What does the average American pay for home insurance?

Asked by: Kaitlin Considine  |  Last update: February 26, 2026
Score: 4.5/5 (49 votes)

The average cost of homeowners insurance in the U.S. is $2,181 per year for $300,000 in dwelling coverage. However, your actual rates may vary depending on several factors.

How much is insurance on a $500,000 home?

A $500,000 home costs an average of $2,891 per year to insure. State Farm has the cheapest rates for $500,000 homes, at around $1,976 per year.

Why is homeowners insurance so high?

Several factors are behind the rising rates. Severe weather events continue to cause serious damage and costly insurance claims. The rising cost of building materials, supply chain issues and unfilled jobs are driving up the costs of home repairs.

What is the rule of thumb for home insurance?

Recommended Coverage: Equal to Your Home's Replacement Cost

The dwelling coverage part of your homeowners insurance policy helps pay to rebuild or repair your home and any attached structures—such as a garage, deck, or front porch—if damaged by a covered peril.

Who has the cheapest homeowners insurance?

Nationwide, Amica and USAA have some of the lowest rates for homeowners insurance. Homeowners insurance has become more expensive in recent years, especially in states hit with increasingly severe storms, flooding or wildfires.

Should I Keep Paying My Homeowners Insurance?

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What state has the highest homeowners insurance rates?

The average home insurance cost by state varies with the nationwide average coming in at $2,601 a year. The cheapest state for home insurance is Hawaii at $613 a year, and the most expensive state is Oklahoma at $5,858 a year.

How much is homeowners insurance on a $1 million dollar home?

Homeowners may pay up to $5,000 annually for house insurance on a $1 million residence. That works out to $416 monthly. That said, what you pay every month will be based on things like your coverage tally and the way your policy is structured.

Why is USAA homeowners insurance so expensive?

USAA homeowners' insurance tends to be more expensive due to its commitment to high standards for comprehensive coverage, superior customer service, and consideration of location-specific risk factors.

How much is insurance on a 10 million dollar house?

Cost of insurance for a $10 million home

For a home that's insured for $10 million with a rate of $0.25 per $100 of insured dwelling value, the cost to insure the just the home might come in around $25,000 per year. However, that's just the house itself.

Can I lower my homeowners insurance?

Raise your deductible

The higher your deductible, the more money you can save on your premiums. Nowadays, most insurance companies recommend a deductible of at least $500. If you can afford to raise your deductible to $1,000, you may save as much as 25 percent.

Who has the most expensive home insurance?

The average rate of home insurance premiums for these states has breached the national average cost by more than a hundred percent. At the top is the state of Florida, where homeowners pay a whopping $5,770 per year to insure their homes and properties according to the latest analysis by Bankrate.

What percentage of Americans have homeowners insurance?

One in 13 American homeowners are uninsured – approximately 7.4% – living in about 6.1 million homes. Homeowners earning less than $50,000 per year are twice as likely to lack insurance compared with homeowners in general. Among lower-income homeowners, 15% are without coverage.

What do most people pay for homeowners insurance?

The national average cost of home insurance is $2,181 per year for a policy with a $300,000 dwelling limit. This comes out to about $182 per month. But these are just average figures — what you pay for your policy will likely be different. Just as coverage needs vary across individual homeowners, so will costs.

Who typically has the cheapest insurance?

Geico has some of the lowest rates in the industry for full coverage car insurance, even for drivers with bad credit, speeding tickets, accidents and other risk factors. And unlike other affordable options like USAA and Auto-Owners, Geico is available in all 50 states.

What is the most common homeowner insurance?

3. HO-3: Special Form. What it is: HO-3 coverage is the most common type of homeowners insurance. It is also known as special form coverage.

What is the 80% rule in homeowners insurance?

The 80% rule means that an insurance company will pay the replacement cost of damage to a home as long as the owner has purchased coverage equal to at least 80% of the home's total replacement value.

How to negotiate with homeowners insurance?

Here are some things to keep in mind as you negotiate:
  1. Understand the Policy You Bought (Or Was Bought For You) ...
  2. Understanding the Role of Insurance Adjusters and Pubic Adjusters. ...
  3. Understand What's In Your Claim and Settlement Offer. ...
  4. Preparing for Negotiations. ...
  5. Appeal Your Offer. ...
  6. Consult a Property Damage Lawyer.

Can you change home insurance at any time?

Yes. You have the right to switch your homeowners insurance at any time. If you're in the market for a home, you'll want to start shopping for home insurance before you purchase a house. That's because most mortgage lenders require you to buy some type of homeowners coverage before closing.

What not to say to home insurance?

Avoid any admissions of fault or liability when talking to your adjuster. Such statements can be used to shift blame, potentially decreasing the amount you might be compensated. Instead, focus on describing the damage and the events as they happened, without inserting personal opinions about who might be at fault.

What does Dave Ramsey say about homeowners insurance?

Homeowners Insurance

Dave recommends selecting a higher deductible for your homeowner's insurance to help keep your premiums low. It is also important to consider a policy offering guaranteed or extended replacement cost policy to help you to rebuild after a significant loss.

What is the insurance 5% rule?

In each insurance year you can withdraw up to 5% of the premium paid into your policy without a gain happening in that year. An insurance year begins on the anniversary of the date of your policy was taken out and ends on the day before the anniversary in the next year, except in the final insurance year.