Best homeowners insurance companies for December 2024

USAA

Auto-Owners

Amica

NJM

Erie

Chubb

Allstate

State Farm

Travelers

Lemonade

Finding the best homeowners insurance company for you

Insurance is a highly individualized product. Finding cheap homeowners insurance with good coverage can be a tough balancing act. But it may be possible if you know your needs and priorities, as well as how your circumstances can affect your rate. Climate and location, for example, can play large roles in how much coverage you need. If you live along a fault line, you may consider adding an earthquake endorsement to your policy. Or, if you live somewhere with a high flood risk, adding flood coverage is probably a wise move.

Home insurance companies typically use more than a dozen factors (that are personal to you) to calculate your rate. In most states, these factors include your credit history, ZIP code, claims history and marital status, among others. As a result, insurance rates, coverage options and savings opportunities differ across people and companies. When in doubt, you might find it helpful to speak with an independent agent or broker who can request quotes from multiple companies on your behalf. They may also be able to give greater insight into your specific coverage needs.

What customer satisfaction metrics should you consider?

Price shouldn’t be the only thing on your mind when choosing an insurer. After all, if you do end up needing to file a claim, you’ll want to be sure the process is smooth. But, how can you know what a company's customer service experience is like before you've purchased a policy? Fortunately, there are a few different metrics that can give you a glimpse into how current policyholders feel about their home insurance carrier, including:

J.D. Power scores: J.D. Power conducts annual insurance studies by surveying current policyholders, asking them to rate the customer service and property claims experience they've received from their company. You can also learn about a carrier's digital tools by reviewing the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study.

NAIC Complaint Index: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or NAIC, records policyholder complaints and translates this data into a complaint index. Most insurance companies have an overall complaint index and a score for each line of available insurance. When interpreting this data, it's important to know that a company with an average number of complaints has a score of 1.00. A score higher than 1.00 means the company gets more complaints on average and vice versa — a score less than 1.00 means fewer complaints than average.

Financial strength ratings: Although a company's financial strength rating may not be directly related to customer service, it's unlikely that a policyholder will be happy with their carrier if it doesn't have the funds to pay for a covered loss. Financial strength ratings issued by AM Best, Moody's, Standard & Poor’s and Demotech reflect a carrier's historical ability to pay out claims when needed. Most insurance agents agree that choosing a financially stable company is essential, as losses can be widespread after a natural disaster like a hurricane or wildfire.

Friends and family: Speaking with friends and family already insured with a company can be a powerful tool in understanding what to expect from a carrier. Word of mouth can go a long way, especially from trusted friends, family and colleagues.

Best homeowners insurance companies for different homeowners

Home insurance needs will change based on your unique situation. For example, first-time homebuyers will likely need something different from their provider than someone who purchased an Airbnb property or someone who purchased a historical home. Below, we’ve put together a list of the best home insurance companies for a variety of different scenarios.

The best home insurance company for first-time homebuyers: Allstate

It’s not uncommon for a home insurance company to extend a discount to first-time homebuyers. The companies we’ve chosen to highlight below all offer some type of discount for new homeowners or recent home purchases.

Allstate stands out to us for a few reasons as the best choice for a first-time homeowner. It offers both a 10 percent welcome discount and additional savings for recent homebuyers. Allstate’s high Bankrate Score, Bankrate Award for Best Overall Home Insurance Company and long list of additional coverage options check many of our boxes — and those of a first-time homebuyer. Plus, Allstate’s robust digital tools and expansive network of agents can help give first-timers the extra support they may need when navigating the insurance process.

The best home insurance company for leasing to a renter: USAA

If you purchased an investment property to rent out, you’ll likely need a home insurance provider that offers either short-term rental coverage or a landlord policy. A standard home insurance policy will likely only cover an owner-occupied building. Landlord insurance, among other things, can provide coverage for a tenant-occupied building. Short-term rental insurance can raise your liability limits and offer additional protection for your personal belongings.

USAA’s rental property insurance program offers strong protection for you and your home, whether you rent out your property for a week, a month or longer. If you do not qualify for a USAA policy, Allstate could be a good alternative. Its HostAdvantage policy even includes a discount from Merry Maids.

