High water, higher prices along Long Island’s coast

Moreover, sales data shows waterfront premiums overriding flood-risk discounts at the community level, as well: Of the 31 towns, villages and hamlets analyzed, only 10 showed lower prices in flood zones and those, too, ranged between -1% to -38% compared to homes outside of risk areas. Another 20 communities charged premiums as high as 121% for homes located in flood zones.

Long Island Summary

Long Island Flood Zone Premiums, Even Across Property Types

Contrary to broader national patterns, transaction data from the last five years reveals no uniform discount for Long Island homes in FEMA-designated flood zones. On the contrary, regionwide flood-zone properties post higher median sale prices than homes that aren’t in flood zones — a significant deviation from conventional assumptions.

Instead, across all property types, flood-zone homes on Long Island recorded a 10% higher median sale price than those that aren’t located in a flood zone. Notably, flood-zone homes accounted for 7% of all Long Island residential sales over the past five years. When broken down by property type, two- to four-family homes were the clear frontrunners with a 17% premium in flood zones. They were followed by single family homes with an 11% premium and condominiums at a 4% premium.

These figures highlight that, in many cases, flood-zone status on Long Island overlaps with the most desirable coastal and waterfront real estate, rather than functioning as a drag on value. That said, these aggregate trends mask a significant local variation in how flood-zone designations influence home prices — and county- and town-level results vary sharply.

Community Deep Dives

Flood-Zone Pricing Extremes: Premiums vs. Discounts by Submarket

Community-level analysis of 2021-2025 sales data highlights the same duality of the flood-zone effect: In some locations, flood-zone designations coincide with luxury waterfront housing and high premiums, while in others, they align with more modest housing and clear discounts.

For instance, in several Suffolk County towns, flood-zone parcels are synonymous with high-amenity coastal housing and the market prices them accordingly. The most pronounced example is Westhampton Beach, where flood-zone homes (with a $2.65 million median) sell at more than double the price of their counterparts that aren’t in flood zones ($1.2 million median), with the former reaching a 121% premium.

The same dynamic appears in Quogue, one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country, home to the #46 most expensive zip code in the U.S. Here, flood-zone homes sold at $3.5 million — 79% higher than the $1.95 million charged outside of risk areas. Notably, more than one-quarter of Quogue and one-third of Westhampton Beach home sales took place in FEMA flood zones.

Likewise, in four other communities, flood-zone homes sold for at least 50% more than homes outside of risk areas. To that end, in more modestly priced Riverhead and Islip, homes in flood-exposed areas fetched 58% and 52% more, respectively, to approach $800,000+ pricing territory, as opposed to the $500,000 range that homes outside of flood zones sold for.

Meanwhile, in Huntington and Glen Cove, homes outside of flood zones sold in the $700,000-range, but those located in risk-prone areas charged premiums of 57% and 51%, respectively, pushing their waterfront stocks’ medians north of $1 million.

Crucially, in these four locations, flood-zone homes accounted for, at most, 3% of sales. This reinforces that, in these towns, flood-zone designations align closely with premium waterfront housing stock, meaning that the FEMA-designated areas reflect locational desirability more so than the potential risk perceived by market forces. Here, flood exposure is secondary to product quality and proximity to the shoreline.

At the other end of the spectrum are towns where flood-zone properties command material discounts relative to those that aren’t in flood zones. Namely, towns such as Long Beach, Nissequogue, Brookhaven, Bayville, East Rockaway and Hewlett Harbor present a countervailing dynamic: Flood-zone homes show significant price discounts, going as far -38% in Long Beach.

More precisely, in Long Beach, homes in flood zones sold at a median $749,000 in the last five years and accounted for a whopping 98% of sales as the vast majority of the city is located in a flood zone and was heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy. For comparison, Long Beach homes outside of risk areas changed hands at a $1.21 million median sale price during the same period, clearly carrying a higher desirability.

Similarly, in Nissequogue, homes outside of flood zones sold for more than $1 million, whereas those in FEMA-designated risk areas traded with a 30% discount at $800,000. It’s worth mentioning here that flood-zone units represented only 8% of the local stock.

Otherwise, in Brookhaven (the cheapest market among the 31 communities analyzed), flood-zone homes sold for $385,000 in the last five years. That’s 18% less than those outside of flood plains, which traded for $470,000.

Along the same lines, flood-zone homes in Bayville also sold for 18% lower than those outside of FEMA risk areas, closely followed by East Rockaway’s 17% discount. In this case, the two communities showed marked similarities in pricing — community-level home prices stood at $680,000 and $670,000, respectively — and stock mix, with flood-zone sales accounting for 40% and 42% of sales, respectively.

Hewlett Harbor featured the next-steepest flood-zone discount at -16% for a $275,000 price difference. Notably, of the 10 locations where flood-zone homes exhibit discounts, Hewlett Harbor was the only community where these homes had a median sale price north of $1 million.

Generally, the parcels mapped into FEMA flood zones in these markets tend to represent either lower-priced housing stock, submarkets with less direct amenity value associated with their flood-zone locations or areas where buyers price risk more heavily.

The juxtaposition of these two groups — premium, coastal zones and discounted, risk-sensitive zones — further highlights that flood-zone designation is not a monolithic market factor on Long Island. Rather, it acts as a magnifier of underlying spatial, stock and socioeconomic distinctions, making localized interpretation essential.

