Compare Homeowners Insurance In West Virginia
How much does homeowners insurance cost in West Virginia? Home insurance in West Virginia runs an average of $958 a year. This is $257 below the national average. To help you find your best home insurance provider, we looked at premiums, policy offerings and customer satisfaction levels of home insurance companies in West Virginia. Here's who came out on top:
- Lowest home insurance rates: Erie
- Runner-up for lowest premiums: Allstate
- Best for pet-owning households: State Farm
- Best overall customer satisfaction: USAA
How much does home insurance cost in West Virginia?
Homeowners insurance in West Virginia is currently $80 a month on average. Below is a table showing the changes in West Virginia home insurance rates from 2015 to now. Annual increases in West Virginia's average home insurance rates stay fairly consistent over the years:
|
|
Today | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia annual average | $958 | $940 | $917 | $907 |
| West Virginia monthly rate | $80 | $78 | $76 | $75 |
| U.S. annual average | $1,215 | $1,211 | $1,192 | $1,173 |
| U.S. monthly rate | $101 | $101 | $99 | $98 |
| Note: Average rates for today are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. Data from 2015-2017 sourced from NAIC. | ||||
Homeowners insurance rates vary across West Virginia homeowners insurance companies. On the low end is Erie with an annual rate of $547, followed by Allstate at $700 per year. Liberty, on the other hand, has an average premium of $1,862 per year.
We recommend that you compare home insurance rates before you decide on a company and policy. Here is how rates from the biggest insurance providers in West Virginia compare:
Best homeowners insurance companies in West Virginia
In looking at the home insurance companies operating in West Virginia, Erie, Allstate, State Farm and USAA came out as our choices for top providers. Here's why:
Erie: cheapest homeowners premiums
Erie home insurance costs an average of $537 a year. This is $421 less than the average West Virginia home insurance rate of $958.
Erie also has one of the better bundling discounts in the insurance game. If you combine your car or life insurance with a home insurance policy, you can save at least 16% on your yearly premiums, possibly up to 25%. Also, if you get an Erie home insurance quote anywhere between seven and 60 days before your home insurance policy with your current insurer renews, you may get a further discount.
Erie also received a 5 out of 5 rating for claims service in J.D. Powers' 2019 home insurance study and A.M. Best, a credit rating company that focuses on the insurance industry, awarded Erie an A+ rating for financial capability to pay out on claims. Furthermore, Erie scored a low 0.20 on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index. A low index rating indicates fewer complaints, something all insurers want. The national average is 1.0, so Erie is coming out far ahead of many other home insurers.
Erie has over 12,000 agents available throughout 12 states including West Virginia, making it easy for you to find an agent to provide home insurance for you.
Allstate: runner-up for lowest rates
Allstate has the next lowest premium in West Virginia at $700, $258 less than the state's average home insurance rate. On top of low premiums, Allstate also offers a variety of discounts including:
- If you're a new homebuyer or bought a newly built home, you may qualify for a discount
- You can get up to a 5% discount for setting up automatic payments
- If you switch to Allstate with a zero-claim history, you may get up to a 20% discount
Allstate's score on the NAIC Complaint Index comes in at 0.29. The lower the score on the complaint index, the better the company is at claims resolution. This score is below both the average West Virginia complaint score of 0.32 and the national average of 1.0.
Furthermore, Allstate has over 18,000 agencies nationwide to make finding one near you easy.
State Farm: best for pet owners
Sixty-eight percent of West Virginia households have a pet. Certain dog breeds can be a home insurance risk, as insurers may see a whole breed as a bite risk regardless of how well-behaved and trained the particular dog is. State Farm doesn't consider dog breed when insuring your pet. They won't raise your rates or deny coverage just because your dog is a certain type.
State Farm holds a 4 out of 5 Power Circle rating for customer satisfaction in J.D. Powers 2019 home insurance survey. Also, they have a below-average complaint rate in the NAIC Complaint Index of .20. State Farm's top market share in West Virginia of 25.37% gives a good indication of residents' favor with them.
