Cheapest Homeowners Insurance 2026 by State
By Sarah Davis · Last updated: October 3, 2026
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page may be affiliate links. Affiliate status has zero weight in our scores.
Verdict Box
| Award | Insurer | Axis Score (out of 10) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor’s Choice | State Farm | 8.12 | Named cheapest in more state tables than any other carrier in our sample (17 mentions) and co-winner in 2 of 6 national studies |
| Runner-Up | USAA | 6.46 | Co-winner in 2 of 6 national studies, strong claims and complaint data; military community only |
| Budget Pick | Allstate | 4.49 | Lowest national average in one major study ($2,098 a year) and cheapest in 5 states in another |
| Free | None exists | n/a | No homeowners insurer offers free coverage. We replaced this slot with Best Claims Value: Amica (J.D. Power 2026 claims leader, 773 points) |
Quick Answer
According to Axis Intelligence, State Farm is the cheapest homeowners insurance company in the most states in 2026, scoring 8.12 out of 10 on our weighted matrix. USAA ranks second (6.46) for eligible military households. But the bigger finding: in 10 of 11 states where two or more major rate studies name a cheapest insurer, they name different winners.
Key Findings
- According to Axis Intelligence, State Farm scores 8.12 out of 10 on the Axis Cheapest Carrier Score, the highest of the 10 insurers evaluated in October 2026.
- Axis Intelligence found that six major rate studies name five different “cheapest” homeowners insurers nationally: Allstate, State Farm, Cincinnati Insurance, Shelter, and USAA (with American Family as co-pick).
- In 10 of 11 states where at least two published studies name a cheapest insurer, the studies disagree, a 90.9% disagreement rate calculated by Axis Intelligence.
- Florida carries the highest average HO-3 homeowners premium in the U.S. at $2,677 a year, and Oregon the lowest at $893, according to NAIC 2022 data published by Triple-I.
- Texas homeowners paid an average of $3,506 in 2025 (preliminary), up from $3,291 in 2024, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.
Why “Cheapest Homeowners Insurance” Has No Single Answer
Every comparison site publishes a cheapest insurer. Line them up and the answer falls apart.
Axis Intelligence compared the national winners declared by six widely read rate studies, all retrieved October 3, 2026. Insurance.com names Allstate the cheapest at an average of $2,098 a year. ValuePenguin names State Farm the cheapest major company at $1,514. U.S. News names Cincinnati Insurance at a sample premium of $1,623. Insurify names Shelter. NerdWallet names State Farm and USAA among large insurers. Bankrate names USAA and American Family.
Five different winners from six studies. The premium gap between the cheapest headline figure ($1,514) and the highest ($2,098) is $584 a year, and it comes from methodology, not from any insurer changing a price. Each study prices a different hypothetical house: different dwelling limits, deductibles, credit tiers, and ZIP code samples. Most draw on the same underlying vendor, Quadrant Information Services, which Bankrate confirms it used for November 2025 premium data.
So the “cheapest” label is a function of the assumptions. That is the gap this page closes: instead of adding a seventh opinion, Axis Intelligence counts where the six agree.
Cheapest Homeowners Insurance Companies 2026: The Comparison Table
| Rank | Insurer | Axis Score | National “cheapest” mentions (of 6) | State-table “cheapest” mentions | Published price signal (as reported) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | 8.12 | 2 | 17 | $1,514/yr national average | ValuePenguin, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 2 | USAA | 6.46 | 2 | 4 | $1,771/yr sample premium | U.S. News, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 3 | Allstate | 4.49 | 1 | 5 | $2,098/yr national average | Insurance.com, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 4 | American Family | 3.43 | 1 | 0 | Named among cheapest | Bankrate, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 5 (tie) | Cincinnati Insurance | 3.01 | 1 | 0 | $1,623/yr sample premium | U.S. News, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 5 (tie) | Shelter | 3.01 | 1 | 0 | Cheapest nationally available | Insurify, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 7 | Amica | 2.79 | 0 | 1 | $742/yr in New Hampshire | MoneyGeek via Quartz, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 8 | Farmers | 2.70 | 0 | 5 | Cheapest in AR, IA, KS, MN, ND | Insurify, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 9 | Travelers | 2.34 | 0 | 3 | $697/yr in Delaware | MoneyGeek via Quartz, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
| 10 | Auto-Owners | 2.04 | 0 | 1 | Cheapest in Michigan, $92/mo | Insurify, retrieved 2026-10-03 |
Prices are the figures each publisher reports for its own sample profile. They are not comparable across rows and are not quotes. Your premium will differ.
