How Much Is Homeowners Insurance in Washington State? What the Regulator Data Shows

$1,151 a year. That's the average premium for a standard HO-3 homeowners policy in Washington, from NAIC data published by the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). The U.S. average was $1,569. Washington ranked 37th of 51, where 1 is the most expensive state, and paid about 73% of the national average.

The catch is the year. That figure is for 2022, and it's the newest state average I can verify. The NAIC has published its report on 2023 data, but I couldn't read its state tables, so I'm not quoting a 2023 number. What I can show is what happened to the Washington market since then, from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner's (OIC) own filings: homeowners insurers wrote 85% more premium in 2025 than in 2020.

So the honest answer to "how much is homeowners insurance in Washington" is: a lot less than in most states, more than it used to be, and the average tells you very little about your own bill. Below is what the regulator data says, what drives your price, and how to check whether you're paying for the right things.

Source: NAIC data via Triple-I (2022 averages); OIC Market Information Reports (premiums written); OIC, Feb. 6, 2026 (nonrenewals and cancellations).

What the Washington average actually measures

Before you hold your own bill up against $1,151, know what that number is. Per the footnotes on Triple-I's table, it's the NAIC average for the HO-3 policy on owner-occupied one- to four-family homes, the most common package written. It's calculated as total premiums divided by "house-years" (one home insured for 365 days), and it includes state funds and residual markets.

Three things follow from that:

• It isn't a quote. It blends a small rambler in Spokane Valley with a large house on Mercer Island. Your price depends on the house, the location and the coverage you pick.
• It's HO-3 only. Renters (HO-4) averaged $162 in Washington in 2022 against $171 nationally. Condo unit owners (HO-6) and the broader HO-5 form aren't in the $1,151.
• It lags. The newest NAIC report covers 2023, and I couldn't verify its Washington figure. A 2022 average doesn't capture the renewals people have been opening since.

Quote and comparison websites publish newer "average cost" figures. Those are typically modeled from sample quotes, not regulator data, so I don't use them here. If you see one, look for how it was calculated before you anchor on it.

Washington vs. Oregon, Idaho and the U.S.

Montana$1,639United States$1,569California$1,492Washington$1,151Idaho$1,002Oregon$893

Source: NAIC data via Triple-I; California data from the California Department of Insurance

Show the numbers

State	Average premium
Montana	$1,639
United States	$1,569
California	$1,492
Washington	$1,151
Idaho	$1,002
Oregon	$893

Washington sits in a cheap corner of the country. Oregon had the lowest average in the nation in 2022 at $893, and Idaho ranked 46th at $1,002. Montana was $1,639.

The gap to the national average is $418 a year. My read: part of the gap is what's missing from the policy. Washington doesn't get hurricanes, and the standard policy doesn't cover one of the state's biggest natural risks, earthquake, at all. That's bought separately, at a separate price (see the earthquake insurance post).

• Washington
• Oregon
• United States

$0$500$1,000$1,500$2,000

$1,151$893$1,569

2013201620192022

Source: NAIC data via Triple-I: 2022 state table and archived state tables (2013 to 2021)

Show the numbers

	Washington	Oregon	United States
2013	$676	$568	$1,096
2014	$695	$574	$1,132
2015	$811	$643	$1,173
2016	$822	$659	$1,192
2017	$854	$677	$1,211
2018	$881	$706	$1,249
2019	$908	$727	$1,272
2020	$937	$735	$1,311
2021	$1,001	$793	$1,411
2022	$1,151	$893	$1,569

Source: NAIC data via Triple-I archived tables and current table; changes calculated.

Cheap doesn't mean flat. Washington's average rose 70% over those nine years, against 43% nationally, and only Idaho and Montana rose faster in this group. The last year in the series was the steepest: up 15% from 2021 to 2022, from $1,001 to $1,151. One caution: Washington, Oregon and Idaho all jump 12% to 17% between 2014 and 2015, which may reflect a change in the data rather than prices, so I wouldn't read much into that single step.

What happened after 2022

For the years since, the most useful regulator data I can verify isn't an average per home. It's the total. Every year the OIC publishes a Market Information Report built from insurers' NAIC filings, with premiums written and losses for each line of insurance in the state.

