Coastal Insurance in Narragansett, RI: What Is Actually Confirmed
Narragansett is a different kind of coastal exposure than this site's bay-town and riverfront markets. Where a town like Portsmouth sits mostly along Narragansett Bay and its inner waterways, Narragansett runs along the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt (Narrow) River out to Narragansett Bay itself and then straight out to the open Atlantic -- a genuinely ocean-facing town, not just a bay town. This page lays out the confirmed geography, real estate, and tax facts that bear on insurance decisions here, is direct about the specific flood-zone and premium numbers this research did not find, and points you to FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and a Rhode Island-licensed insurance agent for anything parcel-specific. It is not insurance, legal, or financial advice.
Geography First: A Town That Is Nearly Two-Thirds Water
Per Wikipedia, Narragansett covers 37.8 square miles total -- 14.1 square miles of land and 23.6 square miles of water, meaning 62.56% of the town is water. That is an unusually high water share even among this site's coastal markets, and it reflects the town's actual shape: it sits on the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt River (also called the Narrow River), which opens south into Narragansett Bay and then the open Atlantic. The town was separated from South Kingstown and incorporated on its own in 1901, a considerably more recent founding than colonial-era neighbors, though that history has no direct bearing on flood risk.
Narragansett's named villages and neighborhoods -- Narragansett Pier, Point Judith, Galilee, Scarborough, Bonnet Shores, Saunderstown, South Ferry, Great Island, Salt Pond, Mettatuxet, and Jerusalem (the last shared in part with South Kingstown) -- sit at genuinely different points along that river-to-bay-to-ocean geography. A parcel on the Narrow River, a parcel on the open Atlantic at Point Judith, and a parcel inland toward Saunderstown are not comparable from a flood-risk standpoint. Treat any general statement about "Narragansett flood risk" as a starting point, not a substitute for checking the exact parcel.
What This Research Did Not Find: No Confirmed Flood Zone or Premium Figure
To be direct about it: this research did not turn up a specific, sourced FEMA flood-zone designation, NFIP premium figure, or storm-surge statistic for Narragansett that would be honest to publish here. Given how much of this town's land actually touches water -- the Narrow River on one side, Narragansett Bay and the open Atlantic on the other -- it would be easy to guess at a number or a zone designation, but this page will not do that. Any flood-insurance figure quoted for a specific address in Narragansett needs to come from an actual FEMA flood-map pull for that parcel, not a town-wide estimate.
If you are evaluating a specific property here, start with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov) for the parcel's current flood-zone designation, and get a written flood-insurance quote from a Rhode Island-licensed insurance agent before you assume a cost. Given the town's ocean exposure at Point Judith and Scarborough versus its more sheltered river frontage near Saunderstown, the range between two Narragansett addresses could be substantial -- which is exactly why a parcel-specific check matters more here than a town-wide disclaimer can convey.
Real Estate Context: A Mixed Market Signal Worth Watching
Insurance cost matters to any Narragansett purchase decision partly because of where the real estate market sits right now. Per Redfin (a snapshot reflecting February 2025 data), the median sale price was $659,000, down 17.9% year-over-year -- while price per square foot moved the opposite direction, up 45.9% year-over-year to $604. Those two figures pulling in different directions is a genuinely mixed signal, not a simple "hot" or "cooling" story, and this page will not pretend otherwise; it may reflect a shift toward smaller homes selling, but that is not confirmed by any source reviewed here.
Other figures from the same snapshot: days on market fell to 61, down from 101 the year before -- homes selling roughly 40 days faster -- while sales volume grew modestly, from 10 homes in February 2024 to 12 in February 2025. Redfin's own "Compete Score" for the market was 46, described as "somewhat competitive," with homes typically selling for about 2% below list price. None of this tells you what a specific parcel's flood-insurance premium will be, but it is useful context for why getting that number right, before you buy, is worth the extra step.
The Villages, Briefly: Point Judith, Galilee, and Scarborough
Point Judith, Galilee, and Scarborough are real, named villages within Narragansett -- not separate towns -- and each sits directly on the water. Point Judith is a recognized East Coast surf destination with its own dedicated surf-forecast coverage on sites like Surfline, reflecting genuine surf-community recognition of the break. Galilee, also within Point Judith's area, is home to the largest commercial fishing fleet in Rhode Island, moving over 16 million pounds of seafood and shellfish annually, and it is the departure point for the Block Island Ferry. Scarborough is home to Scarborough State Beach.
This page covers those villages only briefly and as context for Narragansett as a whole. A separate, dedicated page on this site goes deeper into Galilee's fishing-port history and naming story, Jerusalem, and Scarborough State Beach specifically -- so if you want the full depth on those three villages rather than the town-wide view, that is where to look. The point here is simpler: these villages are genuinely ocean- and harbor-facing parts of Narragansett, and that exposure is part of why a parcel-specific flood check matters more in this town than in a more sheltered bay community.
