: what coverage has cost across the state, what flood insurance runs, and which natural hazards matter in each county.
See the numbersHistorical averages, not a quote. Updated Oct 2026.
California at a glance
Four numbers most homeowners ask about first.
Median ZIP code, per policy per year in 2022 (inflation-adjusted).
Single-family NFIP policies that took effect in 2025.
Median ZIP in 2022. Typical U.S. ZIP: 0.81%.
Counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high on its overall National Risk Index.
What homeowners in California pay
Each block pairs a short explanation with the data behind it.
Homeowners insurance
The typical California ZIP code saw homeowners premiums of $1,617 per policy in 2022, 4% above the typical U.S. ZIP code ($1,551). After adjusting for inflation, that figure rose 25% between 2018 and 2022. The figures come from 1,552 California ZIP codes in Treasury's data.
Typical premium per policy
Flood insurance
Standard home policies don't cover floods. 129,200 single-family NFIP policies took effect in California in 2025, at an average full cost of $1,180, compared with $959 in 2022. About 64% of those policies are for homes in high-risk A or V zones.
Average flood policy cost
Policies by flood zone, 2025
Natural hazards
Bars count how many of California's 58 counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high for each hazard. The most widespread are inland flooding, drought and wildfire. Open any county for its full hazard profile.
Hazards across California's counties
California counties
All 58 counties: typical premium (2022), average flood policy (2025) and FEMA's overall risk rating.
Typical home premium by county, 2022
| County | Premium | Flood | FEMA rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | $1,696 | $1,152 | Very High |
| Alpine County | $3,122 | — | Very Low |
| Amador County | $2,200 | $1,698 | Relatively Low |
| Butte County | $1,785 | $1,012 | Relatively Moderate |
| Calaveras County | $2,235 | $1,694 | Relatively Moderate |
| Colusa County | $1,239 | $881 | Relatively Moderate |
| Contra Costa County | $1,682 | $1,489 | Very High |
| Del Norte County | $1,639 | $1,803 | Relatively High |
| El Dorado County | $2,306 | $1,527 | Relatively Moderate |
| Fresno County | $1,156 | $1,083 | Relatively High |
| Glenn County | $1,083 | $878 | Relatively Low |
| Humboldt County | $1,703 | $1,526 | Relatively High |
| Imperial County | $1,241 | $1,243 | Relatively High |
| Inyo County | $1,213 | $1,204 | Relatively Low |
| Kern County | $1,203 | $1,001 | Relatively High |
| Kings County | $960 | $930 | Relatively Moderate |
| Lake County | $2,169 | $1,936 | Relatively Moderate |
| Lassen County | $1,928 | $2,063 | Relatively Low |
| Los Angeles County | $1,492 | $1,381 | Very High |
| Madera County | $2,340 | $1,156 | Relatively High |
| Marin County | $2,651 | $1,945 | Relatively High |
| Mariposa County | $2,285 | — | Relatively Moderate |
| Mendocino County | $2,475 | $1,730 | Relatively High |
| Merced County | $1,068 | $890 | Relatively High |
| Modoc County | $1,366 | $1,167 | Very Low |
| Mono County | $1,925 | $1,454 | Relatively Low |
| Monterey County | $1,446 | $1,832 | Relatively High |
| Napa County | $2,132 | $2,071 | Relatively High |
| Nevada County | $2,359 | $1,596 | Relatively Moderate |
| Orange County | $1,667 | $1,166 | Very High |
| Placer County | $2,368 | $1,148 | Relatively Moderate |
| Plumas County | $2,459 | $1,986 | Relatively Moderate |
| Riverside County | $1,487 | $1,240 | Very High |
| Sacramento County | $1,265 | $854 | Relatively High |
| San Benito County | $2,261 | $1,764 | Relatively Moderate |
| San Bernardino County | $1,376 | $1,378 | Very High |
| San Diego County | $1,883 | $1,259 | Very High |
| San Francisco County | $2,396 | $921 | Very High |
| San Joaquin County | $1,272 | $1,148 | Relatively High |
| San Luis Obispo County | $1,511 | $1,503 | Relatively High |
| San Mateo County | $1,768 | $1,368 | Relatively High |
| Santa Barbara County | $2,030 | $1,555 | Relatively High |
| Santa Clara County | $1,365 | $1,515 | Very High |
| Santa Cruz County | $2,038 | $1,925 | Relatively High |
| Shasta County | $2,409 | $1,470 | Relatively Moderate |
| Sierra County | $2,451 | $2,683 | Very Low |
| Siskiyou County | $2,025 | $1,723 | Relatively Moderate |
| Solano County | $1,364 | $1,458 | Relatively High |
| Sonoma County | $2,038 | $2,043 | Relatively High |
| Stanislaus County | $1,121 | $1,072 | Relatively High |
| Sutter County | $1,317 | $731 | Relatively Moderate |
| Tehama County | $1,641 | $1,671 | Relatively Moderate |
| Trinity County | $2,094 | $1,728 | Relatively Low |
| Tulare County | $1,074 | $1,048 | Relatively High |
| Tuolumne County | $1,941 | $1,474 | Relatively Moderate |
| Ventura County | $1,643 | $1,379 | Relatively High |
| Yolo County | $1,243 | $1,117 | Relatively Moderate |
| Yuba County | $2,224 | $1,291 | Relatively Low |
ZIP codes with the most flood policies
Practical next steps
Simple things California homeowners can do with this information.
Historical averages, not a quote. Homeowners figures are inflation-adjusted averages from the U.S. Treasury Federal Insurance Office "Supporting Underlying Metrics" (2018–2022, published January 2025). They cover HO-3/HO-5 policies from participating private insurers and exclude state residual-market plans (such as FAIR plans and Citizens), surplus-lines and flood coverage. Treasury notes that individual ZIP codes can contain data anomalies. Your price depends on your home, coverage and insurer.
Sources: U.S. Treasury FIO; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies v3 (data as of Sep 8, 2026); FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020) and county adjacency file; GeoNames place names. How we calculate these numbers.
This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API and National Risk Index data, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). SafeHomeFacts is independent and not affiliated with the U.S. Treasury, FEMA or any insurer.