Cheapest Homeowners Insurance by State: Where the Studies Agree and Disagree
This is the Axis original dataset. For every state where at least two of the retrieved studies publish a cheapest insurer, we list each named winner.
| State | ValuePenguin | Insurify | Forbes | MoneyGeek (via Quartz) | Agree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | State Farm ($1,129/yr) | USAA ($106/mo) | No | ||
| Arkansas | State Farm ($2,270/yr) | Farmers ($148/mo) | No | ||
| Connecticut | State Farm ($1,290/yr) | Vermont Mutual ($93/mo) | No | ||
| Delaware | State Farm ($704/yr) | Encompass ($91/mo) | State Farm ($54/mo) | Travelers ($697/yr) | No |
| Illinois | State Farm ($1,295/yr) | Allstate ($83/mo) | No | ||
| Iowa | State Farm ($1,608/yr) | Farmers ($127/mo) | No | ||
| Maine | State Farm ($618/yr) | Vermont Mutual ($61/mo) | No | ||
| Maryland | State Farm ($984/yr) | Travelers ($91/mo) | Brethren Mutual ($71/mo) | No | |
| Massachusetts | AIG ($76/mo) | State Farm ($38/mo) | No | ||
| New Mexico | State Farm ($199/mo) | State Farm ($106/mo) | Yes | ||
| North Dakota | Farmers ($126/mo) | Farmers Union Mutual ($120/mo) | No |
Sources: ValuePenguin, Insurify, Forbes Advisor, and MoneyGeek as reported by Quartz; all retrieved October 3, 2026. North Dakota is scored as a disagreement because Farmers and Farmers Union Mutual are separate companies.
Axis Disagreement Rate: 10 of 11 states = 90.9%.
Look at Delaware. Four publishers, three different winners, and the two State Farm figures alone ($704 a year versus $54 a month, or $648 a year) differ because the house being priced differs. The only state where two studies name the same insurer is New Mexico, and even there the monthly prices they report ($199 versus $106) are almost a factor of two apart.
Here is how I read that. A “cheapest insurer in your state” table is a price for someone else’s house. The useful signal is persistence: a carrier that keeps showing up as cheapest across different studies, different profiles and different states is cheap structurally, not by accident of one sample. State Farm shows up 17 times in our state sample. Nobody else clears 5.
States Not Yet Covered by Two Studies
Single-source states in our sample include Nebraska and Oregon (Forbes: State Farm and Capital Insurance), Utah (ValuePenguin: State Farm at $787/yr), and Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island (Insurify). Florida’s cheapest named insurer in Insurify’s table is State Farm at $423 a month. We will add agreement scores as more studies publish state tables.
Average Homeowners Insurance Cost by State
Carrier prices sit on top of a state baseline set by weather, rebuilding costs and regulation. The most recent official baseline comes from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. According to NAIC data published by Triple-I, the average HO-3 homeowners premium was $1,569 in 2022, up 11.2% from 2021.
Most Expensive States for Homeowners Insurance
| Rank | State | Average HO-3 premium (2022) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | $2,677 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 2 | Louisiana | $2,603 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 3 | Texas | $2,397 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 4 | Oklahoma | $2,268 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 5 | Colorado | $2,079 | NAIC via Triple-I |
Cheapest States for Homeowners Insurance
| Rank | State | Average HO-3 premium (2022) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $893 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 2 | Utah | $937 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 3 | Nevada | $948 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $957 | NAIC via Triple-I |
| 5 | Ohio | $995 | NAIC via Triple-I |
The NAIC figure is the cleanest official number, and it is also three years old. Texas shows how far the market has moved since. The Texas Department of Insurance reports a 2025 preliminary average of $3,506, against an NAIC 2022 Texas average of $2,397. That is a 46.3% gap between the official national dataset and the state regulator’s current figure, calculated by Axis Intelligence. Anyone quoting the NAIC average as a 2026 price is quoting a fee schedule that expired.