Beaches and Coastal Exposure: A Real, Varied Coastline
Narragansett's beaches are genuinely varied rather than a single stretch of sand. Point Judith contains Roger Wheeler State Beach and Salty Brine State Beach -- the latter established in 1954 as "Galilee State Beach" and renamed in 1990 to honor Salty Brine, a real Rhode Island radio and television personality; it is just over one acre of oceanfront in Galilee village, somewhat protected by the nearby breakwater. Narragansett Town Beach charges both a parking fee ($10 to $15) and a separate daily admission fee ($10) -- specific, current-feeling figures, though exact current-year rates should be reconfirmed before relying on them.
Scarborough State Beach has two sections with facilities and sits near a sewage treatment plant -- a real, if unglamorous, geographic detail worth knowing rather than glossing over. Galilee is also home to Fishermen's Memorial State Park and Fort Greene. None of these beach facts translate directly into a flood-insurance number, but they do describe genuinely varied ocean exposure across the town, which is exactly why "Narragansett" as a single flood-risk category does not hold up to scrutiny.
Property Taxes: A Confirmed, Comparatively Low Mill Rate
Unlike the flood-insurance question above, Narragansett's property tax rate is confirmed. Per the official Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance's FY2026 Tax Rates document (municipalfinance.ri.gov, tax roll year 2025, assessment date December 31, 2024), Narragansett's residential real estate rate is $6.79 per $1,000 of assessed value, with commercial and personal property both at $9.17 per $1,000. That residential rate is genuinely low relative to some neighboring towns in the same document -- Newport at $8.69, Middletown at $9.06, and Portsmouth at $13.28 -- offered here only as comparative context, not as this page's subject.
A separate source, Ownwell, cites a median effective property tax rate of 0.66% for Narragansett, covering both ZIP codes 02879 and 02882. That is a different metric than the raw mill rate above -- an effective rate measured against market value and incorporating exemptions, rather than a rate applied to assessed value -- so treat the two figures as complementary, not interchangeable. Neither figure is an insurance cost; they are presented here because carrying costs and insurance costs are both part of the same ownership math.
What This Page Cannot Tell You -- Confirm Directly Before You Buy
To restate it plainly: this page can confirm Narragansett's geography (37.8 square miles, 62.56% water), its mixed real estate signals, and its property tax rates ($6.79 per $1,000 for residential real estate, FY2026, per the state's own document). It cannot confirm a flood-zone designation, an NFIP premium, or a storm-surge statistic for any individual parcel, because none of those were found in a form specific and sourced enough to publish here -- and because Narragansett's own geography, from Narrow River frontage to open Atlantic exposure at Point Judith, varies too much for a single town-wide number to mean much anyway.
Before making a purchase decision in Narragansett, pull the current flood-zone designation for the specific parcel directly from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and get a written flood-insurance and homeowners-insurance quote from a Rhode Island-licensed insurance agent for that exact address. Nothing on this page is insurance, legal, or financial advice.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Geography figures (37.8 square miles total, 14.1 square miles land, 23.6 square miles water, 62.56% water; the town's 1901 incorporation from South Kingstown; its position on the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt/Narrow River out to Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic; and its named villages including Narragansett Pier, Point Judith, Galilee, Scarborough, Bonnet Shores, Saunderstown, South Ferry, Great Island, Salt Pond, Mettatuxet, and Jerusalem) are drawn from Wikipedia's Narragansett, RI entry. Real estate figures (median sale price $659,000, down 17.9% year-over-year; price per square foot $604, up 45.9% year-over-year; 61 days on market versus 101 the prior year; sales volume of 10 homes in February 2024 versus 12 in February 2025; Redfin's Compete Score of 46) are drawn from a Redfin snapshot reflecting February 2025 data. Point Judith's status as a named surf-forecast destination is drawn from dedicated Point Judith spot-guide coverage on Surfline. Galilee's fishing-fleet volume (over 16 million pounds of seafood and shellfish annually) and Block Island Ferry departure point are drawn from the same research behind this site's Narragansett market research; full sourcing on Galilee appears on this site's dedicated Scarborough/Jerusalem/Galilee page. Salty Brine State Beach's 1954 founding as "Galilee State Beach" and 1990 renaming, Narragansett Town Beach's parking and admission fees, and Scarborough State Beach's proximity to a sewage treatment plant are drawn from the same research pass; beach fees should be reconfirmed for the current season before relying on them. Narragansett's confirmed FY2026 property tax rate ($6.79 per $1,000 of assessed value for residential real estate, $9.17 for commercial and personal property) is drawn from the Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance's official FY2026 Tax Rates document (municipalfinance.ri.gov); the comparative rates cited for Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth come from that same document. The 0.66% median effective property tax rate for ZIP codes 02879 and 02882 is drawn from Ownwell. This page did not find a specific, sourced FEMA flood-zone designation, NFIP premium figure, or storm-surge statistic for Narragansett, and does not invent one. Flood-zone determinations, NFIP requirements, and premium costs all change and vary parcel by parcel; confirm current figures directly with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and a Rhode Island-licensed insurance agent before making any purchase or budgeting decision. Nothing on this page is insurance advice.