Average Auto Insurance Rates by US Region

Annual Car Insurance Premiums for American States and Capital Cities

Feb 18, 2010
Daniel Workman

: Driver Insurance for Columbus Ohio - liangjinjian (Flickr)

This quick reference guide enables readers to quickly compare average auto insurance premiums by region, state and capital city.

Drivers from Augusta, Maine can expect their annual car insurance bills to double when they relocate to Washington, D.C.

Car owners who move from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Columbus, Ohio will pay an average 50% less than they would have paid for auto insurance premiums had they remained down south.

This article organizes January 2010 average car insurance rate quotes under the 4 official regions designated by the United States Census Bureau.

Source data from Insurance.com RateWatch omits premium data for Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York. Therefore, this analysis excludes those states and focuses on average rates for the remaining 47 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia.

Average Car Insurance Premiums by U.S. Region

RateWatch’s national average auto insurance quote was US$1,844 for January 2010, up 1.3% from December.

Below is a summary of average premiums by official U.S. region. Shown within brackets is the percentage difference compared with the $1,844 national average.

Midwest region … $1,512 (18% below U.S. national average)
West region … $1,690 (8% below U.S. national average)
Northeast region … $1,879 (2% above U.S. national average)
South region … $1,944 (5% above U.S. national average).

Car insurance rates for America’s Midwest and West regions are both lower than the U.S. national average and represent a discount to typical auto insurance premiums in the South and Northeast.

Average state rates are listed by region below. For each state, the city capital is also listed.

Average Car Insurance Rates for Midwest States

In the American Midwest, 11 states had average premium rate quotes below the $1,844 national average. The lowest average car insurance premiums belong to Ohio and Iowa. The only Midwest state with an above-average rate was Michigan.

Illinois … US$1,488 (19% below average; capital city Springfield)
Indiana … $1,503 (18% below average; Indianapolis)
Iowa … $1,256 (32% below average; Des Moines)
Kansas … $1,606 (13% below average; Topeka)
Michigan … $2,033 (10% above average; Lansing)
Minnesota … $1,708 (7% below average; Saint Paul)
Missouri … $1,537 (17% below average; Jefferson City)
Nebraska … $1,569 (15% below average; Lincoln)
North Dakota … $1,420 (23% below average; Bismarck)
Ohio … $1,193 (35% below average; Columbus)
South Dakota … $1,496 (19% below average; Pierre)
Wisconsin … $1,339 (27% below average; Madison).

Average Car Insurance Quotes for West States

In the American West region, drivers in 9 states received average premiums under the national average. The average premium for Washington State was a mere $3 higher than the U.S. average, while drivers in Carson City, Nevada had an average rate that was $176 or 10% above the national average.

Arizona … US$1,510 (18% below average; Phoenix)
California … $1,793 (3% below average; Sacramento)
Colorado … $1,515 (18% below average; Denver)
Idaho … $1,381 (25% below average; Boise)
Montana … $1,732 (6% below average; Helena)
Nevada … $2,020 (10% above average; Carson City)
New Mexico … $1,719 (7% below average; Santa Fe)
Oregon … $1,557 (16% below average; Salem)
Utah … $1,790 (3% below average; Salt Lake City)
Washington … $1,847 (average; Olympia)
Wyoming … $1,726 (6% below average; Cheyenne).

Average Auto Insurance Rates for Northeast States

Automobile owners in 4 U.S. Northeast states received premium quotes above the national average. Northeast drivers in Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island enjoyed rates that fell below the U.S. average premium by at least 25%.

Connecticut … US$2,032 (10% above average; capital city Hartford)
Maine … $1,278 (31% below average; Augusta)
New Hampshire … $1,484 (20% above average; Concord)
New Jersey … $2,702 (47% above average; Trenton)
Pennsylvania … $2,093 (14% above average; Harrisburg)
Rhode Island … $2,300 (25% below average; Providence)
Vermont … $1,263 (32% below average; Montpelier).

Average Auto Insurance Rates for South States

The South’s average car insurance rate of $1,944 is the highest among all regions, and is 28% higher than the average premium of $1,512 for the Midwest. Among the following 17 states in the South region, 7 received average quotes below the national average.

Alabama … US$1,665 (10% below average; capital city Montgomery)
Arkansas … $1,890 (2% above average; Little Rock)
Delaware … $2,315 (26% above average; Dover)
District of Columbia … $2,669 (45% above average)
Florida … $2,148 (16% above average; Tallahassee)
Georgia … $1,643 (11% below average; Atlanta)
Kentucky … $2,097 (14% above average; Frankfort)
Louisiana … $2,421 (31% above average; Baton Rouge)
Maryland … $2,289 (24% above average; Annapolis)
Mississippi … $1,970 (7% above average; Jackson)
North Carolina … $1,510 (18% below average; Raleigh)
Oklahoma … $1,830 (1% below average; Oklahoma City)
South Carolina … $1,655 (10% below average; Columbia)
Tennessee … $1,483 (20% below average; Nashville)
Texas … $1,874 (2% above average; Austin)
Virginia … $1,539 (17% below average; Richmond)
West Virginia … $2,057 (12% above average; Charleston).

Individual Insurance Quotes by City of Residence

The above analysis shows general differences in average car insurance rates depending on U.S. region in which drivers reside.

Even then, there are significant percentage differences within each region. For example, the average rate for motorists in Nashville, Tennessee is 37% less expensive than the average quote for drivers in Lansing, Michigan – even though Tennessee is part of the U.S. region with the overall highest average premium.

Consumers are encouraged to use this article as a general benchmark for average rates by region and state. To find the lowest-cost premium for the city in which an individual resides, careful research of a number of quotes from different auto insurance companies is a necessary next step.

Sources: This analysis provides independent calculations and insights based on source data publicly available on Insurance.com, a leading third-party website committed to consumer education.