$0.00B$2.00B$4.00B$6.00B

$2.07B

$2.25B

$2.48B

$2.81B

$3.41B

$3.83B

202020212022202320242025

Source: OIC Market Information Reports, Appendix A: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Show the numbers

	Premiums written
2020	$2.07B
2021	$2.25B
2022	$2.48B
2023	$2.81B
2024	$3.41B
2025	$3.83B

Homeowners insurers wrote $2.07 billion of premium in Washington in 2020 and $3.83 billion in 2025, up 85%. The biggest single jump was 2024, up 21.6% on 2023, followed by another 12.4% in 2025.

Be careful with what this shows. It's the whole market, so it grows when prices go up, but also when there are more insured homes, bigger dwelling limits, or more people buying the broader HO-5 form. It isn't the same as "the average bill went up 85%". It does tell you money is moving in one direction.

The loss ratio helps explain why. It's the share of earned premium that went out as losses, before any of the costs of handling claims or running the business.

0.0%25.0%50.0%75.0%100.0%

55.5%

63.6%

78.2%

75.9%

71.6%

45.9%

202020212022202320242025

Source: OIC Market Information Reports, Appendix A, 2020 to 2025

Show the numbers

	Loss ratio
2020	55.5%
2021	63.6%
2022	78.2%
2023	75.9%
2024	71.6%
2025	45.9%

From 2022 through 2024, losses ate 78.2%, 75.9% and 71.6% of earned premium, before claim-handling costs, agent commissions, reinsurance or taxes. The OIC's own description of how rate increases get approved fits that pattern: Generally, rates increase when insurance companies can provide financial evidence that the costs to pay for claims and administrative costs is outpacing revenue from premiums (OIC).

Claims also got bigger. Nationally, the average amount paid per homeowners claim rose from $13,884 in 2019 to $20,062 in 2023, up 44.5%, per ISO data published by Triple-I. That's U.S. data, not Washington's, but it matches what the OIC says in plain words: Repairs now cost more and take longer, so insurers spend more time and money processing claims (OIC).

2025 was a much better year for insurers here, at 45.9%. Two cautions before anyone reads that as relief: one good year doesn't erase three bad ones in a rate filing, and the 2025 figures were reported before the August 2026 fires around Spokane. I wouldn't count on that year to bring renewals down.

What sets your premium

The OIC doesn't set home insurance rates. Each insurer files its rates, and the OIC's actuaries review them and either approve or deny them against the legal standard that rates be reasonable, and not excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory (OIC). Your premium is the insurer's base rate, adjusted up or down by its rating factors. Here's what the OIC lists, and what you can do about each.

Source: OIC, A consumer’s guide to homeowner insurance (rev. 3/26); OIC, How insurance companies set homeowner rates. "What you can do" column is my summary.

The first row is the one I'd spend time on. The dwelling limit moves the premium, and it's tempting to trim it. Don't. The OIC guide notes that the cost to rebuild may exceed the home's market value or sale price, and that most policies adjust the dwelling limit automatically at renewal, so review it every year. An underinsured house can turn a partial claim into a smaller check and a total loss into a gap of six figures; the homeowners insurance guide walks through the 80% rule with numbers.

Deductibles are the cleanest lever. The OIC suggests a higher deductible to reduce your rate, and notes that a mortgage lender may require a minimum. The test I'd use: pick a deductible you could pay this month without borrowing.

Credit-based insurance scores in Washington

Yes, credit can still affect what you pay for home insurance in Washington. The OIC tried to stop that and lost.

The rules are in RCW 48.18.545, which covers homeowners, condo, renters, dwelling and earthquake policies:

• An insurer can't cancel or nonrenew your policy based in whole or in part on your credit history or insurance score.
• It can use credit to deny coverage only in combination with other substantive underwriting factors, and never because you have no credit history, because of the number of credit inquiries, medical collection accounts, or a new mortgage or car loan.
• It can use credit to price your policy. If credit leads to a higher premium than you'd otherwise get, that's an "adverse action," and the insurer has to tell you in writing the significant factors behind it and that you're entitled to a free copy of your consumer report.
• If disputed credit information got you placed with a higher-priced affiliate company, and you resolve the dispute through the federal credit dispute process and tell the insurer in writing, it has to re-rate the policy back to the start of the current term.

