Home Insurance in Defiance, Iowa
With a median home value of $101,600, Defiance is 38% lower than the Shelby County median.
Because older housing stock often has aging wiring, roofing or plumbing, it can cost more to insure or rebuild. The typical home in Defiance was built around 1952. About 54% of homes were built before 1960, about 4 points below Shelby County's 59%.
In Defiance, the housing stock is 92% single-family homes, 1% apartments in buildings with 5+ units and 7% mobile or manufactured homes. Mobile and manufactured homes typically need a manufactured-home (HO-7) policy rather than a standard homeowners policy.
45% of owner-occupied homes in Defiance carry a mortgage, and mortgage lenders require hazard insurance for as long as the loan is active.
The vacancy rate is 3%; vacant or unoccupied homes typically need a different coverage form than an owner-occupied policy. About 90% of occupied homes in Defiance are owner-occupied.
67% of homes in Defiance are primarily heated with natural gas.
FEMA rates Shelby County's overall risk as Very Low, led by hail (Relatively Moderate). Shelby County had 31 active NFIP flood policies as of September 2026. See the full Shelby County home insurance overview for all FEMA hazard ratings and flood coverage details.
According to the NAIC homeowners insurance report (2023 data), a standard HO-3 homeowners policy in Iowa carries a statewide average premium of $1,342 per year.
Key figures
| Median home value | $101,600 |
|---|---|
| Median year built | 1952 |
| Owner-occupied share | 90% |
| Share of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage | 45% |
| Top county hazard | Hail (Relatively Moderate) |
| Active NFIP policies in Shelby County | 31 |
| Home insurance premium | $1,342 - statewide average (NAIC, 2023 data) |
Nearby towns
Sources
Data last updated: 2026-09-29
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files (2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (2024)
- FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025)
- FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies v3 (2026)
- NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owners Insurance: Data for 2023 (published 2026) (2023)