The median Tennessee flood insurance quote was $531 per year, but the property—not a statewide average—determines what you will actually pay.
Executive summary
Flood insurance in Tennessee had a median quoted cost of $531 per year across 96 real quotes issued from 2020 through July 14, 2026. About six in ten quotes landed between $250 and $700 annually. The 31 customers who purchased coverage paid a median of $570 per year.
- Flood zone did not affect NFIP rates: FEMA removed flood zone as a rating variable under Risk Rating 2.0, although the map still affects lender requirements and floodplain rules.
- Flood zone did affect private-market results: Zone AE quotes had a $602 median, versus $300 for Zone A and $300 for Zone X.
- Older homes did not cost meaningfully more: Pre-1981 homes had a $599 median, compared with $587 for homes built in 1981 or later.
- High-cost properties changed the average: The overall average was $918 because a small number of quotes reached several thousand dollars.
How much should you expect to pay for flood insurance in Tennessee? And how can you tell whether the quote in front of you is reasonable?
National averages cannot answer those questions for a specific property. We analyzed 96 Tennessee flood insurance quotes from our agency CRM so you can see what was quoted, what customers purchased, how private-market prices differed by flood zone, and whether older homes actually cost more.
This is a Big 5 cost article built from first-party agency data, not a carrier rate sheet or a random sample of every Tennessee home. Your result will depend on your building, location, coverage and insurer.
How much does flood insurance cost in Tennessee?
Based on 96 real quotes, the median Tennessee flood insurance cost was $531 per year. About 60% of quotes fell between $250 and $700. Purchased policies had a median annual premium of $570.
| Dataset | Sample | Median | Average | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All quotes issued | 96 | $531/year | $918/year | $128–$10,019 |
| Policies purchased | 31 | $570/year | $940/year | $193–$9,304 |
Why is the average so much higher than the median?
A small number of genuinely expensive properties raised the average. The dataset included a $10,019 commercial quote in Shelbyville, a $5,099 home quote in Johnson City, and a $9,304 Chattanooga policy that the customer purchased.
That is why the median is the better starting point for a typical homeowner. The average is accurate, but it is more sensitive to unusual riverfront, low-elevation, commercial and high-value properties.
For broader context, compare this analysis with our flood insurance pricing guide and our guide to private flood insurance versus the NFIP .
Why do Tennessee flood insurance rates vary so much?
Your premium reflects the details of the property and the insurer’s rating model. Depending on whether the policy is through the NFIP or a private carrier, relevant inputs can include:
- Distance to rivers, creeks and other water sources
- Ground elevation and first-floor height
- Foundation and construction type
- Building replacement cost and selected coverage
- Flood frequency and type of flooding
- Private-carrier appetite, underwriting rules and capacity
FEMA describes Risk Rating 2.0 as an individualized approach based on a property’s flood risk. Its published methodology specifically documents the removal of flood zone from NFIP rating. Flood maps still have important uses, including determining when a lender must require coverage and guiding local floodplain management.
Does your FEMA flood zone affect your flood insurance rate?
For an NFIP policy, the FEMA flood zone itself does not affect the premium under Risk Rating 2.0. For private flood insurance, flood zone can still affect eligibility, underwriting and price.
FEMA removed flood zone from NFIP rating
Under Risk Rating 2.0, FEMA does not use the flood-zone letter as an NFIP rating variable. Instead, FEMA’s methodology uses property-specific risk information. That means Zone X, Zone A and Zone AE are not direct NFIP price categories.
This does not make flood maps irrelevant. The FEMA Flood Map Service Center remains the official source for flood-hazard maps, and mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas still affect lender requirements and building rules. FEMA’s NFIP pricing approach explains the current property-specific rating methodology.
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| My FEMA zone determines my NFIP premium. | False. Flood zone is not an NFIP rating variable under Risk Rating 2.0. |
| Flood maps no longer matter. | False. Maps still inform lender requirements, hazard communication and floodplain management. |
| Private insurers ignore flood zones too. | False. Private carriers can use flood zone in underwriting and pricing. |
Video: What Tennessee homeowners need to know about flood insurance
This overview explains how maps, lender requirements, NFIP coverage and private options can intersect for a Tennessee property owner.
Video summary: A FEMA map is one part of the insurance decision. Homeowners should verify the property information, understand what the lender requires, and compare NFIP and private coverage instead of treating the map designation as a complete measure of price or risk.
Private flood insurance prices showed a clear zone difference
Our Tennessee private-market results looked different. Zone AE quotes carried a median premium of $602—roughly twice the $300 median in Zone A and Zone X.
| Flood zone | Quotes | Median premium | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone AE | 60 | $602/year | $250–$10,019 |
| Zone A | 10 | $300/year | $193–$1,654 |
| Zone X | 19 | $300/year | $128–$2,175 |
Why did Tennessee Zone A price like Zone X?
