Key Takeaways
- USAA and Armed Forces Insurance offer a combination of low rates and quality customer service exclusively to military families.
- Progressive has the cheapest homeowners insurance for military members, offering rates that average $1,165 a year.
- USAA and Travelers have the highest Military Friendly ratings among home insurance providers.
In this article
Best homeowners insurance companies for military
Based on a combination of price and customer-service ratings, USAA, Armed Forces Insurance and Progressive are the best home insurance companies for military members and veterans.
Best overall for military: USAA
- Average rate: $1,291 a year
- Satisfaction rating: 884
- Financial strength: A++ (AM Best)
- Military Friendly workplace status: Gold
USAA delivers on its promise to serve the military community, including families of current and former service members, with a combination of low rates and highly-rated customer service. USAA’s Military Friendly rating is also tops among home insurance companies.
Highest overall satisfaction rating among all home insurance companies by J.D. Power.
Lower rates than most other home insurance companies.
Generous discounts for bundling car insurance with your homeowners policy.
Military uniforms and gear are protected under your normal personal property coverage, with no deductible for losses from a fire or other covered peril.
USAA does not provide a dedicated agent. With other companies, you can often lean on a dedicated agent for insurance advice for your specific needs.
Best for individual service: Armed Forces Insurance
- Average rate: $1,287 a year
- Financial strength: A (Demotech)
- Military Friendly workplace status: Bronze
In addition to offering low home insurance rates, Armed Forces Insurance can also check to see if another insurance company in its network can offer you a lower price. This takes some of the legwork out of the shopping process for you.
Competitive rates on home insurance for active-duty military and veterans.
Ability to compare its own rates to those available from other home insurers in its network.
Dedicated agents available to help you get the right coverage and find discounts for you.
The other companies in its network do not include major players such as State Farm, Allstate or Farmers.
Armed Forces Insurance opted out of AM Best’s ratings in 2022 after receiving a downgrade.
With less than $500 million in annual revenue, Armed Forces Insurance is relatively small. The other companies in our analysis earn more than $5 billion a year.
Cheapest military rates: Progressive
- Average rate: $1,165 a year
- Satisfaction rating: 801
- Financial strength: A++
- Military Friendly workplace status: Bronze
Although Progressive does not cater exclusively to the military community, it offers cheaper homeowners rates to military homeowners than the best-known companies that do.
Cheapest homeowners insurance rates for active duty military.
Bundling homeowners policy with your car insurance saves you more money.
Progressive offers a wider range of coverage than other companies for motorcycles, boats and RVs, along with additional discounts for bundling your insurance for these items with your home and auto policies.
Progressive’s satisfaction rating for homeowners insurance is below the segment average.
Other home insurance companies for military families
Although some companies cater exclusively to the military community, you may get a better deal from a company available to the general public.
For example:
- State Farm generally offers low rates to customers from a wide range of backgrounds, including those with a military background.
- Farmers and Liberty Mutual offer auto insurance discounts to current and former members of the military. This can contribute to a sizable savings when you bundle your home and auto insurance with either of these companies.
- GEICO also offers military discounts on car insurance. Although GEICO does not provide homeowners insurance itself, it does offer a bundling discount for customers who purchase home insurance from one of its home insurance partners.
- Current and former military members who join Navy Credit Federal Union can get a discount on homeowners insurance through TruStage.
How much is homeowners insurance for military members?
The average cost of homeowners insurance for active duty military is $1,720 a year, or $143 a month. The actual price you pay depends on several factors, including:
- The age, location, size and construction features of your home
- Your insurance history and, in most states, your credit
- Any discounts you are eligible to receive
Since insurance companies each weigh these factors differently and offer different discounts, you may qualify for a lower rate with one company than you do with others. This is why it’s best to compare quotes from multiple companies when you shop.
Which home insurance companies are cheapest for the military?
Even though Progressive does not exclusively serve the military community, it offers the cheapest home insurance for active-duty servicemembers, $1,165 a year.
The next-best rates are available from Armed Forces Insurance, $1,287 a year, and USAA, $1,291 a year. Both companies cater specifically to the military families.
| Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|
| Progressive | $1,165 |
| Armed Forces Insurance | $1,287 |
| USAA | $1,291 |
| Nationwide | $1,338 |
| Allstate | $1,464 |
| State Farm | $1,616 |
| Travelers | $1,721 |
| Farmers | $1,907 |
| Rates are for a 45-year-old male homeowner currently serving in the Navy. Your rates may vary. | |
Which home insurers have the best ratings?
