United States › Iowa › Pottawattamie County

Home insurance & natural hazards in Pottawattamie County, IA

Calm, plain facts for homeowners in Pottawattamie County: what neighbors have paid for coverage, what flood insurance costs, and which weather hazards matter most here.

  • Typical premiums from U.S. Treasury insurance data
  • Flood insurance costs from 550 FEMA NFIP policies
  • 13 natural hazards rated by the FEMA National Risk Index
See the numbers

Historical averages, not a quote. Updated Oct 2026.

Illustration of a house on a hill in front of a large shield

Pottawattamie at a glance

Four numbers most homeowners ask about first.

$1,902
Typical home premium

Per policy per year in 2022, median of 14 ZIP codes (inflation-adjusted).

$884
Avg. flood policy

Average full cost of a single-family NFIP policy that took effect in 2025.

1.28%
Nonrenewal rate

Share of policies insurers chose not to renew in 2022, median ZIP. Typical U.S. ZIP: 0.81%.

Rel. low
FEMA risk rating

Overall National Risk Index rating, higher than 80.4% of U.S. counties.

Pottawattamie County in numbers
93,646
residents (2020 Census)
11.5%
of policies had a paid claim (2022, median ZIP)
$15,312
average paid claim (2022, median ZIP)
550
single-family NFIP flood policies (2025)

What homeowners here pay

Each block pairs a short explanation with the data behind it.

Homeowners insurance

U.S. Treasury FIO, HO-3/HO-5 policies, 2018–2022

Typical premiums in Pottawattamie County were $1,902 per policy in 2022, 19% above the typical Iowa ZIP code ($1,602) and 23% above the typical U.S. ZIP code ($1,551). After adjusting for inflation, local premiums rose 15% between 2018 and 2022.

Premiums by ZIP

Typical premium per policy

Inflation-adjusted dollars, median across ZIP codes
PottawattamieIowaU.S. typical ZIP

Flood insurance

FEMA NFIP single-family policies, 2022–2025

Standard home policies don't cover floods. The average single-family NFIP policy that took effect here in 2025 cost $884, compared with $797 in 2022. About 74% of local policies are for homes in high-risk A or V zones and 26% in moderate- to lower-risk zones.

Flood costs by ZIP

Average flood policy cost

Full cost incl. fees, by year the policy took effect

Policies by flood zone, 2025

550 policies
A zones 74%X/B/C zones 26%V zones 0%

Natural hazards

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025

Bars show how Pottawattamie compares with every U.S. county for each hazard (100 = highest). Hail, strong wind and tornado rank highest here. A high rank doesn't mean an event is likely in any given year. It shows where preparation and the right coverage matter most.

How the ratings work

Hazard risk, national percentile

Higher than X% of U.S. counties

Compare nearby

Neighboring counties

Typical premium 2022 (Treasury FIO), nonrenewal 2022, avg. flood policy 2025 (NFIP)
CountyPremiumNonrenewalFlood
Washington County, NE$3,0101.25%$1,492
Douglas County, NE$2,6592.47%$952
Sarpy County, NE$2,5922.25%$1,074
Mills County$2,1211.07%$1,126
Harrison County$1,9341.08%$830
Pottawattamie County$1,9021.28%$884
Shelby County$1,8330.44%—
Montgomery County$1,7771.88%$870
Cass County$1,5690.63%$1,123

Flood insurance by ZIP, 2025

FEMA NFIP, single-family homes, ZIPs with the most policies
ZIPPoliciesAvg. cost
51501 Council Bluffs380$747
51503 Council Bluffs121$1,208
51521 Avoca19$1,270
51510 Carter Lake18$1,269
51526 Crescent11$1,010

ZIP code pages in Pottawattamie County

Practical next steps

Simple things Pottawattamie homeowners can do with this information.

Check your flood zone. Look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov). Standard home policies don't cover flood damage, and flood insurance usually has a 30-day waiting period, so it's worth sorting out before storm season.
Prepare for freezing weather. Burst pipes are a common winter claim. Insulating exposed pipes, keeping heat on while away and knowing where your main water shut-off is all help.
Have a shelter plan. Know where your safe room or interior shelter is, and keep an up-to-date photo or video inventory of your belongings to make any claim simpler.
Plan for heat and dry spells. Long dry periods can stress foundations and landscaping. Regular checks of your HVAC system and foundation can catch small problems before they become claims.

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.