Best Cheap Homeowners Insurance Companies: Per-Insurer Reviews
1. State Farm: Editor’s Choice
Axis Score: 8.12 / 10
Verdict: The closest thing to a structurally cheap national carrier in 2026. It wins on persistence, not on any single headline price.
Standout: Named cheapest in 17 state-table entries across ValuePenguin, Insurify and Forbes, more than three times the next carrier. Largest homeowners writer in the U.S. with an 18.2% market share in 2024, per NAIC data via Triple-I, so it is quotable almost everywhere.
Drawbacks: The weakest complaint signal among carriers with data: an NAIC complaint index of 1.4 for 2025 as reported by LendingTree, meaning more complaints than expected for its size. Claims satisfaction of 690 as reported by LendingTree sits below J.D. Power’s 2026 industry average of 702.
Best for: Most homeowners who want one reliable low quote to benchmark against, especially those bundling auto.
Pricing: $1,514 a year national average (ValuePenguin, retrieved 2026-10-03); $1,129 a year in Arizona and $618 a year in Maine in the same study.
2. USAA: Runner-Up
Axis Score: 6.46 / 10
Verdict: If you are eligible, it belongs on every quote list. If you are not, it does not exist for you.
Standout: Co-named cheapest by NerdWallet and Bankrate. Complaint index of 0.5 and claims score of 757 as reported by LendingTree, both well ahead of State Farm.
Drawbacks: Membership is restricted to the military community and some federal workers. Fewer state-table wins (4) than State Farm.
Best for: Active-duty service members, veterans and eligible family members.
Pricing: $1,771 a year sample premium (U.S. News, retrieved 2026-10-03); $106 a month in Arizona (Insurify).
3. Allstate: Budget Pick
Axis Score: 4.49 / 10
Verdict: The headline cheapest in one major study, and genuinely competitive in the Midwest and Southeast.
Standout: Lowest national average in Insurance.com’s analysis at $2,098 a year. Cheapest in five Insurify state rows: Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois and Indiana. Second-largest homeowners writer at 9.0% share.
Drawbacks: No 2026 J.D. Power claims or NAIC complaint figure in our fact table, so those criteria are scored at neutral. Its national price lead appears in only one of six studies.
Best for: Homeowners in Illinois, Indiana and the Southeast running a second quote against State Farm.
Pricing: $2,098 a year national average (Insurance.com); $59 a month in Indiana (Insurify), both retrieved 2026-10-03.
4. American Family
Axis Score: 3.43 / 10
Verdict: A credible national-study pick without state-level confirmation in our sample.
Standout: Co-named cheapest by Bankrate. Sixth-largest homeowners writer (5.0% share).
Drawbacks: Zero state-table wins in our retrieved sample; no claims or complaint figures in the fact table.
Best for: Midwest homeowners in its footprint.
Pricing: Named among cheapest by Bankrate (Quadrant data, November 2025); no dollar figure retrieved.
5 (tie). Cincinnati Insurance
Axis Score: 3.01 / 10
Verdict: The surprise national winner in U.S. News’s data.
Standout: Cheapest sample premium in U.S. News’s study at $1,623 a year.
Drawbacks: Not a top-10 writer, so availability is narrower; no state-table wins in our sample.
Best for: Homeowners working through an independent agent in its states.
Pricing: $1,623 a year (U.S. News, retrieved 2026-10-03).
5 (tie). Shelter
Axis Score: 3.01 / 10
Verdict: Insurify’s national pick, worth a quote where it writes.
Standout: Named the cheapest nationally available home insurer by Insurify.
Drawbacks: Regional footprint; no state-table, claims or complaint data in our fact table.
Best for: Homeowners in Shelter’s regional markets.
Pricing: No dollar figure retrieved; cheapest nationally available per Insurify.
