Best Homeowners Insurance Companies of 2022
Best Homeowners Insurance Companies of 2022
The best homeowners insurance companies for affordable rates and quality customer service are Erie, Nationwide, State Farm, Allstate, AmFam and USAA.
Find Cheap Homeowners Insurance Quotes in Your Area
No single home insurance company is the best fit for everyone. For that reason, we determined the best companies for a variety of customer profiles, whether you're looking for low cost insurance, great customer service or the best home and auto bundle.
Compare the best homeowners insurance companies
Finding the cheapest price for homeowners insurance is important, but there are many factors that you should consider when shopping for the best policy. We analyzed insurance rates, coverage options, customer reviews and financial stability to determine six of the best home insurance companies.
Company | Best for | Editor's rating | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | Overall | $883 | |
| State Farm | Customer service | $1,510 | |
| USAA | Military families | $1,789 | |
| Nationwide | Cheap rates | $1,227 | |
| American Family | Customizable coverage | $1,812 | |
| Allstate | Bundling policies | $1,804 |
Find the best homeowners insurance in your state
Best company overall: Erie
Insurer details
Editor's rating: 4.5 out of 5
Pros:
- Affordable rates
- Excellent customer service
- Limited availability
- Can't purchase a policy or file a claim online
Erie offers homeowners good insurance coverage and exceptional customer service at some of the most affordable rates in the country. However, Erie only offers home insurance in 12 states and Washington, DC , which means that many homeowners aren't eligible.
On average, a homeowners insurance policy from Erie costs $883 per year, which is nearly half the national average of $1,680. In addition to significant savings, Erie's standard home insurance policy comes with additional coverage options that you won't find at most other insurers, like guaranteed replacement cost coverage and theft coverage that includes lost items.
Most affordable rates: Nationwide
Insurer details
Editor's rating: 4 out of 5
Pros:
- Cheap rates
- Lots of coverage options
- Widely available
- High rates for expensive homes
- Below-average J.D. Power customer service scores
Nationwide is the best choice for homeowners who want to reduce their home insurance costs without sacrificing quality. Nationwide’s low rates and national coverage give homeowners across the country access to affordable coverage. The company offers the cheapest homeowners insurance premiums across several states, including Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nebraska.
In addition to offering lower rates, Nationwide also provides a standard set of discounts and policy tweaks that can help you reduce your homeowners insurance premium.
Like many insurers, Nationwide offers discounts on your premium for bundling your home and car insurance policies. In addition, homeowners can get discounts for taking steps to reduce the risk of damage, like renovating their home’s plumbing, heating, cooling or electrical systems, and living in a gated community.
Best customer service: State Farm
Insurer details
Editor's rating: 4.5 out of 5
Pros:
- Affordable rates
- Quality customer service
- Available nationwide
- Limited number of coverage add-ons
State Farm is the best choice of insurer for homeowners who prioritize quality service. The company ranks as one of the top insurers by J.D. Power for its strong claims satisfaction rating. It also received an "A++" Financial Strength Rating from A.M. Best, which indicates a "Superior" ability to pay out claims, even in difficult economic times.
A number of discounts are available to help offset the cost of insurance with State Farm, including a multi policy discount, a home security discount and a roofing material discount.
State Farm also offers coverage add-ons like identity restoration, service line coverage and home systems protection.
Best for extended coverage options: American Family
Insurer details
Editor's rating: 3.5 out of 5
Pros:
- Numerous coverage add-ons
- Diminishing deductible
- Good customer service
- Higher-than-average rates
Homeowners looking for extra protection will find a number of additional coverage options with American Family (AmFam).
American Family also offers more discounts than most insurers, including a smart home security system discount, renovation discount, age of home discount, loyalty discount and payment discounts. Combined, these discounts can help make a policy from AmFam more affordable.
Optional policy endorsements include:
- Hidden water damage coverage protects your home from water leaks that are hidden within your walls, ceilings, cabinets or beneath flooring.
- If your siding is damaged, matching siding protection will pay up to $20,000 in additional costs to replace undamaged siding to ensure that the repairs match as closely as possible.
- Equipment breakdown protection covers appliances, home systems and smart home devices if they're damaged due to mechanical, electrical or pressure systems breakdown.
- Sump pump and water backup coverage protects your home and belongings from water damage due to backed up pipes.
- Identity theft protection monitors your credit through CyberScout to prevent fraud.
- Diminishing deductible gives homeowners a $100 credit towards your deductible for every year that you're claim-free.
