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Essex County, NJ flood insurance claims history

5,845 claims under the National Flood Insurance Program have been filed for flood losses in Essex County since 1978, and FEMA has paid out $164.2M on them. The worst year was 2011 with 1,543 claims. Essex County ranks #10 of 21 in New Jersey by claim count.

Look up your ZIP code

Pick your ZIP code to see how many insured buildings there filed flood claims, in which years, and how much was paid — and which named floods those claims came from, which a county-wide list cannot tell you. Narrow by year or flood zone too. Everything runs in your browser — nothing you pick is sent anywhere. Have a street address? Run the printable flood check for it →

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Flood claims by year

Claims by year of loss, 1978–2026. Spikes line up with named storms and major rain events; quiet years still see claims from local flash flooding.

Biggest flood events in Essex County

72% of claims here fall under these 12 entries. “FEMA general label” groups many separate floods under one name; the rest of the claims have no event name.

Claims by flood zone

Not sure what the zone letters mean? Flood zones explained →

What caused the flooding

Flood claims by ZIP code in Essex County

46 ZIP codes in Essex County have at least one NFIP claim. ZIP codes can cross county lines; this table counts only claims FEMA assigned to Essex County.

Click a column to sort. Click a ZIP to load it in the lookup above.

When does Essex County flood?

September accounts for the most flood losses (1,619 claims, 28%). Claims by month of loss:

Year-by-year detail

Neighboring counties

Essex County borders 5 areas we cover. Flood risk does not stop at a county line, so it is worth comparing.

All 21 New Jersey counties → · County and ZIP rankings →

Common questions about flooding in Essex County

Has Essex County flooded recently?

Yes — the most recent flood loss with an insurance claim on file was on 2026-08-04, and claims were filed in 10 of the last 10 years (1,185 claims from 2017 to 2026). FEMA’s data runs to 2026-09-08, so the newest events may not appear yet.

Do I need flood insurance in a low-risk zone here?

Lenders generally require it only in high-risk A and V zones. But 25% of Essex County’s claims came from moderate- and low-risk zones. Whether to buy coverage is your call — see flood zones explained and check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Can I see whether a specific house has flooded?

Not here. FEMA removes addresses before publishing, so these figures describe areas, never a property. Our guide how to check if a house has flooded lists the questions and records that can tell you about a specific home.

Why might the real number of floods be higher?

Only buildings with National Flood Insurance can file these claims, and most homes are not insured for flood. More on what the counts mean in understanding NFIP claims data.

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About these numbers

Figures are aggregated from FEMA’s OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims dataset (county FIPS 34013, data as of 2026-09-08). They cover only properties that carried National Flood Insurance — most homes do not, and private flood policies are not included — so real flood damage is larger than these counts show. Dollar amounts are as paid, in nominal dollars. Flood zone is the zone used to rate the policy at the time, which may differ from today’s map. FEMA states this dataset is not an official federal report. Use it for background, not for a purchase, insurance or legal decision; for a specific property ask the seller for its flood disclosure or the owner’s NFIP loss history.