The previous commissioner adopted a rule temporarily banning credit-based pricing, to protect policyholders hit financially during the pandemic. On July 29, 2022, a Thurston County Superior Court judge ruled that he had followed the proper procedure but exceeded his statutory authority, because a specific state law allows insurers to use credit scoring. The OIC didn't appeal, and the final order of August 29, 2022 gave insurers the option to go back to using credit. Per the OIC, some had already gone back during the court's stay and others hadn't.

Since then, the fight moved to the Legislature. SB 5589, requested by the Insurance Commissioner, would have the OIC study credit-based insurance scores and other rating factors that may have disparate impacts. It passed the Senate 29 to 20 in March 2025, stalled in the House, and as of today sits in the Senate Rules "X" file. It isn't law.

What to do with that: if your renewal jumped and nothing changed about the house, ask whether credit was a factor, and pull your credit reports. An error there is one of the few premium drivers you can get corrected.

Wildfire: scores, deductibles and nonrenewals

Wildfire is where the state average hides the most. A house at the forest edge outside Spokane and a house on a city lot in Tacoma are both in the $1,151, but insurers don't price them the same way.

Insurers use third-party wildfire risk models that give your home a score, based on building materials, nearby vegetation, location and defensible space (OIC). The OIC says those scores are used for eligibility and pricing, and that they're separate from the fire protection ratings the Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau assigns to communities. In 2026 the Senate passed a bill 48 to 1 that would have required insurers to disclose the score, explain it, and let homeowners appeal after mitigation work. It died in a House committee. The commissioner has listed an updated version as a 2027 priority (OIC).

Two more things to check if you're in fire country:

• A separate wildfire deductible. The OIC says it's seeing policies in some higher-risk areas with separate, higher deductibles for wildfire damage, and tells homeowners to check the declarations page so they aren't surprised.
• Nonrenewal risk. Per the OIC, the number of Washington homeowners nonrenewed or canceled has doubled since 2021, from 11,763 to 24,106, and some of those were due to a wildfire risk score (OIC). Those numbers cover all reasons, not only wildfire.

After the Spokane Complex Fires in August, the OIC has been holding monthly claims workshops in Spokane; the third, on October 12, was set to cover replacement estimates and debris removal, and the OIC posts recordings online (OIC). The wildfire insurance post covers the claim side in detail.

When the renewal goes up: your right to ask why

Washington gives you a specific right at renewal: you can make the insurer explain a premium increase. The rule is chapter 284-30A WAC, and it applies to home, condo, renters and manufactured home policies (plus auto). It covers renewals, not new policies, and not increases caused by changes you asked for.

Two dates are close. Starting November 1, 2026, renewal notices, renewal emails and renewal bills have to carry a "Did my premium go up?" notice telling you that you can ask in writing, including by email, with an email and mailing address to send it to. Starting March 1, 2027, the answer has to include up to the top three primary factors behind the increase. The rule's list of primary factors includes claims history, discounts, fees and surcharges, credit history, property factors such as age, location and value, and rate changes. From January 1, 2029, an increase of 10% or more triggers a notice automatically, at least 20 days before renewal.

Once the insurer receives your written request, it has 20 calendar days to respond. Here's how the 10% line works on a renewal:

Source: hypothetical premiums; rules from WAC 284-30A-040 and -050 (as amended by WSR 26-15-007, effective Aug. 2, 2026).

My read: send the request every time the renewal goes up by an amount you'd notice. It costs a short email. The answer tells you whether the increase is something you can change (a lost discount, a claim surcharge, a credit factor, an outdated roof record) or a rate change that hits everyone with that insurer, which is the signal to compare.

Reading your declarations page for cost

The declarations page is the one or two pages at the front of your policy that list your coverages, limits, deductibles and premium. The OIC's advice is to review it to make sure the policy includes the coverage you asked for. For cost, here's what I look at, in order:

1. Total premium and any itemized charges. Some policies list endorsements with their own premium. That's where sewer backup, scheduled jewelry or extended replacement cost show up as dollars.
2. Coverage A (dwelling). Compare it with a current rebuild estimate. If it went up at renewal, that's part of why the premium went up; it may be the right increase.
3. Policy form. HO-3, HO-5 or something narrower. The form decides how broadly the house and your belongings are covered, so a change of form changes the price.
4. Contents valuation. Replacement cost or actual cash value. Replacement cost costs more and pays more.
5. Every deductible. The all-perils deductible, plus any separate wildfire, wind or earthquake deductible. A percentage deductible is a percentage of a limit, not of the claim.
6. Discounts applied. Multi-policy, protective devices, claim-free. If one disappeared, ask why.