Best for bundling home and auto insurance: Allstate
Insurer details
Editor's rating: 3 out of 5
Pros:
- Best multi policy discount
- Short-term rental protection available
- Good customer service
Cons:
- Higher rates than competitors
Among the largest homeowners insurance companies, Allstate offers the biggest discount for bundling home and car insurance policies. We calculated a savings of 23.7%, which equates to $492 per year. Not only does Allstate offer the largest discount for home and auto bundling, but its wide range of insurance products means that you can take advantage of additional discounts by bundling motorcycle or life insurance policies, too.
Allstate also offers discounts for switching insurance companies, buying a new home, paying automatically, installing fire and theft protection devices and signing up for a new policy at least seven days before your current policy expires.
Best for military families: USAA
Insurer details
Editor's rating: 4.5 out of 5
Pros:
- Cheap rates
- Excellent customer service
- Military-specific benefits
Cons:
- Only available to those who qualify
The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) combines great features with outstanding service, which makes it the best homeowners insurance company for veterans and active service members. USAA offers policyholders a few features free of charge that other insurance companies do not.
USAA offers policyholders replacement cost coverage for damaged personal items. If you opt for replacement cost coverage, USAA will provide sufficient funds to replace a damaged item instead of the actual cash value of the item when it was destroyed.
Other benefits that cater to service members include the following:
- Property insurance extends to belongings in war zones.
- Uniforms are covered under homeowners personal property insurance, with no deductible.
USAA's awareness of the particular challenges of military life make it an ideal insurance option for those who have served in the military and their families. In addition to insurance, USAA also boasts a wide selection of other financial products, such as bank accounts and loan options. This makes it an excellent long-term choice for all of your personal financial needs.
Best homeowners insurance rates
Erie offers the lowest home insurance rates among the largest insurers in the country, at $883 per year. However, the company is only available in 12 states , meaning it won't be an option for many customers.
Nationwide and State Farm rounded out the top three for cheapest annual rates among top insurers.
Find Cheap Homeowners Insurance Quotes in Your Area
Company | Monthly rate | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| Erie | $74 | $883 |
| Nationwide | $102 | $1,227 |
| State Farm | $126 | $1,510 |
| Travelers | $150 | $1,802 |
| Allstate | $150 | $1,804 |
| American Family | $151 | $1,812 |
| AIG | $157 | $1,878 |
| Average | $158 | $1,680 |
| USAA* | $149 | $1,789 |
*USAA is only available to active duty military members, veterans and their families.
Although a company might be cheaper on average, it's important to check rates in your area. Different local insurers can be good options, and rates for larger companies may vary by location.
How to find affordable home insurance
One of the best ways to find cheap home insurance is to compare rates online from multiple companies. Each home insurance company prices risk in its own way, so you increase the likelihood of getting the best price as you compare more insurers.
Selecting a higher deductible for your dwelling and personal property coverages also leads to cheaper home insurance rates. However, raising your deductible means taking on more risk yourself. Make sure that your home insurance deductible is never greater than the amount you can afford to pay out of pocket after an incident.
You can also save money on homeowners insurance by qualifying for insurer deals and discounts. Most home insurers offer cheaper rates for bundling multiple policies and for making home improvements to minimize your risk. Individual companies — particularly smaller insurers — often have unique discounts, as well.
Finally, consider newer insurers which may offer insurance coverage through different platforms. As in many other industries, tech-focused startups like Hippo may offer you a lower rate thanks to either reduced overhead or a need to fund growth.
Best-rated homeowners insurance companies
Once you've determined the coverage you need and found cheap quotes for homeowners insurance, you should also consider a company's ratings and reviews before purchasing a policy.
The best-rated home insurance company is USAA, according to J.D. Power's annual study.
Home insurance company ratings
Company |
Editor's rating
|
JD Power
|
Market share
|
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | 835 | 18% | |
| USAA | 882 | 7% | |
| Erie | 835 | 2% | |
| Auto-Owners | 831 | 2% | |
| Nationwide | 812 | 3% |
Best home insurance companies by state
Where you live has a significant impact on your homeowners insurance premium. That's because certain areas are more prone to weather-related damage, like tornadoes and snow storms. To help you shop for the best rates, we found the cheapest home insurer in each state.
Michigan homeowners can take advantage of the cheapest rates in the country — a policy from Auto-Owners costs only $417 per year. Homeowners in Colorado have some of the highest insurance costs in the country — the cheapest policy is from State Farm and costs $2,362 per year.
Allstate offers the lowest rate in 15 states, the most of any insurer included in our study.
Find Cheap Homeowners Insurance Quotes in Your Area
State | Average rate | Cheapest rate | Cheapest insurer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $2,106 | $1,324 | USAA |
| Alaska | $1,386 | $1,313 | Allstate |
| Arizona | $1,378 | $832 | Nationwide |
| Arkansas | $2,205 | $1,198 | Travelers |
| California | $1,825 | $1,115 | Allstate |
How to compare homeowners insurance
When shopping for homeowners insurance, it's important to consider the amount of coverage you need and the reputation of each insurer before comparing insurance quotes.
