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Finance & Markets · North America

Home insurance costs exceed property taxes in 75% of U.S. counties

Kiplinger reports that home insurance costs more than property taxes in 75% of U.S. counties. In those counties, home insurance alone averages about 14% more than property taxes, and adding car insurance raises the average gap to 30%.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 4 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 4 outlets · 1 article captured only in partHow it's made

View timeline · 5 entries
4 outletsLatest reporting 2 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 2 · R 0 · 2 unrated
Updat3 graphic: United States
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • In October, the average annual home insurance cost nationwide was $2,808, according to Insurify (per kiplinger.com).
  • Home insurance costs have increased nearly 37% nationwide over the past decade, according to Federal Reserve data (per kiplinger.com).
  • Car insurance premiums have risen more than 50% over the same decade (per kiplinger.com).
  • Home insurance rates in Nebraska have increased 79% over the past 10 years, according to a Bloomberg analysis (per kiplinger.com).
  • Kiplinger says its map can help users identify homes with lower risk and potentially lower insurance costs (per kiplinger.com).

The brief

Home insurance costs exceed property taxes in 75% of U.S. counties, Kiplinger reports, citing a Bloomberg analysis of insurance expenses. The comparison also includes car insurance: in those counties, the combined insurance bill is substantially higher than property taxes.

Kiplinger says home insurance alone averages about 14% more than property taxes in the counties where insurance costs are higher. Adding car insurance increases the average difference to 30%, according to the Bloomberg analysis. These figures describe averages across the affected counties, rather than a uniform bill for every homeowner.

The nationwide annual average for home insurance reached $2,808 in October, according to Insurify, as cited by Kiplinger. That figure provides a national benchmark alongside the county comparison, though the article does not identify individual counties or give household-level estimates. The article also points to changes over time.

Federal Reserve data show home insurance costs rising nearly 37% nationwide over the past decade. Car insurance premiums increased by more than 50% over the same period, according to the excerpt. In Nebraska, home insurance rates climbed 79% over the past 10 years, a figure Kiplinger attributes to Bloomberg’s analysis.

Kiplinger frames the county comparison as a budgeting concern for homeowners facing insurance expenses alongside property taxes. Its account says the combined costs are higher than property taxes in three-quarters of counties, while the figures for home insurance alone and for home and car insurance together show different average gaps.

The article does not provide a breakdown of how the comparison varies among those counties. For readers assessing a home’s potential insurance costs, Kiplinger points to a risk map. It says selecting a home with lower risk on the map can lead to insurance savings. The account does not quantify those potential savings, but presents the map as a way to identify lower-risk homes.

The central figures in the comparison are the 75% county share and the average 14% gap for home insurance alone, increasing to 30% when car insurance is included.

Why it matters

  • Homeowners in 75% of U.S. counties face insurance costs that, combined, exceed property taxes; home insurance alone averages about 14% more than property taxes in those counties.
  • Adding car insurance raises the average insurance-cost gap to 30%, increasing the expense homeowners must weigh against property taxes.
  • Kiplinger cites nationwide home insurance increases of nearly 37% over the past decade and car insurance premium increases above 50% over the same period.

What to watch next

  • Whether Kiplinger’s risk map identifies lower-risk homes that could bring insurance savings, as the outlet says it can.
  • How the county-level comparison varies across the 75% of U.S. counties where combined insurance costs exceed property taxes.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
4 source articles · 4 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 2 Center · 2 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Unknown 50%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
2 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 2 unrated outlets are not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
4 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Benjamin Franklin and others founded the Philadelphia Contributionship to insure homes against fire.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the McCarran-Ferguson Act, affirming states’ authority to regulate insurance.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program through the National Flood Insurance Act.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. NOAA counted 28 U.S. weather and climate disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damage.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. By 2024, U.S. homeowners insurers were contending with repeated costly disasters: NOAA counted 27 weather and climate disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damage that year.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

By 2024, U.S. homeowners insurers were contending with repeated costly disasters: NOAA counted 27 weather and climate disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damage that year. Federal Reserve data cited by Kiplinger showed home insurance costs had risen nearly 37% over the preceding decade, while a Bloomberg analysis reported a 79% increase in Nebraska over 10 years.

The institutional framework for insurance pricing dates to the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945, which affirmed states’ authority to regulate the insurance business. A key distinction in coverage was established when Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968.

Original sources

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