The Best Home Insurance in Maryland for 2024
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The average cost of homeowners insurance in Maryland is $1,700 per year, or about $142 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 Maryland in the following categories:
Best for affordability: State Farm.
Best for coverage: Erie.
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 Maryland: State Farm
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
State Farm
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
In Maryland, the average annual premium for State Farm is $1,335, which is well below the state average of $1,700.
State Farm is a great choice for homeowners who like to work directly with a representative, as the company sells policies through a wide network of agents. And its attention to customer service has paid off; the company has fewer customer complaints to state regulators than expected for a company of its size.
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 for coverage: Erie
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Erie
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Erie offers guaranteed replacement cost for the structure of your home. With this coverage, the company will pay to rebuild your home completely after a disaster, even if the amount exceeds your dwelling limit.
Got a car to insure, too? If you bundle your home and auto insurance with Erie, you could get a discount of upwards of 16%. You may also be able to save if your home has certain safety and security features such as smoke alarms or sprinkler systems.
For more details, read our Erie home insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Maryland 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 Maryland
NerdWallet analyzed home insurance companies across the state to find the best home insurance in Maryland. 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 | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
$1,605 | ||
Not available | ||
$2,015 | ||
$1,335 | ||
$1,515 | ||
USAA* | $1,545 | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
How much does homeowners insurance cost in Maryland?
The average annual cost of home insurance in Maryland is $1,700. That’s 11% less than the national average of $1,915.
Those rates are for homeowners with no recent claims on their record. In Maryland, policyholders with one recent claim pay an average of $1,860 per year — an increase of 9%.
Average cost of homeowners insurance in Maryland by city
How much you pay for homeowners insurance in Maryland depends on where you live. For instance, the average cost of home insurance in Baltimore is $2,100 per year, while homeowners in Silver Spring pay $1,480 per year, on average.
City | Average annual rate | Average monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
Annapolis | $1,615 | $135 |
Baltimore | $2,100 | $175 |
Bel Air | $1,575 | $131 |
Bethesda | $1,460 | $122 |
Bowie | $1,800 | $150 |
Columbia | $1,430 | $119 |
Dundalk | $1,760 | $147 |
Ellicott City | $1,435 | $120 |
Fort Washington | $1,870 | $156 |
Frederick | $1,355 | $113 |
Gaithersburg | $1,465 | $122 |
Germantown | $1,430 | $119 |
Glen Burnie | $1,620 | $135 |
Hagerstown | $1,420 | $118 |
Hyattsville | $1,845 | $154 |
Laurel | $1,615 | $135 |
Owings Mills | $1,640 | $137 |
Parkville | $1,730 | $144 |
Pasadena | $1,685 | $140 |
Rockville | $1,435 | $120 |
Salisbury | $1,940 | $162 |
Silver Spring | $1,480 | $123 |
Upper Marlboro | $1,860 | $155 |
Waldorf | $1,660 | $138 |
Westminster | $1,445 | $120 |
The cheapest home insurance in Maryland
Here are the insurers we found with average annual rates below the Maryland average of $1,700.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
$1,335 | ||
$1,515 | ||
$1,605 | ||
Donegal | 4.0 NerdWallet rating | $1,610 |
Penn National | Not rated | $1,665 |
USAA* | $1,545 | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
What to know about Maryland homeowners insurance
You may face certain risks when living in Maryland. Here are a few of the most common, along with steps you can take to insure your home properly against them.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
If you live near the Maryland coast, make sure you have enough coverage for the wind and flood damage often caused by hurricanes. Wind damage is typically included in a standard homeowners policy, but flooding isn't, which we cover in the next section. Read more about hurricane insurance.
While your policy typically covers wind damage, make sure to read it closely, 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, a website from the nonprofit First Street Foundation. 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.
Winter weather
A standard homeowners policy will cover most damage from winter storms. However, some types of winter weather damage may require extra coverage.
If you have damage from water seepage caused by snowmelt, for instance, that may need to be covered under a separate flood policy. Damage caused by negligence, such as frozen pipes if you fail to keep your heat at an adequate temperature while you’re out of town, also may not be covered.
Wildfires
Homeowners insurance typically covers damage from fires, but make sure to review your policy to ensure you have enough coverage in case of wildfires.
Pay particular attention to your dwelling coverage limit. This is the amount the insurance company will pay to rebuild your house. A significant fire can destroy your whole home, so talk with your insurer to make sure you have enough coverage to rebuild if necessary.
Maryland insurance department
The Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) oversees the state’s insurance industry. Its website provides helpful resources about insurance rates and claims, as well as information to help you file a complaint against your insurance company. You can access the complaint form on the MIA website, and if you have questions about insurance complaints, you can call the MIA for help at 800-492-6116.
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.
For homeowners with a claims history, we added a single wind damage claim.
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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