USAA has the highest overall customer satisfaction score among all large homeowners insurance companies nationwide. Travelers has the best complaint rating from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
J.D. Power’s overall customer satisfaction index rankings are based on customer surveys rating insurance companies on factors such as policy offerings, price and claims satisfaction. USAA’s score of 884, on a 1,000-point scale, is the highest among all home insurance companies nationwide.
| Company | Satisfaction score |
|---|---|
| USAA | 884 |
| State Farm | 829 |
| Segment average | 819 |
| Nationwide | 816 |
| Allstate | 815 |
| Progressive | 801 |
| Travelers | 794 |
| Farmers | 792 |
| Armed Forces Insurance | Not included |
| Sources: J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Home Insurance Study | |
The NAIC’s Complaint Index compares insurance companies by confirmed complaints, which is a complaint that leads to a finding of fault. A company with a 2.0 rating has twice as many confirmed complaints as expected for its size, while one with a 0.5 rating has half as many.
Travelers has the lowest, or best, Complaint Index rating among the companies in our analysis, 0.08, followed by USAA, 0.31.
| Company | Complaint rating |
|---|---|
| Travelers | 0.08 |
| USAA | 0.31 |
| Allstate | 0.33 |
| Armed Forces Insurance | 0.33 |
| State Farm | 0.35 |
| Farmers | 0.38 |
| Nationwide | 0.54 |
| Progressive | 1.29 |
| Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 2022 | |
How much insurance do I need for a VA loan?
The home insurance requirements for VA loans are similar to those for other types of mortgages.
You typically have to insure your home at its replacement cost value, which is the estimated price of rebuilding it from the ground up in the event of a total loss. Most insurance companies use software to estimate your home’s replacement value, but you should make sure the information they have about your home is accurate.
The remainder of your home insurance coverages are typically offered in default amounts that you can adjust to meet your needs.
If the home is in a high-risk flood zone, you’ll also need to get flood insurance.
Insurance considerations for deployments
Although members of the military receive the same homeowners insurance coverages as civilians for day-to-day life, deployments require additional insurance considerations.
- Occupancy clause: Most insurance policies contain an occupancy clause that excludes coverage for a home that is left unoccupied for a certain amount of time, usually more than 30 or 60 days. If you may be deployed, find out if and how the companies you contact for quotes can accommodate you if you are called to duty.
- War zone exclusions: The personal property protections in homeowners insurance typically covers your possessions anywhere in the world, including military bases outside of war zones. However, most policies exclude coverage for property damaged or destroyed inside a war zone.
Which home insurance companies are military friendly?
Eight homeowners insurance companies are recognized as 2023 Military Friendly Employers by Viqtory, which owns the nation’s most highly regarded military-friendly ratings system.
Viqtory’s Military Friendly ratings reflect companies’ commitment to hiring and promoting veterans.
Although this does not directly equate to low home insurance rates for current or former members of the military, you can still feel good about supporting a Military Friendly Employer.
| Company | Ratings tier | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces Insurance | Bronze | Less than $500 million |
| Farmers | Bronze | Over $5 billion |
| Liberty Mutual | Bronze | Over $5 billion |
| Progressive | Bronze | Over $5 billion |
| State Farm | Bronze | Over $5 billion |
| Travelers | Silver | Over $5 billion |
| The Hartford | Bronze | Over $5 billion |
| USAA | Gold | Over $5 billion |
| Viqtory: 2023 Military Friendly Employers | ||
Viqtory’s ratings recognize companies with the highest ratings in each of four categories, based on revenue, plus a separate category for government and non-profit organizations. The highest ratings tier in each category is top 10, followed by gold, silver and bronze.
USAA’s gold designation is the highest rating for home insurers in Viqtory’s 2023 rankings, and Travelers is the only one with a silver designation.
Methodology
Homeowners insurance rates are based on an analysis of non-binding quotes obtained from Quadrant Information Services for sample customers in California, Georgia and Ohio.
Our sample customer is a married 45-year-old male currently serving in the U.S. Navy. Sample home insurance policies include the following coverage limits and deductible:
- Dwelling: $275,000
- Other structures: $27,5000
- Personal property: $137,500
- Personal liability: $100,000
- Guest medical: $5,000
- All-perils deductible: $1,000
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