The Best Home Insurance in Washington for 2024
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The average cost of homeowners insurance in Washington is $1,225 per year, or about $102 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 Washington in the following categories:
Best for affordability: Nationwide.
Best for coverage: State Farm.
Best for consumer experience: American Family and 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 Washington: Nationwide
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
In Washington, the average annual premium for Nationwide is $955, which is well below the state average of $1,225.
We like Nationwide for its wide variety of coverage options. For example, its standard homeowners insurance policy generally includes ordinance or law coverage, which can help pay to bring your home up to current building codes after a covered claim. You can add other coverage for things like identity theft and damage from backed-up sewers and drains.
Depending on how much personal assistance you need, you can get a quote for homeowners insurance on the Nationwide website or work with a local agent instead. You can also use the website to pay bills, file claims or check claim status.
Learn more with our Nationwide homeowners insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Washington 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 Washington for consumer experience: American Family and Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
American Family
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
American Family receives fewer consumer complaints than expected for a company of its size. Its user-friendly website offers features such as bill payments, claim reporting, online quotes and general insurance information.
Homeowners may be able to save on their premiums by installing smart-home devices, bundling multiple policies or setting up automatic payments.
Get more information in our American Family homeowners insurance review.
Nationwide offers a robust consumer 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 autopsy.
Learn more with our Nationwide homeowners insurance review.
Full list of the best homeowners insurance in Washington
NerdWallet analyzed home insurance companies across the state to find the best home insurance in Washington. 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 | ||
$3,180 | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
$955 | ||
$1,375 | ||
$1,095 | ||
USAA* | $1,775 | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
How much does homeowners insurance cost in Washington?
The average annual cost of home insurance in Washington is $1,225. That's 36% less than the national average of $1,915.
In most U.S. states, including Washington, 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 Washington, those with poor credit pay an average of $1,495 per year for homeowners insurance, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That’s 22% more than those with good credit.
Average cost of homeowners insurance in Washington by city
How much you pay for homeowners insurance in Washington depends on where you live. For instance, the average cost of home insurance in Seattle is $1,185 per year, while homeowners in Yakima pay $1,460 per year, on average.
City | Average annual rate | Average monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
Auburn | $1,310 | $109 |
Bellevue | $1,205 | $100 |
Bellingham | $1,160 | $97 |
Bothell | $1,260 | $105 |
Bremerton | $1,265 | $105 |
Everett | $1,290 | $108 |
Federal Way | $1,295 | $108 |
Kennewick | $1,365 | $114 |
Kent | $1,295 | $108 |
Kirkland | $1,210 | $101 |
Lakewood | $1,225 | $102 |
Lynnwood | $1,130 | $94 |
Marysville | $1,220 | $102 |
Olympia | $1,120 | $93 |
Pasco | $1,390 | $116 |
Port Orchard | $1,125 | $94 |
Puyallup | $1,380 | $115 |
Redmond | $1,205 | $100 |
Renton | $1,265 | $105 |
Seattle | $1,185 | $99 |
Snohomish | $1,220 | $102 |
Spokane | $1,270 | $106 |
Tacoma | $1,370 | $114 |
Vancouver | $1,200 | $100 |
Yakima | $1,460 | $122 |
The cheapest home insurance in Washington
Here are the insurers we found with average annual rates below the Washington average of $1,225.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
Grange Insurance Association | Not rated | $835 |
$955 | ||
Pemco | Not rated | $1,040 |
$1,095 | ||
Mutual of Enumclaw | 4.0 NerdWallet rating | $1,135 |
CIG | Not rated | $1,205 |
What to know about Washington homeowners insurance
You may face certain risks when living in Washington. Here are a few of the most common, along with steps you can take to insure your home properly against them.
Earthquakes and landslides
Standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover earthquakes or other earth movements like landslides or mudslides, so you may want to look into separate earthquake insurance or an earthquake endorsement. Be aware that earthquake insurance often has a separate deductible, which can be around 10% 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.
Wildfires
Your homeowners insurance will typically cover damage from fires. Always review your policy for exceptions and to ensure you have enough coverage in case of a total loss related to wildfire. 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. Learn more about wildfire insurance.
Flooding
Standard homeowners insurance policies typically do not 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.
Keep in mind 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
Your standard homeowners policy will cover most damage from winter weather, but carefully review the coverage in your policy, as there may be exclusions.
Be sure to take appropriate precautions to limit the risk of damage, as damage due to negligence may not be covered. For example, homeowners should keep their home temperature above 60 degrees and ensure water sources are drained or insulated to avoid the risk of flooding due to burst pipes.
Washington insurance department
The Office of the Insurance Commissioner in Washington state oversees the state’s insurance industry and provides helpful resources about insurance. If you’re having an issue with your insurance provider, you can file a complaint using its online form or by mail.
The Consumer Advocacy group can also help with your other insurance-related questions by live chat from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday, by email or by phone at 800-562-6900.
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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