The Best Home Insurance in Arkansas for 2024
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The average cost of homeowners insurance in Arkansas is $3,355 per year, or about $280 per month, according to a NerdWallet analysis. For comparison, the national average is $1,915 per year.
NerdWallet analyzed data from numerous insurance companies to help you find the best home insurance in Arkansas in the following categories:
Best for affordability: Travelers.
Best for coverage: State Farm.
Best for consumer experience: Nationwide.
The rates in our analysis are estimates based on many factors, so your rate may differ.
Note: Some insurance companies included in this article may have made changes in their underwriting practices and no longer issue new policies in your state.
Best affordable homeowners insurance in Arkansas: Travelers
Travelers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Travelers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
In Arkansas, the average annual premium for Travelers is $2,475, which is well below the state average of $3,355.
Travelers offers a robust online experience. You can use the website to get a homeowners insurance quote, file and track claims, make payments, and learn about insurance basics.
Its coverage offerings are similarly strong. For example, you may be able to add extra coverage in case the dwelling limit on your home isn’t enough to rebuild your house after a disaster. One unique option is Travelers’ green home coverage, which pays extra if you want to use eco-friendly materials when repairing or rebuilding your home after a covered claim.
Learn more in our Travelers homeowners insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Arkansas for coverage: State Farm
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
State Farm
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
As America’s largest insurer, State Farm stands out for its long list of coverage options. Its policies generally include extra dwelling coverage in case it costs more than expected to rebuild your home after a covered disaster. You may also be able to add coverage for things like identity theft, damage from backed-up drains and personal injury liability.
State Farm offers a free Ting device as a perk for home insurance policyholders. Ting is a smart plug that monitors your home’s electrical network to help prevent fires.
Learn more with our State Farm homeowners insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Arkansas for consumer experience: Nationwide
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Nationwide offers a robust digital experience for its customers, including a website that makes it easy to manage policies, file and track claims, and set up automatic billing. It also has a highly rated app for Android and iOS that allows customers to file and track claims, review policy documents, and set up autopay.
In addition, Nationwide’s customers have several ways to get assistance, such as reaching out to their agent or calling the company’s customer service hotline. Outside of business hours, they can use the Nationwide website to get proof of insurance, pay bills and schedule callbacks. A chatbot is also available to answer basic questions.
Learn more with our Nationwide homeowners insurance review.
Full list of the best homeowners insurance in Arkansas
NerdWallet analyzed home insurance companies across the state to find the best home insurance in Arkansas. Here are all of the insurers that received a NerdWallet star rating of 4.5 or higher:
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
$5,455 | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
$3,460 | ||
$3,115 | ||
$2,475 | ||
USAA* | $3,040 | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
How much does homeowners insurance cost in Arkansas?
The average annual cost of home insurance in Arkansas is $3,355. That’s 75% more than the national average of $1,915.
In most U.S. states, including Arkansas, many insurers use your credit-based insurance score to help set rates. Your insurance score is similar but not identical to your traditional credit score.
In Arkansas, those with poor credit pay an average of $6,175 per year for homeowners insurance, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That’s 84% more than what those with good credit pay.
Average cost of homeowners insurance in Arkansas by city
How much you pay for homeowners insurance in Arkansas depends on where you live. For instance, the average cost of home insurance in Little Rock is $3,310 per year, while homeowners in Fayetteville pay $3,245 per year, on average.
City | Average annual rate | Average monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
Batesville | $3,710 | $309 |
Bella Vista | $3,250 | $271 |
Benton | $3,345 | $279 |
Bentonville | $3,280 | $273 |
Cabot | $3,415 | $285 |
Conway | $3,300 | $275 |
El Dorado | $3,650 | $304 |
Fayetteville | $3,245 | $270 |
Fort Smith | $3,770 | $314 |
Harrison | $3,335 | $278 |
Hot Springs | $3,360 | $280 |
Jacksonville | $3,500 | $292 |
Jonesboro | $3,505 | $292 |
Little Rock | $3,310 | $276 |
Mountain Home | $3,355 | $280 |
North Little Rock | $3,500 | $292 |
Paragould | $3,755 | $313 |
Pine Bluff | $3,285 | $274 |
Rogers | $3,280 | $273 |
Russellville | $3,405 | $284 |
Searcy | $3,485 | $290 |
Sherwood | $3,500 | $292 |
Springdale | $3,245 | $270 |
Texarkana | $3,475 | $290 |
Van Buren | $3,600 | $300 |
The cheapest home insurance in Arkansas
Here are the insurers we found with average annual rates below the Arkansas average of $3,355.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
$2,475 | ||
$3,115 | ||
USAA* | $3,040 | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
What to know about Arkansas homeowners insurance
You may face certain risks when living in Arkansas. Here are a few of the most common, along with steps you can take to insure your home properly against them.
Tornadoes
Wind damage, including any caused by tornadoes, is often covered by a standard homeowners insurance policy. Read your policy closely, though, as you may have a separate wind deductible. These are often a flat rate, such as $1,000, or a percentage of your dwelling coverage. For example, your policy may have a $1,000 deductible for most claims and a 1% deductible for wind claims. So if your house has $250,000 worth of dwelling coverage, you’d have to pay for the first $2,500 of wind damage yourself.
Flooding
Standard homeowners insurance policies typically don't cover flood damage. As a result, homeowners in flood-prone areas may need to purchase separate flood insurance to protect their property from water damage.
To find out if you’re at risk, check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood maps or visit RiskFactor.com. Even if your property is deemed low risk, it may be worthwhile to purchase flood insurance for extra peace of mind.
Remember that while you can purchase flood coverage anytime, there’s typically a 30-day waiting period before the insurance takes effect. Here’s more information about flood insurance and waiting periods.
Hail
Hail damage is typically included in your standard home insurance policy, but make sure to read your policy closely, as it may come with a separate deductible.
Earthquakes
Standard homeowners insurance policies don't typically cover structural damage due to an earthquake. If you live in an area with higher risk, consider purchasing additional earthquake insurance. Be aware that earthquake insurance often has a separate deductible, which can be around 5% to 25% of the coverage on your policy. For example, if you have a 20% deductible on $200,000 of coverage, you would need to pay a $40,000 deductible for earthquake damage before your insurance kicks in.
Arkansas insurance department
The Arkansas Insurance Department regulates the state’s insurance industry and provides helpful information, as well as consumer protection. If you need to file a complaint against your insurance company, you can do so using the online Consumer Complaint Form.
If you have questions about filing a complaint or about insurance protections the Arkansas Insurance Department can offer, contact the Consumer Services division at 800-852-5494 or by email at [email protected].
Amanda Shapland contributed to this story.
NerdWallet calculated median rates for 40-year-old homeowners from various insurance companies in every ZIP code across the state. All rates are rounded to the nearest $5.
Sample homeowners were nonsmokers with good credit living in a single-family, two-story home built in 1984. They had a $1,000 deductible and the following coverage limits:
$300,000 in dwelling coverage.
$30,000 in other structures coverage.
$150,000 in personal property coverage.
$60,000 in loss of use coverage.
$300,000 in liability coverage.
$1,000 in medical payments coverage.
We made minor changes to the sample policy in cases where rates for the above coverage limits or deductibles weren’t available.
We changed the credit tier from “good” to “poor,” as reported to the insurer, to see rates for homeowners with poor credit.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
Star rating methodology
NerdWallet’s homeowners insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, coverages, discounts and online experience. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our full homeowners insurance rating methodology.
Complaint methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2020-2022. To assess how insurers compare with one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
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