Homeowners insurance protects your biggest asset, so you want the best coverage. With so many insurance companies out there, finding the right choice can be a big task. Fortunately, we’ve done all the work for you and found the best homeowners insurance companies by price, customer satisfaction and more.
Based on a wide-ranging analysis of data and an insurance consumer survey by Insurance.com’s sister site Insure.com, our No. 1 pick overall is State Farm. It earns our top star rating for customer service, price and discounts. In second place is Auto-Owners, and Travelers landed in third.
Key takeaways
- State Farm is the best home insurance company in the U.S., based on our customer survey and third-party data.
- Auto-Owners and Travelers round out the top three best insurance companies.
- The best insurance companies offer a low price along with a good reputation for handling claims and great customer service.
- Compare the best home insurance companies
- The best homeowners insurance companies overall
- Best home insurance companies by category
- How to compare the best home insurance companies
- Types of homeowners insurance policies
- Find the best homeowners insurance in your state
- Understanding home insurance
- Methodology
Compare the best home insurance companies
There are many ways to rank insurance companies, and in the end, your needs will determine which company is best for you.
What makes a home insurance company one of the best? It starts with great rates, but also includes expanded coverage options, discounts and a solid reputation for taking good care of customers.
“The best home insurance companies will have a long-lasting, reputable business. They should be timely and fair when handling claims for their policyholders. They should be able to offer an array of coverages to fit each customer's needs, as well as offer several discounts to insureds to help save money and encourage home safety features. The 'best' home insurance companies should be able to address all customers' questions and concerns, and provide excellent customer service at all times,” says Lauren McKenzie, an insurance agent with A Plus Insurance in Liberty, S.C.
Insure.com surveyed current insurance customers and gathered average rates fielded by Quadrant Data Services. In addition, the editors gathered discount details and ratings from sources like the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and AM Best to help you compare home insurance companies with ease. See the full methodology below.
The best homeowners insurance companies overall
These companies were ranked as the best overall for 2023. Star ratings are out of five.
| Rank | Company | Overall rating | Customer satisfaction rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | ||
| 2 | Auto-Owners | ||
| 3 | Travelers | ||
| 4 | Allstate | ||
| 5 | Erie | ||
| 6 | Progressive | ||
| 7 | Nationwide | ||
| 8 | American Family | ||
| 9 | Farmers |
State Farm: 4.6 stars
State Farm is the top insurance company in America by market share, and it continues to set the gold standard for home insurance. Ranking at 4.6/5 overall, the company’s A++ AM Best rating and excellent customer service propelled it to the top spot.
State Farm operates through captive agents but has a robust online/mobile system for quoting and managing your policy.
Auto-Owners: 4 stars
The biggest downside of this company is that it isn’t available nationwide. However, in the 26 states where Auto-Owners does offer coverage, it shines. A low complaint ratio and low rates helped earn this company the second-place spot overall in our rankings.
Auto-Owners operates solely through agents, so online quoting isn’t available, which may also be a downside for those insurance shoppers who prefer to do everything online.
Travelers: 3.6 stars
Rated highly across the board for customer service, policy offerings and more, Travelers landed in the No. 3 spot on Insure.com’s survey. The company was highly recommended by its customers and has a top AM Best rating of A++.
Travelers’ average home insurance rates are higher than most others ranked, but rates vary widely by location, so they might be cheaper for you.
Allstate: 3.5 stars
Low rates and a high customer satisfaction rating landed Allstate in the No. 4 spot. One of the best-known names in insurance, Allstate is among the biggest by market share and is a very stable company.
Allstate has a good array of home insurance discounts to get rates down and also offers a solid home and auto bundling discount.
Erie: 3.4 stars
Erie Insurance isn’t offered in all states but has low rates in the state where it does operate. A 17% home and auto bundling discount sweetens the rates even more.
Customers are largely pleased with how Erie handles their policies, and the company has an A+ rating with AM Best.
Progressive: 3.1 stars
Known mostly for car insurance, Progressive has also become a top pick for home insurance. Low rates and bundling discounts attract customers, and good customer service keeps them loyal.
Progressive writes its own home insurance program in nearly every state but also offers policies through its agency with other companies.
Nationwide: 3 stars
Not quite as national as its name suggests, Nationwide home insurance is available in most, but not all states. Home insurance rates are below the national average and the company’s 22% bundling discount is likely to make it even more appealing to the budget-conscious.
The company performed well in the survey and offers a wide array of insurance products that make it a top pick for one-stop shopping.
American Family: 2.9 stars
American Family home insurance customers are pleased with the service they receive, and the survey found it came highly recommended to others. The company also offers lower-than-average home insurance rates.
American Family home insurance isn’t available in all states but performs well where coverage is offered.
Farmers: 2.4 stars
Although Farmers' rates came in above competitors on average, the company has a long, strong reputation and scores very well in terms of claims handling with J.D. Power’s independent survey.
The home and auto bundling discount is 15%, about average, and there are plenty of other discounts available from Farmers as well.
Note: While USAA was well-reviewed by customers, the company caters only to military families and veterans. If that’s you, it’s likely your best bet. However, we chose to rank the top nine among companies without eligibility requirements. Liberty Mutual and its subsidiary, Safeco, were also not ranked, as they do not provide rates to our data partner, Quadrant. Finally, several companies were not included in the rankings due to a lack of sufficient responses in the survey for an accurate comparison.
Best home insurance companies by category
Some home insurance companies really shine in particular categories. Below are the top picks from the survey for price, customer satisfaction and more.