USAA: best customer satisfaction
Of West Virginia's population, 9.9% are veterans, well above the nation's average of 7% per state. USAA holds a unique spot in the insurance industry in that they provide coverage only to standing and veteran military members and their families. They prove themselves to be the top of the pack year after year with the consistently highest score in J.D. Power's overall customer satisfaction ranking.
USAA also holds a low 0.15 complaint rating in the NAIC Complaint Index. This is over 50% less than the average complaint index among insurers in West Virginia of 0.32. USAA's quality service comes at a low price, as well. They have the third lowest average home insurance rates in West Virginia at $816 a year.
Biggest homeowners insurance companies in West Virginia
Here's a breakdown of the homeowners insurance market in West Virginia:
| Company | Market share | 2019 J.D. Power customer satisfaction ratings | NAIC Complaint Index (lower is better) |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | 25.37% | 4/5 | 0.20 |
| Erie | 9.44% | 455 | 0.20 |
| Nationwide | 4.54% | 2/5 | 0.29 |
| Allstate | 2.29% | 3/5 | 0.29 |
| Liberty | 2.12% | 2/5 | 0.53 |
| USAA | 1.27% | 5/5 | 0.32 |
Homeowners insurance rates in West Virginia, by city
Due to West Virginia's small geographical footprint, the cities there tend to be in close proximity to each other. This leads to relatively little range in home insurance rates. Martinsburg, W.Va., has the lowest homeowners insurance premium at $809 while Huntington, W.Va., has the highest at $982.
| City | Average annual home insurance rate |
|---|---|
| Beckley | $961 |
| Charleston | $937 |
| Clarksburg | $834 |
| Huntington | $982 |
| Martinsburg | $809 |
| Morgantown | $819 |
| Parkersburg | $922 |
| Weirton | $856 |
| Wheeling | $839 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | |
Homeowners insurance rates in West Virginia, by county
Home insurance rates in West Virginia counties fluctuate more than they do amongst its cities. This is largely due to the same proximity issues between cities there. Berkeley County has the lowest average yearly home insurance rate of $810 in West Virginia. Mingo County has the highest at $1293 a year.
| County | Average annual homeowner insurance cost |
|---|---|
| Barbour | $905 |
| Berkeley | $810 |
| Boone | $1,037 |
| Braxton | $928 |
| Brooke | $848 |
| Cabell | $968 |
| Calhoun | $959 |
| Clay | $935 |
| Doddridge | $862 |
| Fayette | $955 |
| Gilmer | $887 |
| Grant | $850 |
| Greenbrier | $854 |
| Hampshire | $854 |
| Hancock | $875 |
| Hardy | $854 |
| Harrison | $865 |
| Jackson | $1,001 |
| Jefferson | $805 |
| Kanawha | $940 |
| Lewis | $867 |
| Lincoln | $1,087 |
| Logan | $1,181 |
| Marion | $858 |
| Marshall | $877 |
| Mason | $998 |
| McDowell | $1,256 |
| Mercer | $1,056 |
| Mineral | $845 |
| Mingo | $1,293 |
| Monongalia | $833 |
| Monroe | $916 |
| Morgan | $846 |
| Nicholas | $887 |
| Ohio | $843 |
| Pendleton | $854 |
| Pleasants | $853 |
| Pocahontas | $959 |
| Preston | $862 |
| Putnam | $897 |
| Raleigh | $918 |
| Randolph | $970 |
| Ritchie | $896 |
| Roane | $946 |
| Summers | $973 |
| Taylor | $871 |
| Tucker | $910 |
| Tyler | $854 |
| Upshur | $893 |
| Wayne | $1,110 |
| Webster | $943 |
| Wetzel | $852 |
| Wirt | $965 |
| Wood | $935 |
| Wyoming | $1,076 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | |
Methodology
We compiled quotes for every ZIP code in West Virginia from six of the top insurers. We based our analysis on State Farm, Erie, Nationwide, Allstate, Liberty and USAA. We gathered quotes for a home worth $132,406, built in 1972 and owned by a 59-year-old. These are the median home value, construction date and homeowner age in West Virginia.
We picked the insurers for our study using S&P Global Market Intelligence, which ensured results as localized to West Virginia as possible. The largest subsidiary in West Virginia of every insurer was taken as a representative for the company.
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