Homeowners Insurance Costs by State: 2022 Data from the U.S. Treasury

Key Takeaway

The most expensive state (Florida, $4,870/yr) costs nearly four times more than the cheapest states ($1,200-$1,300/yr). Regional patterns are stark: the Gulf Coast and hurricane-prone Southeast pay the most, while the Pacific Northwest and upper Midwest pay the least.

Homeowners insurance costs vary dramatically from state to state. Using data from the U.S. Treasury's Federal Insurance Office (FIO) — covering all 50 states, D.C., and over 25,000 ZIP codes from 2018 through 2022 — we can see exactly where Americans pay the most and least for coverage, and how those costs are changing.

The national average premium reached $1,776 in 2022. But that number masks enormous regional differences. Browse all 51 state profiles on PlainInsure to see detailed data for each state, or read on for the key patterns.

The Most Expensive States

According to the 2022 Treasury FIO data, these states have the highest average homeowners insurance premiums:

  1. Florida — approximately $4,870/yr. The clear outlier, driven by hurricane risk, reinsurance costs, and insurer insolvencies.
  2. Louisiana — approximately $3,600/yr. Similar hurricane exposure plus repeated major storm landfalls (Laura, Ida, Delta) during the data period.
  3. Texas — approximately $2,700/yr. A large state with diverse risk: Gulf Coast hurricanes, tornado alley, hail, and the 2021 winter storm.
  4. Oklahoma — approximately $2,600/yr. High tornado and hail frequency drives consistent claims volume.
  5. Colorado — approximately $2,500/yr. Hail is the primary driver, with the Front Range experiencing some of the nation's costliest hail events.

The top five most expensive states share a common thread: significant exposure to natural catastrophes that generate large, concentrated claims events. These states collectively account for a disproportionate share of national insured losses.

The Cheapest States

At the other end of the spectrum, these states offer the most affordable homeowners insurance:

  • Idaho — approximately $1,200/yr. Limited natural disaster exposure and lower construction costs.
  • Oregon — approximately $1,250/yr. Despite some wildfire risk, overall claim frequency remains low.
  • Wisconsin — approximately $1,300/yr. Moderate weather risk and a competitive insurance market.
  • Utah — approximately $1,300/yr. Low humidity, limited severe weather, and affordable building costs.
  • New Hampshire — approximately $1,350/yr. New England climate risk is present but manageable, and the market is competitive.

These states share several traits: relatively low exposure to catastrophic natural disasters, moderate construction costs, and competitive insurance markets with multiple carriers writing business.

Regional Patterns

The Treasury data reveals clear geographic patterns in insurance costs. Understanding these regions helps explain why your neighbors across a state line might pay a very different rate.

Gulf Coast and Southeast (Highest)

States along the Gulf of Mexico — Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama — consistently have the highest premiums. Hurricane risk is the dominant driver, but high humidity (which promotes mold and water damage) and older housing stock also contribute.

Tornado Alley and Great Plains (High)

Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and parts of Texas face frequent tornadoes and severe hail. These events may be less individually catastrophic than hurricanes but occur regularly, keeping loss ratios — and premiums — elevated.

Mountain West (Variable)

Colorado is an expensive outlier due to extreme hail damage along the Front Range. But neighboring states like Utah, Idaho, and Montana are among the cheapest in the nation. Wildfire risk is growing but has not yet driven premiums to the levels seen in hurricane and hail states.

Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest (Lowest)

Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, and Minnesota enjoy some of the lowest premiums nationally. These areas have fewer catastrophic weather events and generally well-maintained housing stock.

Northeast (Moderate)

New England and Mid-Atlantic states fall in the middle of the range. Winter storms and nor'easters cause claims, but they rarely approach the scale of hurricane or tornado events. Higher construction costs offset the lower disaster risk to some degree.

Which States Saw the Biggest Increases?

The 2018-2022 period captured in the Treasury data was marked by several significant events: an active hurricane season in 2020, the Texas winter storm of 2021, and rapidly rising construction costs nationwide. States that experienced multiple events during this window saw the steepest premium increases.

To see how your state's premiums have changed over time, visit its profile page. Each state page on PlainInsure shows the year-over-year trend from 2018 through 2022, including the percentage change. States with the largest increases often also show rising loss ratios — a signal that claims are outpacing premium growth. Explore the rankings page to see which ZIP codes within each state are driving the increases.