Clear Flood Zone Premium Across the Board

In Suffolk County, FEMA flood-zone homes consistently sold at a significant 16% premium compared to units outside of risk areas, trading for a median $654,000 versus a median of $565,000. This suggests that flood-zone designation is strongly correlated with high-demand coastal and waterfront markets, where buyers are willing to pay more despite or because of the water’s proximity.

What’s more, of the 18 Suffolk County communities analyzed, only three featured lower home prices in flood zones. The majority actually charged double-digit premiums for homes in risk areas, led by Westhampton Beach’s 121% premium.

In short, in Suffolk County, FEMA flood-zone status carries different economic implications than it does in many other U.S. regions: Rather than depress value, it appears to identify higher-end waterfront housing that retains strong buyer demand. For single family homes, it’s 15%, and for two- to four-family units, it’s a 20% premium.

Granted, much of Suffolk County’s coastal inventory is inherently high-value, and many of the properties that fall within FEMA flood zones overlap with these premium waterfront segments. Consequently, flood-zone designation in Suffolk does not signal devaluation. Instead, it often coincides with some of the county’s most desirable and expensive real estate. After all, it is the home of the Hamptons, too.

In particular, the South Fork carries the highest absolute price points on Long Island and a cluster of pronounced flood-zone premiums. In addition to Quogue and Westhampton Beach, towns such as East Hampton, Southampton, Sag Harbor and Sagaponack all posted sizeable positive gaps, typically in the 25% to 40% range. Across this region, flood-zone medians consistently sit above non-flood medians — and often at the very top of the island’s price distribution.

These are also among the priciest areas in the country: In 2025, Sagaponack was home to the #3 most expensive zip code in the U.S.; Quogue ranked #46; and Sag Harbor and Southampton stood at #90 and #91, respectively. Unsurprisingly, Sagaponack was also the most expensive community in this study. Here, homes that aren’t in flood zones sold for a median $7.6 million, while those in risk areas (and the coveted waterfront) traded at a $10 million median sale price.

On the North Fork, the pattern was consistently positive. Beyond Riverhead’s strong increase, Southold and Shelter Island both show substantial uplifts with flood-zone medians roughly 30% to 40% higher than non-flood medians. All three North Fork communities in this analysis combine positive differentials with relatively high price levels, positioning them on the premium side.

Meanwhile, along the South Shore, Islip dominated with a 52% flood-zone premium, while Amityville, Lindenhurst and Babylon registered positive gaps around the mid-teens and mid-single digits, respectively, with flood-zone medians slightly above non-flood levels. Notably, South Shore communities where flood zones came with price discounts were typically located in Nassau County.

Net Neutrality, Local Divergence in Pricing

FEMA flood-zone classification appears to carry no net-price penalty or premium at the county level in Nassau, where homes sell at a $700,000 median sale price regardless of flood-zone status. This neutrality reflects a balance between towns where flood-zone parcels overlap with valuable coastal real estate — thereby driving premiums — and towns where flood-zone parcels correspond to lower-value, more modest housing stock, thereby encouraging discounts.

Overall, Nassau County accounted for 13 of the 31 communities analyzed, seven of which displayed the price-decreasing power of flood-zone designations. Nassau County also provided the one community where no true price difference exists between the two categories: In Freeport, the price difference was less than $1,500, a negligible amount.

Similarly, Nassau County’s single family homes displayed no price differential. And, while two- to four-family homes sold for 9% more in flood zones, condos in FEMA-designated flood zones carried a 22% price cut.

In terms of regional differences, it’s notable that the South Fork communities where flood zone home prices were lower than outside risk areas tended to be located in Nassau County. Cedarhurst (-15%), Hewlett Harbor (-16%), and East Rockaway (-17%) posted double-digit discounts, while Valley Stream (-1%) and Patchogue (-3%) sat near the center with price differences within just a few percentage points of parity.

Finally, on the North Shore, large premiums and clear discounts sat side by side. The strongest flood-zone premiums were in Huntington (57%) and Glen Cove (51%) and the steepest discounts in Bayville (-18%) and Nissequogue (-30%). Between them, and occupying the narrow-difference middle, sat towns like Oyster Bay with its near-negligible 1% premium, Asharoken’s 7% extra and North Hempstead’s 9% discount.

Long Island Flood Zone Pricing: A Patchwork of Local Outcomes

Taken together, the last five years of sales data shows that flood zone pricing on Long Island is shaped far more by local characteristics than by any single directional trend. Islandwide, flood-zone homes sold at higher medians, but the underlying picture is defined by uneven patterns across counties, regions and individual communities.

Suffolk County concentrated many of the strongest premiums, while Nassau County balanced areas where flood-zone parcels aligned with high-value coastal housing against others where they reflected more modest stock and clear discounts. At the community level, the range extended from triple-digit premiums in markets dominated by high-amenity waterfront homes to double-digit discounts in places where buyers priced risk or product mix differently.

In effect, flood-zone status on Long Island functions less as a universal market penalty or advantage and more as a marker that amplifies each area’s existing housing profile, producing outcomes that vary widely from town to town.

Full data table

Explore the interactive table below for a quick overview of price differences between Long Island’s flood-zone homes and those outside of risk areas: