This page states the published average, the source it comes from, and what it does and does not describe. It does not state what any homeowner will pay. No per-carrier price is published here, because no free public source publishes per-carrier homeowners premiums, and no "cheapest insurer in California" claim is made anywhere on this page.
What is the published average?
| Figure | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Average HO-3 premium, 2023 | $1,655 per year | $1,737 per year |
| Difference from the countrywide average | −4.7% | - |
| Rank, HO-3 average (of 51 jurisdictions) | 21st highest | - |
| Average HO-4 (renters) premium, 2023 | - | $173 per year |
| Average dwelling-fire premium, 2023 | - | $1,019 per year |
Source: NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owner's Insurance Report: Data for 2023, July 2026, Table 4 Total row per state, HO-3 standard owner-occupied form, 51 jurisdictions. Retrieved 2026-11-06. Current as of November 2026.
What is an HO-3 average?
HO-3 is the standard owner-occupied homeowners form, the policy most owner-occupied houses carry. The NAIC's Table 4 Total row gives the average premium actually paid for that form in each state. It is an average across all HO-3 policies in the state: different houses, different coverage amounts, different deductibles, different locations, all mixed together.
Two nearby figures are shown separately and never averaged in with the HO-3 number. The countrywide HO-4 (renters) average is $173 per year, a different policy for a different situation, and not comparable to an owner-occupied premium. The countrywide dwelling-fire average is $1,019 per year. Dwelling-fire cover is not directly comparable to homeowners cover, so it is shown on its own and never blended into the HO-3 figure.
The data year is 2023, published by the NAIC in July 2026. It is the newest state-by-state homeowners picture the NAIC has published. Averages move slowly in this series, but the figure is still a 2023 average, not a quote for today.
What is the second California figure, and why is it kept separate?
The California Department of Insurance publishes its own averages on its Sustainable Insurance Strategy page (page updated 27 October 2026): California $1,571 per year against a US figure of $1,512 per year.
That figure is kept in this separate box for a reason. The CDI page does not state which year its averages cover. Do not read the CDI figures as the same series as the NAIC 2023 figures above. The NAIC California HO-3 average for 2023 is $1,655 and the countrywide HO-3 average is $1,737, a different measure from a different source. The two CDI figures are never mixed with the NAIC table, and they are never used to rank California against other states.
Source: California Department of Insurance, Sustainable Insurance Strategy, page updated 27 October 2026. Data year not stated on the source page, flagged here, as on the magnet page. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
Why is the average below the national figure, and what that does not mean?
California's HO-3 average sits below the countrywide average while its auto average sits slightly above it. The two lines measure different risks, and a state can sit on different sides of the national figure on each. Nothing in the published data says why California's homeowners average is where it is, and this page does not offer an explanation the data does not support.
What the average does not tell you is larger than what it does. It does not tell you what a house in any one part of California costs to insure. Location within the state matters, and the state average hides the spread between locations entirely. It does not tell you what your house costs to insure, the coverage amount, the deductible, the construction and age of the house, and the household's history all change the price, and the exact factors a carrier may use are set by the carrier and the state regulator. And it does not tell you what any one carrier charges: two carriers can price the same house very differently, and the NAIC average shows none of that.
What is not published here?
- No per-carrier prices. No free public source publishes what any one carrier charges for homeowners insurance in California. Any page that prints a per-carrier California price without a named source and a date is guessing.
- No "cheapest insurer in California". A cheapest-insurer claim needs per-carrier prices for a stated house and cover level. We do not hold them, so we do not make the claim.
- No quote. This page is a published average with its source beside it. A real price comes only from a carrier or a licensed agent, for a stated house and cover level.
- No rating or review score. We do not score carriers. A public-data ratings page, built from the NAIC complaint index and AM Best financial-strength ratings with its method printed on the page, is planned separately. Nothing is rated here.
- No statewide figure from the CDI series. The CDI's $1,571 California figure is shown in its own flagged box above. It is not used as the headline average, because its data year is not stated.
How do I use this page?
- Compare the published average with a quote you have received, remembering that the average mixes all houses, all coverage amounts and all locations in the state. A smaller house with a higher deductible will sit below it; a larger house with more cover will usually sit above it.
- See every state's published homeowners averages side by side on the magnet page: /compare/average-insurance-costs-by-state/.
- Use the comparison tool to work through cover levels and see published averages beside quote-only carrier entries: /compare/home/.
- Read the state rules that change a California quote, auto minimums, and the home and health rules in one place: /auto/california-auto-insurance/.
- Read how every figure on this site is sourced before it is published: /compare/methodology/.