The best home insurance company for homeowners with high-value homes or valuable items: Chubb

While the definition of a high-value home may change from region to region, they have some insurance commonalities. Owners of high-value homes may seek higher coverage limits, specialized coverage endorsements, broad personal property coverage and dependable customer service.

Chubb offers policyholders all of these things and more. It was awarded the 2024 Bankrate Award for Best for High-Value Homes for multiple reasons. Chubb’s policies include complimentary risk consulting and a HomeScan tool to help spot problems before they turn into expensive insurance claims. It has a wealth of coverage options for valuable items, like special endorsements for jewelry, art, collectibles and even wine and spirits.

Best companies based on customer satisfaction 

Although price is important, it isn’t the only consideration when choosing a home insurance company. If and when it comes time to file a home insurance claim, it’s important that your provider makes the process as smooth and painless as possible. That’s where customer satisfaction rankings come into play. J.D. Power, a data analytics and consumer intelligence company, publishes annual studies that rank insurers by customer satisfaction metrics like trust, price for coverage, problem resolution and ease of doing business.

Homeowners looking for highly-rated companies that are highly rated by J.D. Power may want to get quotes from:

• USAA
• Chubb
• Amica
• Erie

The best home insurance companies by state

Thanks to a combination of high customer satisfaction scores, low average premiums, discount opportunities, coverage options and more, we’re confident that the companies on this list are an excellent starting point for many shoppers. However, depending on your state, some carriers will be priced more competitively than others. Your location may demand premiums much higher or lower than the national average homeowners insurance cost, and some of the companies on this list may not be available in your state at all.

Risks and insurance markets vary from state to state. Florida, for instance, is grappling with a homeowners insurance crisis, and many of the carriers on this list are no longer writing new business in the state. Instead, Floridians may need to rely on smaller regional companies for coverage or state-supported Citizens Insurance. In California, home insurance companies are limiting coverage in response to increased wildfire risks (among other concerns). No matter where you live, narrowing your research by looking into the best homeowners insurance company in your state could help you find the best coverage at the best price.

Compare the best home insurance rates by state

To help illustrate how rates can differ depending on where you live, we created the interactive map below. Click on your state to see how much the average homeowners insurance policy costs in your area and how it compares to the national average. Please note that these average rates are based on policies with $300,000 in dwelling coverage.

How do I save on home insurance?

One of the easiest ways to maximize savings on your home insurance is to take advantage of home insurance discounts. Every insurance company has its own discounts, but common savings opportunities could include being claims-free or buying a new home. In some states (Florida and Louisiana, for instance), you could get a discount for adding wind mitigation features to your home. Stacking home insurance discounts could mean significant savings on your home insurance premium — and more money back in your pocket. Be sure to ask your insurance agent about all available discounts you qualify for to make sure you don’t miss out on savings opportunities. Raising your insurance deductible may also result in a cheaper premium, but be cautious not to raise it too high. It is important that your deductible remains at a level you can reasonably afford to pay out at the drop of a hat.

Best companies for bundling home and auto insurance

Bundling home and auto insurance means you are buying both policies from the same company. Most companies offer a discount on both auto and home policies (and sometimes other policies as well) as an incentive to policyholders. This has the potential to make both policies cheaper than if you were to purchase the policies from two separate insurance companies. To help give you an idea of how much you could potentially save by bundling policies, we checked each carrier’s website or contacted them to see how significant each company’s bundling discount could be.

Keep in mind that the best carrier for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences. In some cases, homeowners can find lower rates by keeping their home and auto policies with different insurance providers. One way to find the right fit is to make a list of the features you are looking for in both your home and auto insurance policies. Then, you can get quotes from several carriers that might match your needs.

Industry experts weigh in 

Additional profiles:

• Coverage A, Dwelling: $150,000, $350,000, $450,000, $750,000
• Coverage B, Other Structures: $15,000, $35,000, $45,000, &75,000
• Coverage C, Personal Property: $75,000, $175,000, $225,000, $375,000
• Coverage D, Loss of Use: $30,000, $70,000, $90,000, $150,000
• Coverage E, Liability: $500,000
• Coverage F, Medical Payments: $1,000

Bankrate Scores

Each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. Our scoring model provides a comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and highlighting where they fall short.

• Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, average quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, Demotech and the NAIC, were analyzed.
• Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
• Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways a home insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.

Tier scores are unweighted to show the company's true score in each category out of a possible five points.