Zone A identifies a high-risk area where a Base Flood Elevation has not been established on the map. In this dataset, many Tennessee Zone A properties were rural homes near smaller, less-studied creeks. Private carriers priced the individual locations more favorably than the designation alone might suggest.
That is the practical lesson: a flood-zone label can affect the private-market path, but it cannot tell you the premium by itself. Learn more in our guides to Flood Zone AE and coverage options for Zones A and AE .
Do homes built before 1981 cost more to insure against flooding?
Not in our Tennessee data. The median was $599 for homes built before 1981 and $587 for homes built in 1981 or later—a difference of only $12 per year.
The pre-1981 cutoff is a useful approximation for the pre-FIRM/post-FIRM era in many Tennessee communities, but it is not the technically correct community-specific FIRM date for every address. We used it here as a consistent construction-age comparison.
| Construction group | Quotes | Median premium | Quotes over $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built before 1981 | 33 | $599/year | 24% |
| Built in 1981 or later | 28 | $587/year | 25% |
What happened when we compared only Zone AE homes?
| Zone AE group | Sample | Raw median | Median excluding quotes over $2,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built before 1981 | 27 | $631 | $578 (n=21) |
| Built in 1981 or later | 14 | $858 | $617 (n=10) |
Even within Zone AE, older homes did not price worse. The raw medians tilted in the opposite direction because a few newer properties carried very high premiums. A 1935 Chattanooga home bound at $631, while a 2024-built property cost $9,304. A 2026 build received a $3,359 quote.
Data limitation: Only 61 of the 96 Tennessee quotes had both year-built and premium data. The post-1981 Zone AE subgroup contained 14 properties, so the Zone AE comparison is directional, not a statewide estimate.
The finding is still useful: construction year by itself did not predict the expensive quotes. Elevation, foundation, distance to water, building value and carrier appetite were more informative.
How much does flood insurance cost in Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis?
| Metro area | Dataset size | Median or typical premium | Observed range | Main context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga area | Largest Tennessee market | About $631 purchased | $325–$951 typical | Tennessee River and multiple creek systems; many Zone AE properties |
| Nashville area | 29 | $486 | $282–$3,537 | Cumberland River, Mill Creek and development near floodplains |
| Knoxville area | 7 | $609 | $275–$1,594 | Tennessee, Holston and French Broad river systems |
| Memphis area | 6 | $344 | $200–$753 | Mostly voluntary Zone X coverage in this sample |
Chattanooga flood insurance costs
Chattanooga, Hixson, Soddy-Daisy and Red Bank formed our largest Tennessee market. Among purchased policies, most premiums landed between $325 and $951, with a typical cost around $631. The metro also produced the highest purchased premium in the dataset: $9,304 for a high-exposure riverside property.
Nashville flood insurance costs
The Nashville-area sample included 29 quotes across Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Sumner counties, including Franklin, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville and Gallatin. The median was $486, and three out of four quotes landed between $300 and $950.
Knoxville flood insurance costs and carrier availability
Knoxville’s seven quotes had a $609 median. Because the sample is small, use that figure as a directional signal rather than a marketwide average. Availability can matter as much as price when private carriers change their appetite.
Video summary: Private flood insurance availability can tighten in a local market. Knoxville property owners should compare available private options with the NFIP and review policy terms, not assume every carrier will accept every property.
Memphis flood insurance costs
Five of the six Memphis-area quotes were in Zone X, with customers choosing coverage voluntarily. The sample had a $344 median and a $200–$753 range. The six-property sample is too small for a definitive metro estimate.
For state flood preparedness and mapping resources, review the Tennessee Emergency Management Authority flood guidance and the state’s flood mapping resources .
Which flood insurance carriers placed the most Tennessee policies?
Every purchased policy in this dataset was placed with a private flood carrier or private program. None was written through NFIP Direct.
| Carrier or program | Policies placed | Share | Median premium | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CatCoverage | 14 | 44% | $325 | $193–$3,537 |
| Superior | 5 | 16% | $880 | $578–$1,872 |
| Argenia | 4 | 13% | $586 | $396–$831 |
| Sterling Underwriters | 2 | 6% | $585 | $570–$600 |
| TFIA | 2 | 6% | $582 | $520–$645 |
| Dual, Neptune, AON Edge, Johnson & Johnson | 1 each | 3% each | — | $599–$9,304 combined |
This is not a ranking of the cheapest companies. It shows which programs won the specific properties our agency quoted. Carrier appetite changes by property, construction, elevation, limits and risk model. A company that is competitive for one address may decline or price another address differently.