7. Amica: Best Claims Value
Axis Score: 2.79 / 10
Verdict: Rarely the cheapest, consistently the best at paying claims. Our matrix weights price, so Amica ranks low; that is a statement about this page’s question, not about the company.
Standout: Ranked highest in the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study with 773 points, and highest in the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Home Insurance Study with 680. Lowest complaint index in our data at 0.2.
Drawbacks: One cheapest-state mention in our sample; not a top-10 writer.
Best for: Homeowners who would pay a little more to get paid fully and fast.
Pricing: $742 a year average in New Hampshire, cheapest major carrier there (MoneyGeek via Quartz, retrieved 2026-10-03).
8. Farmers
Axis Score: 2.70 / 10
Verdict: A plains-state price leader that national studies overlook.
Standout: Cheapest in five Insurify rows: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and North Dakota. Fifth-largest writer (5.5%).
Drawbacks: Zero national-study wins; no claims or complaint figures in our fact table.
Best for: Homeowners in hail and tornado states.
Pricing: $127 a month in Iowa; $148 a month in Arkansas (Insurify, retrieved 2026-10-03).
9. Travelers
Axis Score: 2.34 / 10
Verdict: Usually pricier, occasionally the lowest standard policy in a state.
Standout: Cheapest major carrier in Delaware at $697 a year (MoneyGeek via Quartz) and cheapest in Maryland per Insurify.
Drawbacks: No national wins; Quartz’s own summary notes Travelers usually ranks among the pricier options.
Best for: Mid-Atlantic homeowners.
Pricing: $697 a year in Delaware; $91 a month in Maryland (Insurify), retrieved 2026-10-03.
10. Auto-Owners
Axis Score: 2.04 / 10
Verdict: Strong service record, limited price evidence.
Standout: Complaint index of 0.5 as reported by LendingTree; cheapest in Michigan per Insurify.
Drawbacks: Claims score of 681 as reported by LendingTree, below the 2026 industry average of 702; 1.9% market share.
Best for: Michigan and Midwest homeowners using independent agents.
Pricing: $92 a month in Michigan (Insurify, retrieved 2026-10-03).
How We Evaluated: The Axis Cheapest Carrier Score (ACCS)
This ranking is documentation-based. Axis Intelligence did not buy policies or request quotes, and no author ran a personal test. We built the Axis Cheapest Carrier Score from published rate studies, J.D. Power satisfaction research, NAIC complaint and market-share data, and state regulator figures, all retrieved on October 3, 2026.
The core idea: one publisher’s “cheapest” label reflects one hypothetical house. A carrier that is named cheapest repeatedly, across publishers using different profiles, is the better bet for a real shopper. So price evidence is measured as consensus, and it carries 55% of the weight.
| Criterion | Weight | Data | Scoring rule (0 to 10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| National price consensus | 30% | Named cheapest or co-cheapest by Insurance.com, ValuePenguin, U.S. News, Insurify, NerdWallet, Bankrate | 10 × (mentions ÷ 2), capped at 10 |
| State price consensus | 25% | Cheapest-insurer mentions across ValuePenguin, Insurify, Forbes and MoneyGeek state tables | 10 × (mentions ÷ 17, the maximum observed) |
| Claims satisfaction | 15% | J.D. Power 2026 Property Claims Study (direct or as reported by LendingTree) | 10 × (score − 600) ÷ 200; missing = industry average 702 |
| Complaint record | 15% | NAIC 2025 complaint index as reported by LendingTree | 10 − 5 × index (1.0 = expected = 5); missing = 1.0 |
| Market reach | 15% | 2024 homeowners market share, NAIC via Triple-I | 10 × (share ÷ 18.2); not in top 10 = 0 |
Formula: ACCS = 0.30 × National + 0.25 × State + 0.15 × Claims + 0.15 × Complaints + 0.15 × Reach.
Worked example, State Farm: 0.30 × 10.0 + 0.25 × 10.0 + 0.15 × 4.5 + 0.15 × 3.0 + 0.15 × 10.0 = 8.12.
Scope: missing data is scored at the neutral midpoint rather than penalized, which helps carriers with thin public data. State-table counts reflect only the rows visible in the published tables we retrieved, not every state. Publisher prices use different profiles and are never averaged together. Money never touches these scores: affiliate relationships carry zero weight, and the full matrix above lets anyone recompute every result.