Climate Change and the Future of State-Level Costs

The geographic patterns in insurance costs increasingly mirror climate risk maps. As weather events become more frequent and severe, states that were once considered moderate-risk — particularly in the wildfire-prone West and flood-susceptible Midwest — may see premium increases accelerate.

For current natural disaster frequency data by state and county, see PlainHazard. For long-term climate normals including temperature and precipitation trends, see PlainClimate.

How to Use This Data

State averages are useful for context, but your actual premium depends on your specific ZIP code, property, and insurer. Use PlainInsure to dig deeper:

  • Browse all state profiles for aggregate statistics and ZIP-level breakdowns.
  • Search your specific ZIP code from the homepage for localized premium data.
  • Use the Compare tool to evaluate insurance costs if you are considering a move between states or cities.
  • Check the rankings page for the most and least expensive areas nationally.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not insurance advice. State averages are based on Treasury FIO data and may not reflect current market conditions. Individual premiums will vary based on property characteristics, coverage levels, and insurer. Always obtain quotes from licensed insurers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which state has the most expensive homeowners insurance?
Florida has the highest average homeowners insurance premium at approximately $4,870 per year in 2022, according to U.S. Treasury Federal Insurance Office data. This is nearly three times the national average of $1,776 and is driven by hurricane risk, high reinsurance costs, and a challenging legal environment for insurers.
Which state has the cheapest homeowners insurance?
Idaho, Oregon, and Wisconsin consistently rank among the cheapest states for homeowners insurance, with average premiums in the $1,200 to $1,300 range. These states benefit from lower natural disaster exposure, moderate building costs, and competitive insurance markets.
Why do coastal states have higher insurance costs?
Coastal states face higher risk from hurricanes, storm surge, and flooding. These catastrophic events generate massive claims payouts, which drive up premiums for all policyholders in the state. Reinsurance — the insurance that insurers buy to cover catastrophic losses — is also more expensive for coastal risk, and those costs are passed on to consumers.
Which states saw the biggest insurance increases from 2018 to 2022?
States with significant natural disaster exposure — particularly those affected by hurricanes, wildfires, and severe convective storms — saw the largest premium increases. Florida, Louisiana, and several Gulf Coast and Western states experienced double-digit percentage increases over the 2018-2022 period covered by the Treasury data.
Does the state I live in determine my exact premium?
No. State averages provide useful context, but your individual premium depends on your specific ZIP code, property characteristics, coverage levels, claims history, credit score (in most states), and the insurer you choose. Two homes in the same state can have very different premiums. Use PlainInsure to look up your specific ZIP code for more accurate local data.

Understanding the Data

The information presented throughout this guide is informed by publicly available public records published by federal and state government agencies. Our database aggregates and standardizes these records to make them more accessible and easier to interpret for general audiences. When we reference specific statistics or trends, they are drawn directly from these authoritative sources unless explicitly noted otherwise.

It is important to understand the limitations of any large-scale data dataset. Records may contain errors from the original data collection process, some fields may be incomplete for older entries, and classification systems may have changed over time. Our analysis accounts for these factors by clearly labeling data vintage, flagging records with missing critical fields, and noting when temporal comparisons span methodology changes in the source data.

For readers who want to conduct their own research, we recommend going directly to the source whenever possible. federal and state government agencies provides detailed documentation on collection methodology, sampling frames, and known data quality issues. Our goal is not to replace primary sources but to make them more approachable and to highlight patterns that may not be immediately obvious when browsing raw records.

How We Analyze Data Records

Our analytical approach involves several steps designed to surface meaningful insights from large datasets. First, we clean and standardize the raw data, handling variations in naming conventions, date formats, and categorical labels. Then we compute summary statistics, distributions, and comparative benchmarks across relevant dimensions such as geography, time period, and category type.

Key metrics we examine include statistical records, geographic distributions, temporal trends. These indicators provide a multi-dimensional view of each entity in our database, allowing users to understand not just individual records but how they compare to peers, regional averages, and national benchmarks. We believe this contextual approach is far more valuable than presenting raw numbers in isolation.

Sources

  • U.S. Department of the Treasury, Federal Insurance Office — "Analyses of U.S. Homeowners Insurance Markets, 2018-2022"
  • PlainInsure state-level analysis of 25,593 ZIP codes across 51 states and D.C.