Cheapest home insurance: Amica
At an average of $1,622 a year, Amica has the cheapest rates of any company on our list. Allstate came in second at $1,895.
Best for customer satisfaction: State Farm
In the Insure.com survey, 93% of customers said State Farm was the best for customer service, above any other company in the survey.
Best for ease of service: Travelers
Travelers customers ranked it at the top for ease of service, beating out State Farm and other top-rated companies.
Best for policy offerings: Auto-Owners
The Insure.com survey results found customers rated Auto-Owners better than any other company in the survey for policy offerings.
Most recommended: State Farm
An impressive 97% of State Farm customers said they would recommend the company to others.
Most trustworthy: State Farm
State Farm again came out on top for trust in a very difficult category. Of the State Farm customers surveyed, 83% said they trust the company.
Best for renewals: USAA
Although it wasn’t included in the overall rankings, USAA did win this category, with a small lead over Travelers. While 97% of Travelers customers plan to renew, 98% of USAA’s home insurance customers will stick with the company.
How to compare the best home insurance companies
The best insurance company for your neighbor may not be the best pick for you. That’s why it’s important to shop around and look into each company’s background.
“When choosing a home insurance company, you should look into the company to determine how long they've been in business and what their customers think of their service overall. Check out real customer reviews and look for things like billing issues, claims issues, overall customer service, etc. It is important to find an insurance provider that offers the coverages you need for your home for an affordable price. Mostly, it is important to find a home insurance company that you feel comfortable communicating with, and you feel will handle any billing issue or claim efficiently and in a timely manner,” McKenzie says.
The most important thing to remember is that a cheap rate isn’t everything. The best home insurance company for you is the one you can count on to be there when you need it.
“There is nothing more frustrating than being with an insurance company that is fighting you on your claim because they do not want to pay it or they have issues with your billing, etc. Customer service and the claims process is No. 1 when searching for a good, reputable home insurance provider,” McKenzie says.
Types of homeowners insurance policies
The most common type of homeowners insurance policy is an HO-3, which is a standard package policy. There are a few other types of policies, known as “forms” which have different codes. These provide for specific needs. Here’s an overview.
| Policy form | Type of coverage |
|---|---|
| HO-1 (Basic form) | Actual cash value (dwelling and contents), limited named perils |
| HO-2 (Broad form) | Replacement cost (dwelling), actual cash value (contents), extended list of named perils |
| HO-3 (Special form) | Replacement cost (dwelling, contents if selected), all perils. The most common home insurance policy. |
| HO-4 (Contents broad form) | Renters insurance. Covers contents, replacement cost available, all perils |
| HO-5 (Comprehensive form) | Replacement cost (dwelling and contents), all perils, higher coverage levels |
| HO-6 (Unit-owners form) | Condo insurance. Building property, personal property, all perils |
| HO-7 (Mobile home form) | HO-3 coverage for mobile homes |
| HO-8 (Modified coverage form) | Actual cash value (dwelling and contents), named perils. Coverage for homes that don’t meet other form requirements, often due to age. |
Find the best homeowners insurance in your state
Understanding home insurance
Homeowners insurancecovers a few basic things. Although the type of policy determines some of the coverage, you can expect your homeowners insurance to cover:
Dwelling. This is the calculated replacement cost of your home if it needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Personal property. This is the contents of your home, including everything from your clothes to your furniture. It’s usually set at 50-70% of the dwelling amount.
Personal liability. This pays for any damages or injuries where you are responsible, as well as legal fees, up to the limit. The most common choice for liability is $300,000.
Additional living expenses/loss of use. This coverage pays for living expenses, like a hotel room or restaurant meals, if you can’t live at home during repairs from a covered claim.
From there, a number of extra coverages are available, some of which are included and some of which are options you can add. This includes things like water and sewer backup, coverage for high-value items, and even coverage for identity theft.
Home insurance covers either named perils or all perils. The difference is that a named perils covers only the risks that are specifically listed in the policy. An all perils policy will pay for damage from any risk unless it’s specifically excluded.
Methodology
Insurance.com’s sister site, Insure.com, in the fall of 2022, surveyed more than 1,500 insurance consumers (805 people with home insurance). The survey was conducted by online market research company Slice MR.
Respondents were asked to name their home insurer and then grade it in the following categories: customer satisfaction, ease of service, claims satisfaction and policy offerings. The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results.
Respondents were then asked to rank their insurer’s top three attributes out of more than a dozen presented – including digital experience, discounts best for auto/home bundling and best for discounts. For a number one choice, five points were given; for a second choice, three points; and for a third choice, a single point. The total points for each choice – first, second and third – were then divided by the number of each company’s customers who responded to that survey question to create a percentage. Those percentages are presented in the results as survey scores.
Respondents were then asked if they would recommend their home insurer to someone else and if they planned to renew their policies. The percentage who said yes is presented in the results.
Finally, respondents were given the statement “I trust my insurance company” and asked if they strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. The percentage of those who said they agreed or strongly agreed is presented in the results.
The editors compiled the survey results and then selected – based on the number of survey responses – the top companies for further evaluation.
They then collected National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives, and AM Best data, which measures financial strength.
They also collected insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services.
With the help of Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, the editors created a rating system to determine which insurance companies were best in each sector. For home insurers, we took the following and gave each a weight.
- Survey: 40% of the total score (10% customer satisfaction, 10% recommended, 10% renewal rate and 10% claims handling)
- AM Best: 25% of total score
- Annual premium: 20% of total score
- NAIC: 15% of total score
Each insurer was awarded between 1 and 5 stars. No company in the ranking received less than 1 star in any category, and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive.
