Earthquake Insurance Premiums by State

August 25, 2011

An East Coast earthquake? Suffering damage from a seismic shift isn’t a risk many homeowners outside of California worry about.

Most standard homeowners, renters and business insurance policies do not cover damage from earthquakes — specifically, the potential losses from the shaking and cracking that can destroy a building and other property.

Nationwide, earthquake premiums written total $2,468,141,000 according to 2009 figures. Here’s a look at the extent to which individuals and businesses have purchased additional earthquake insurance protection. The figures include insurance written by state funds.

  • 1. California $1,584,897
  • 2. Washington state 134,970
  • 3. Missouri 88,542
  • 4. Tennessee 59,612
  • 5. Oregon 53,777
  • 6. Illinois 49,999
  • 7. Kentucky 35,141
  • 8. Florida 31,645
  • 9. Indiana 31,161
  • 10. South Carolina 30,515
  • 11. Texas 30,264
  • 12. New York 29,825
  • 13. Utah 29,121
  • 14. Ohio 26,665
  • 15. Alaska 20,840
  • 16. Arkansas 19,113
  • 17. Mississippi 17,851
  • 18. Nevada 17,708
  • 19. Massachusetts 15,207
  • 20. Georgia 13,713
  • 21. Pennsylvania 13,303
  • 22. New Jersey 12,417
  • 23. Virginia 10,013
  • 24. North Carolina 9,053
  • 25. Louisiana 8,430
  • 26. Colorado 8,351
  • 27. Hawaii 7,878
  • 28. Alabama 7,238
  • 29. Arizona 6,774
  • 30. Maryland 6,559
  • 31. Michigan 6,265
  • 32. Kansas 5,564
  • 33. Connecticut 5,140
  • 34. Oklahoma 4,845
  • 35. Minnesota 4,242
  • 36. Wisconsin 3,796
  • 37. Iowa 3,629
  • 38. Montana 3,460
  • 39. Wyoming 2,902
  • 40. Nebraska 2,385
  • 41. Idaho 2,372
  • 42. Rhode Island 2,218
  • 43. New Hampshire 2,217
  • 44. New Mexico 1,857
  • 45. Washington, D.C. 1,782
  • 46. Maine 1,428
  • 47. West Virginia 1,352
  • 48. Vermont 860
  • 49. Delaware 747
  • 50. South Dakota 440
  • 51. North Dakota 329

Source: SNL Financial LC, Insurance Information Institute