Best Home Insurance Rates In Pennsylvania

Compare Homeowners Insurance In Pennsylvania

Tuesday, July 24 2018 By Jennifer Cramer

Pennsylvania is the nation’s largest producer of mushrooms. It's the second-largest producer of apples. And is historically known for its steel production. The Keystone State has produced too many athletes and actors to count. And also a number of important politicians, including the 15th President, James Buchanan. Pennsylvania was the second state ever, founded to be a place of religious freedom. That said, The Quaker State’s variable climate leads to a number of homeowners insurance risks as well.

Average Pennsylvania Homeowners Insurance Rates

How much is home insurance in Pennsylvania? Pennsylvania has homeowners insurance premiums that are lower than the national average. The average cost of homeowners insurance in the state of Pennsylvania is $913. That's well below the national average of $1,173. Only 13 states have lower average homeowners insurance rates than Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Average Annual Homeowners Insurance Rates

	2013	2014	2015
Pennsylvania Annual Average	$863	$893	$913
Pennsylvania Price Per Month	$72	$74	$76
US Annual Average	$1,096	$1,132	$1,173
US Cost Per Month	$91	$94	$98
National Rank	37	37	38
Source: https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-homeowners-and-renters-insurance

The graph below shows the change in average Pennsylvania home insurance rates from 2011 to 2015, the most recent year the data is available. According to the III, Pennsylvania homeowners insurance rates increased from $744 in 2011 to $913 in 2015, a jump of $169 dollars, or 22.72 percent.

Choosing a homeowners insurance company in Pennsylvania should be easier. Actually, it’s already easy. The key to finding the best rates is to compare home insurance quotes in Pennsylvania from multiple companies.

Best Home Insurance Companies in Pennsylvania

Most Popular Insurance Companies

Last year, these were the 10 most common home insurance companies reported by QuoteWizard users living in the state of Pennsylvania. Out of the 27,401 Pennsylvania homeowners that used QuoteWizard to request insurance quotes last year, 1,358 had no home insurance.

Best Homeowners Insurance Companies

The above list shows Pennsylvania’s most popular home insurers according to our users. But popular doesn’t always mean best.

Our study on the Best Homeowners Insurance Companies focuses on top of the line companies. In no particular order, these companies stand out among the rest:

Pennsylvania Home Insurance Company Market Share

Source: Insurance Information Institute

Rank	Company	Financial Rating	Market Share
1	Erie Insurance	A+	14.7%
2	Allstate	A+	14.7%
3	Nationwide Mutual	A+	9.2%
4	Liberty Mutual	A	8.4%
5	Travelers Companies	A+	7.6%
6	USAA Insurance	A++	3.4%
7	Chubb	A++	2.8%
8	Donegal Insurance	A	1.9%
9	Farmers Insurance	A+	1.8%

Home Insurance Rate Factors

Many different factors come into play when insurance companies calculate the cost of homeowners insurance. Some, like the age of your home, are within your control. Others, like crime rates or natural disasters, are beyond your control. Here are some of the factors that affect the cost of homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania.

Average Home Listing Prices

Home prices can greatly affect the cost of insurance in any given state. A higher average home price generally means higher premiums in that state. For Pennsylvania, the average listing price is $214,579 as of July 2015, substantially less than the national average of $284,748.

Average Burglary Rates

Burglary is a serious and sometimes violent property crime. States with higher average burglary rates generally have higher average home insurance premiums. That's because the likelihood that someone will need to file a claim is higher. In 2013, Pennsylvania’ average burglary rate was 407.3 per 100,000 people. This is much lower than the national average of 610.0 per 100,000.

States with more law enforcement per capita tend to be safer than states with fewer policemen and women. In Pennsylvania, there are 62.0 law enforcement personnel per 100,000 total citizens, almost twice the national median of 32 per 100,000.

Home Insurance Hazards

Pennsylvania is a large, geographically diverse state, with two distinct climates. On the east, it rains more and has slightly more mild winters. But, moving west, the climate becomes colder, snowier, and cloudier. But all of Pennsylvania experiences cold winters and humid summers. Pennsylvania is also susceptible to some severe weather, including tornadoes.

Cold and snowy winters: On average, Pennsylvania receives about 19 days, and about 28 inches of snow annually. But western portions of the state receive much more snow. For example, in Erie, they average about 57 days of snow per year, and over 101 inches annually. This contrasts greatly with the eastern part of the state. For example, in Lancaster, they only receive about 8 days and about 18 inches of snow, on average.

Winters in Pennsylvania are not as cold as some nearby states. But they can get quite cold. January is the coldest month of the year. To the east, in Philadelphia, January’s average high is 40 degrees and the low is 26 degrees. Further west, in Pittsburgh, the average high is 36 degrees and the low is 21 degrees. Eastern Pennsylvania also is much sunnier than Western Pennsylvania, where it is much cloudier. Philadelphia averages 93 sunny days per year, while Pittsburgh averages only 59. The cold can be a serious homeowners insurance hazard, causing pipes to freeze and break. Not all homeowners insurance policies cover this type of damage. So check with your agent or broker to make sure your home is adequately covered.

Storms and other extreme weather: Precipitation is fairly uniform year-round. But Pennsylvania experiences occasional storms and extreme weather. Eastern Pennsylvania is vulnerable to tropical storms, especially during summer and fall. Pennsylvania is further inland. So, hurricanes usually lose steam before affecting Western Pennsylvania. They still bring heavy rain and strong wind, but not many of the other conditions normally associated with hurricanes. Preparation for these storms is necessary to minimize damage, so they don’t come as a surprise.

Pennsylvania is also susceptible to tornadoes, though much less than states closer to Tornado Alley. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Pennsylvania averages 10 tornadoes per year. And, in 2012, the National Weather Service ranked Pennsylvania the #19 most tornado-prone state in the US. Tornadoes are most common in summer and fall. They're often the result of other storms, usually thunderstorms or tropical storms. In 2011, Pennsylvania experienced a record 30 tornadoes. This shows that tornadoes are a serious threat to keep in mind while searching for home insurance in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Website:

Homepage

Insurance Commissioner:

Jessica K. Altman

Insurance Hotline:

(877) 881 – 6388

Office Hours:

Monday - Friday
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

File a Consumer Insurance Complaint

Complaint Page

Sources:

• A.M. Best Insurance Carrier Ratings
• Insurance Information Institute – Home Insurance Market Share in Pennsylvania
• NAIC--Home Insurance Market Share in Pennsylvania
• Average Home Insurance Rates in Pennsylvania
• Average Home Listing Price in Pennsylvania

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