Two big risks won't be on a standard policy at all: flood and earthquake. Both cost extra and both are separate decisions. Our Washington flood insurance page covers the flood side.

How to compare quotes without fooling yourself

The quote with the lowest number usually isn't the same product. Before comparing prices, make the quotes match:

Source: my checklist; rating factors per the OIC homeowner insurance guide (rev. 3/26).

Then look past price. Two OIC tools help:

• The complaint comparison tool compares complaint data for home insurers, so you can see how service is trending.
• SERFF Filing Access lets you read the rate filings insurers make with the OIC.

If you'd rather have someone line the quotes up for you, our Washington home insurance page explains how we work, and the Washington insurance FAQ answers the common questions. And if an insurer won't explain an increase or a nonrenewal the way the rules require, the OIC's consumer advocates take calls at 800-562-6900, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the complaint post covers the steps.

FAQ

How much is homeowners insurance in Washington state?

The newest state average I can verify is for 2022: $1,151 a year for an HO-3 policy in Washington, compared with $1,569 for the U.S., based on NAIC data published by Triple-I. Your own premium depends on your dwelling limit, location, construction, deductible, claims history and credit-based insurance score.

Why is my homeowners insurance going up in Washington?

The OIC says premiums rise when the cost to repair or replace homes goes up, and insurers get rate increases approved when claim and administrative costs outpace premiums. Your own increase can also come from a higher dwelling limit, a claim, a lost discount or a credit factor. You can ask your insurer in writing to explain a renewal increase, and it must answer within 20 calendar days.

Can insurers use my credit score for home insurance in Washington?

Yes, for pricing. Under RCW 48.18.545 an insurer can't cancel or nonrenew a policy because of credit, and can use credit to deny coverage only in combination with other underwriting factors. A 2022 court ruling struck down the OIC's temporary ban on credit-based pricing.

Is homeowners insurance cheaper in Washington than in Oregon or Idaho?

No. In 2022 the average HO-3 premium was $893 in Oregon, the lowest in the nation, $1,002 in Idaho and $1,151 in Washington, per NAIC data published by Triple-I. All three were below the U.S. average of $1,569.

Your own policy wording and Washington law control what you pay and what a policy covers. Confirm your situation with a licensed agent, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner or, for legal questions, an attorney.

Sources

1. Triple-I: Facts and statistics, homeowners and renters insurance (NAIC and ISO data)
2. Triple-I: Archived average homeowners premiums by state (NAIC data)
3. NAIC: Homeowners insurance report, Data for 2023
4. WA OIC: Market Information Reports
5. WA OIC: 2025 Market Information Report, Appendix A
6. WA OIC: 2024 Market Information Report, Appendix A
7. WA OIC: 2023 Market Information Report, Appendix A
8. WA OIC: 2022 Market Information Report, Appendix A
9. WA OIC: 2021 Market Information Report, Appendix A
10. WA OIC: 2020 Market Information Report, Appendix A
11. WA OIC: How we review auto and homeowner rates
12. WA OIC: How insurance companies set homeowner rates
13. WA OIC: A consumer's guide to homeowner insurance (rev. 3/26)
14. WA OIC: SERFF Filing Access
15. WA OIC: Complaint comparison tool
16. WA OIC: Wildfires and insurance
17. WA OIC: Wildfire risk score transparency
18. WA OIC: Washington consumers most at risk from wildfires deserve our help (Feb. 6, 2026)
19. WA OIC: Oct. 12 wildfire claims workshop (Oct. 6, 2026)
20. WA OIC: Court rules on credit score ban (July 29, 2022)
21. WA OIC: Final order on credit scoring decision (Aug. 29, 2022)
22. RCW 48.18.545, use of credit history in personal insurance
23. Chapter 284-30A WAC, premium change transparency
24. Washington State Legislature: SB 5589 (2025-26)