How much home insurance do I need?
While home insurance companies offer an array of optional add-ons, like water backup coverage and identity theft protection, all policies are built on four core coverages:
The structure of your home refers to the walls, roof, siding, foundation and other fixed elements of your home's construction.
Dwelling coverage provides compensation for damage caused to the structure of your home by a covered peril, such as a fire or windstorm.
Your dwelling coverage limit should fully cover the cost of rebuilding your house — in other words, your home's replacement cost. Make sure you calculate this value using prices for material that's equal in quality to your home's current structure.
Dwelling coverage is usually calculated based on either actual cash value or replacement cost. Actual cash value coverage is cheaper but reduces your claim payout because it factors in depreciation, or wear and tear.
Personal property coverage protects most of your movable belongings, excluding vehicles.
Personal property coverage in home insurance policies generally includes items like furniture, televisions, clothing and appliances. The amount of coverage is usually calculated as a percentage of your dwelling replacement cost .
The base coverage differs between insurance companies, so it's important to review the amount of coverage included in each quote and adjust it if necessary.
High-value goods like jewelry are often covered up to lower per-category limits. Your policy details will list the specific limits — usually in the thousands of dollars — for high-value categories. Most insurers offer an option for scheduled personal property coverage, which increases the protection for these high-value items at an additional cost.
Liability coverage protects you if you're held responsible for injury to other people or their property. This covers your legal fees and damages, up to policy limits. Typical personal liability limits in a home insurance policy range from $100,000 to $300,000, but you can buy more coverage for little extra cost.
Additional living expenses coverage, or loss of use coverage, reimburses you for costs incurred if your house becomes uninhabitable due to a covered event. This coverage only applies to expenses that are above and beyond your normal living expenses, like the cost of a rental home or hotel, or food costs if your temporary space doesn't have a kitchen.
It's important to decide how much of each of these coverages you would need in the event of a major catastrophe before comparing quotes. Understanding your limits will allow you to make an apples-to-apples comparison when getting homeowners insurance quotes.
Why your home insurance customer service matters
Price is often the overwhelming factor when comparing homeowners insurance companies, but customer service comes into play when you need the policy to work for you. It's often hard to put a price on the value of a good customer service experience.
Better customer service can often mean a company handling elements of a repair, rather than putting it in your hands, or quick response times instead of calling multiple numbers and working through a confusing phone system.
It's important to remember that you'll likely be dealing with your insurer when something catastrophic has happened and disrupted your life.
With that in mind, looking closely at how a company works with you, its customer, is crucial. Depending on how your policy operates, you likely won't have to deal too often with your insurer, but when you do, good customer service can make a world of difference.
If you're concerned about an insurer that has received mixed or below-average ratings, we recommend consulting multiple ratings sources, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and online reviews.
Consider asking your friends, family and neighbors about their homeowners insurers, as well. Those who live near you are often subject to the same insurance risks as you — such as weather or crime — and their claims experience can help inform your decision. Homeowners insurance is a significant investment, and you should have confidence that your insurer will support you if you need to make a claim.
How to buy homeowners insurance
Once you've determined the amount of insurance coverage that you need and the companies that provide good customer service in your area, you can begin to compare homeowners insurance quotes. Most major insurers provide homeowners insurance quotes online, which allows you to gather multiple quotes quickly.
We recommend comparing multiple quotes to find the best home insurance rates, customer service and coverage options for your needs.
What do homeowners want out of their insurance?
To better understand the relationships between homeowners and insurers, ValuePenguin conducted a national survey of home insurance customers and asked them a series of questions about their experience with providers. Among other findings, our data supported the idea that home insurance customers care more about rates than any other factor.
- Fifty-eight percent of homeowners said they chose their current insurer because it offered the best rate.
- Just under 40% of all homeowners said that they've switched insurers at least once.
- Among homeowners who switched insurers, 77% cited problems with rates as a reason for leaving.
- About 32% of homeowners with insurance said that they had filed a claim with their current insurer.
- Seventy-four percent of those who filed a claim reported hearing back from their home insurance company within one week.
Homeowners prioritize affordable coverage
According to the homeowners in our study, the cost of coverage was the strongest factor in how they chose their insurance company. When asked why they had selected their current provider, 58% cited the fact that the provider offered the "best rate" as one of their reasons. The quality of customer service came in at a distant second.