How to Find the Cheapest Homeowners Insurance in Your State: Buyer’s Guide
Get at least three quotes, and pick them by persistence. Start with State Farm, add USAA if eligible, then add the carrier named cheapest for your state in the table above. Where studies disagree, quote every named winner.
Use your state regulator’s tools. Texas runs HelpInsure, which the Texas Department of Insurance describes as a way to compare sample rates, policies, financial ratings and complaint indexes. TDI’s own advice is to shop regularly, because the best rates often go to people willing to switch.
Price the deductible, not just the premium. A higher deductible lowers the premium but raises what you pay at claim time. In Texas, percentage wind and hail deductibles are common, so check the dollar amount, not the percentage.
Bundle, then re-check. Bundling auto and home usually lowers both. Re-shop at every renewal: Texas filed rate changes swung from 21.1% in 2023 to 4.3% in 2025, per TDI.
Weigh claims service against the last $100. J.D. Power’s 2026 claims study puts the industry average at 702 and Amica at 773. A cheap policy that pays slowly is not cheap.
Know your fallback. If two insurers turn you down, state FAIR plans exist. In Texas, applicants must have been declined by two companies to qualify for the FAIR Plan.
FAQ
What is the cheapest homeowners insurance company in 2026?
According to Axis Intelligence, State Farm is the most consistently cheapest homeowners insurer in 2026, with an Axis Cheapest Carrier Score of 8.12 out of 10. Individual studies disagree: Insurance.com names Allstate, U.S. News names Cincinnati Insurance, and Insurify names Shelter.
Which state has the cheapest homeowners insurance?
Oregon had the lowest average HO-3 homeowners premium in the U.S. at $893 a year, according to NAIC 2022 data published by Triple-I. Utah ($937) and Nevada ($948) follow.
Which state has the most expensive homeowners insurance?
Florida had the highest average HO-3 premium at $2,677 a year in NAIC 2022 data, followed by Louisiana at $2,603 and Texas at $2,397.
Why do comparison sites name different cheapest insurers?
Each study prices a different sample home, with different dwelling limits, deductibles, credit tiers and ZIP codes. Axis Intelligence found published studies disagree on the cheapest insurer in 10 of 11 states where two or more name one.
How much does homeowners insurance cost in Texas in 2026?
The Texas Department of Insurance reports an average annual homeowners premium of $3,506 for 2025 (preliminary), up from $3,291 in 2024. That is the most recent regulator figure available.
Is USAA cheaper than State Farm for homeowners insurance?
U.S. News reports a USAA sample premium of $1,771 a year; ValuePenguin reports a State Farm national average of $1,514. The two figures use different profiles and cannot be compared directly. USAA is available only to the military community.
What is the national average cost of homeowners insurance?
The most recent NAIC figure is $1,569 for an HO-3 policy in 2022, up 11.2% from 2021, as published by Triple-I. Commercial rate studies report higher 2026 figures because they price larger sample homes with current rates.
Does the cheapest homeowners insurance pay claims well?
Not always. In J.D. Power’s 2026 Property Claims Satisfaction Study, Amica ranked highest at 773 against an industry average of 702, while State Farm’s score as reported by LendingTree was 690.
How can I lower my homeowners insurance premium?
Compare at least three quotes, raise your deductible if you can absorb it, bundle home and auto, and re-shop at renewal. State tools such as Texas’s HelpInsure show sample rates and complaint indexes.
What is the Axis Cheapest Carrier Score?
The Axis Cheapest Carrier Score (ACCS) is a 0 to 10 index by Axis Intelligence. It weights national price consensus (30%), state price consensus (25%), claims satisfaction (15%), complaint record (15%) and market reach (15%), using published data with the formula disclosed.
Notice an insurer we should add? Email [email protected]. Submissions are reviewed monthly, on merit only.
Cite this page: Axis Intelligence, “Cheapest Homeowners Insurance 2026 by State,” October 3, 2026, axis-intelligence.com/cheapest-homeowners-insurance-by-state/