Use our guide to shopping NFIP and private flood insurance to compare more than the first-year premium.
What do expensive Tennessee flood insurance quotes reveal about buyer behavior?
Customers were much more likely to walk away when the quote crossed $1,000 per year:
| Outcome | Share above $1,000 |
|---|---|
| Purchased policies | 9% |
| Quotes not purchased | 22% |
A quote over $1,000 is a reason to investigate—not automatically a reason to go uninsured. Verify the building information, compare private carriers and the NFIP, and consider whether an elevation certificate or map review would add useful evidence.
Our resources on why flood insurance can be expensive in Zone AE and how to hire help for a LOMA or LOMR explain two common next steps.
How can you estimate your Tennessee flood insurance premium?
These ranges are not quotes, but they can help you decide whether the number you received deserves a second review.
| Property profile | Dataset benchmark | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Zone X away from creeks | Median $300; low of $128 | Often at the lower end, but localized drainage and structure details still matter. |
| Rural Zone A near a small creek | Median $300 | The designation did not automatically create a high private premium in Tennessee. |
| Zone AE near a river or major creek | Median $602; many Chattanooga purchases $325–$951 | Expect more private-market sensitivity to elevation and water proximity. |
| Riverfront, low-elevation, commercial or high-value property | Several quotes from $1,600 to more than $10,000 | Compare carriers and terms carefully; outlier risk is property-specific. |
Where does this Tennessee flood insurance data come from?
We analyzed 96 Tennessee flood insurance quotes recorded in our agency CRM from 2020 through July 14, 2026. The dataset contained 31 purchased policies and 65 quotes that did not close.
We excluded one home-insurance record, one duplicate quote record and one purchased policy with an unverifiable recorded premium. Year-built analysis used the 61 records that had both a usable premium and year built.
Important limitation: These are properties that contacted our agency, not a random sample of all Tennessee homes. The results describe our Tennessee book of business and should not be interpreted as an official statewide average.
For an official explanation of NFIP pricing, consult FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 pricing page and methodology documentation .
Frequently asked questions about Tennessee flood insurance costs
How much does flood insurance cost in Tennessee?
Based on 96 real Tennessee quotes issued from 2020 through July 14, 2026, the median was $531 per year. About six in ten quotes fell between $250 and $700. Purchased policies had a median premium of $570.
Does a FEMA flood zone affect an NFIP premium?
No. Under FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 methodology, flood zone is not an NFIP rating variable. The map still matters for lender requirements, floodplain management and understanding mapped hazards.
Does flood zone affect private flood insurance rates?
It can. In this Tennessee private-market dataset, Zone AE had a $602 median, compared with $300 for Zone A and $300 for Zone X. Each private insurer uses its own underwriting and rating model.
Do older Tennessee homes cost more to insure against flooding?
Not in this dataset. Homes built before 1981 had a $599 median, compared with $587 for homes built in 1981 or later. Both groups had nearly the same share of quotes above $1,000.
How much does flood insurance cost in Chattanooga?
Among purchased Chattanooga-area policies in our dataset, most cost between $325 and $951 per year, with a typical premium around $631. High-exposure riverfront properties can cost much more.
Is flood insurance required in Tennessee?
A lender generally requires flood insurance when a building securing a federally backed mortgage is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Property owners outside those mapped areas can still buy coverage voluntarily.
Does homeowners insurance cover flood damage?
Standard homeowners insurance generally does not cover damage caused by flooding. Flood coverage is purchased separately through the NFIP or a private flood insurer. Review our guide to flood insurance coverage for the basics.
How can I lower my Tennessee flood insurance premium?
Compare NFIP and private options, confirm that the building information is correct, review elevation and foundation details, and evaluate whether an elevation certificate or flood-zone review could add useful information. Compare coverage and exclusions—not only the first-year premium.
What should you do next?
You came here needing a realistic Tennessee flood insurance benchmark. You now know that the median quote in our dataset was $531, the average was distorted by a small number of expensive properties, flood zone did not affect NFIP pricing but did show a difference in private-market results, and older homes did not carry a meaningful premium penalty.
Your next step is to compare the property-specific options. Read our complete NFIP versus private flood insurance guide , then request a quote when you are ready to see how your address compares.
The Flood Insurance Guru is a national flood insurance agency led by Chris Greene, a flood mitigation specialist with a master’s degree in emergency management. The agency compares NFIP and private options and publishes original quote data to help homeowners, buyers, agents and lenders make informed decisions.