The NFIP favors the wealthy at the expense of lower income groups and taxpayers

Craig Poulton presented a report, “Beneath the Surface: Analysis of NFIP Data Demonstrates the Need for More Equitable Rates,” during a panel discussion at a Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill. (Photo: iStock)

Any remaining doubts can be put to rest. New analysis demonstrates a clear disparity does exist in the benefits realized by high-income and low-income groups participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) — and contrary to some points of view, the nation’s lower-income NFIP participants are consistently disadvantaged when compared to higher-income participants.

My company, Poulton Associates, LLC, partnered with the geospatial digital data experts at HazardHub to analyze NFIP policy and claims data from 2010 through 2018. Through careful analysis conducted by their scientists, the data showed that the top three income groups examined (those with a household income of more than $106,000) accounted for nearly 50% of total NFIP claims, while the three lowest income groups accounted for just more than 15%.