Reasons people gave for choosing their home insurer
Best rate | 58% |
|---|---|
| Customer service | 39% |
| Benefits (such as discounts) | 29% |
| Local office | 27% |
| Recommendations from friends/family | 22% |
| Online reviews | 10% |
| Recommendations from mortgage lender | 8% |
Survey asked: 'Why did you decide to use your current home insurance provider? Please select all that apply.'
When asked why they had left their old insurers, homeowners showed the same concern for finding the best home insurance rates. A combined 77% of those who switched explained their decision by saying that either rates had increased or their old insurer was no longer the most affordable option following a change in the homeowner's profile.
Reasons people gave for leaving their previous home insurer
Rates increased | 53% |
|---|---|
| Poor customer service | 27% |
| My details changed (e.g., moved, renovated my home, etc.) and they no longer offered the best rates | 24% |
| Mishandled my claim | 10% |
| No local office in my area | 10% |
| Insufficient benefits (such as discounts) | 9% |
| Denied my claim | 7% |
Survey asked: 'Why did you leave your previous home insurance provider? Please select all that apply.'
Other considerations, such as a negative claim experience or bad service, fell far behind the overriding importance of finding an affordable premium.
People who file claims generally report a positive experience
In contrast, our survey findings went against the common idea of homeowners leaving their insurers after a dispute over claims handling. Roughly 40% of insured homeowners in the survey said that they had switched insurers at least once. Of these, only 17% blamed the change on a mishandled or denied claim.
Homeowners insurance satisfaction vs. claim history
No claims | Filed a claim | All homeowners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extremely satisfied | 49% | 58% | 52% |
| Somewhat satisfied | 34% | 30% | 33% |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 14% | 8% | 12% |
| Somewhat dissatisfied | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Extremely dissatisfied | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Survey asked: 'Overall, how satisfied are you with your current home insurance provider?'
Meanwhile, those who did file a claim ended up happier with their choice of insurance provider than those who didn't. While all homeowners expressed satisfaction with their current insurance provider by an overwhelming majority (85%), satisfaction was even higher among those who had gone through at least one claim with their insurer (88%).
Frequently asked questions
What are the top five home insurance companies?
Nationwide, State Farm, Allstate, American Family and USAA are all top options depending on what you're looking for in a home insurance company. Erie offers some of the cheapest rates but is not widely available.
How much is homeowners insurance?
The average cost of home insurance is about $1,680 per year, assuming coverage for a home at the median value in its state. However, the rates that you see as a homeowner are affected by a number of factors, ranging from your property's characteristics and location to your own personal details, so your own cost may be very different.
Which insurer has the highest customer satisfaction?
Looking at multiple factors and ratings from sources like J.D. Power, State Farm and USAA received the highest customer satisfaction ratings among major insurance companies.
Does Geico have home insurance?
Homeowners can purchase insurance through Geico, but the company does not underwrite home insurance policies. Instead, your policy will be serviced by one of 31 partners. However, purchasing a home insurance policy with Geico will earn you a multi policy discount if your car is insured there, too.
Who has the cheapest home insurance?
Erie offers homeowners the cheapest rates — $883 per year, on average. Unfortunately, the company only sells insurance in 12 states, so most homeowners can't take advantage of its low rates. We recommend Nationwide and State Farm, both of which offer low-cost homeowners insurance, as well.
What is the best insurance company for home and auto?
We found that Allstate is the best company for bundling home and auto insurance. The company offers the biggest bundling discount compared to other large insurers — 23.7% on average.
Methodology and results
There isn’t a single home insurance company that fits everyone’s needs, so evaluate what is most important to you when choosing a provider.
Company | Best for… |
|---|---|
| Nationwide | Best for cheap home insurance rates |
| State Farm | Best customer service |
| American Family | Best for extended coverage |
| Allstate | Best for bundling home and auto insurance |
| USAA | Best for military and their families |
To evaluate the best homeowners insurance companies, we compared the largest home insurance companies based on rates, reviews, ratings and financial strength.
- Rates: Home insurance rates depend on a number of factors, including the location of the home being insured and a policyholder’s previous claim history. Due to the price variation that exists in the home insurance industry, our search for the best companies was focused on insurers that consistently offer low rates.
- Reviews and ratings: Customer reviews and ratings give insight into what can be expected of a company’s claims process. You’ll want to select an insurance company that is highly reviewed and rated in order to ensure a smooth experience should you ever need to file a claim.
- Financial strength: A home insurance company is only as good as its ability to meet its customers’ claims. A company with great financial strength won’t have any problems paying out claims, whether a claim is for $100,000 or $500,000. On the other hand, a poor financial strength rating indicates that the insurance company might struggle to pay a customer’s claims.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.