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Nebraska's home insurance costs more, car insurance costs less than the U.S. average

Nebraskans pay less than the U.S. average for auto insurance but more for homeowners insurance, a pair of insurance groups say.

Iowans also pay less for auto insurance than the U.S. average and also slightly below average for homeowners’ coverage, the two groups say, based on 2017 rates, the latest available.

For homeowners insurance, according to Insurance.com, Nebraska’s average annual rate was $1,583, 10th highest in the country and $355 higher than the national average of $1,228.

Iowa ranked 20th at $1,205 per year, $23 below the national average.

The report compared average rates charged by major insurance companies in each state for a $200,000 house with a $1,000 deductible and $100,000 in liability coverage.

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Although rates vary within a state and from homeowner to homeowner, company to company, common factors such as frequency of hail storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, flooding and hurricanes can affect entire states and regions.

The most expensive states were Florida, at $3,575 a year, and Louisiana, at $2,979. Both are targets of hurricanes and related winds and flooding.

The least expensive were Hawaii, $337, and Vermont, $589.

Kansas, at $1,939, and Missouri, at $1,722, also ranked higher than the U.S. average. Oklahoma was No. 3 nationally at $2,651. Colorado ($1,417) and South Dakota ($1,379) were above average, while Wyoming ($976) was below average.

The auto insurance analysis was by the Zebra, an insurance search engine based in Austin, Texas.

Iowa’s $1,015 annual auto insurance bill was the fourth-least expensive among the states. Nebraska ranked 16th at $1,184. The U.S. average was $1,427.

Since 2011, Nebraska’s rates have rising by one-third and Iowa’s rates by 20.6 percent, the analysis shows.

The average for the Omaha area was $1,233, with the highest in the 68110 ZIP code, $1,544, and the lowest at $1,122 for the 68015 ZIP code.

For 2017, North Carolina had the lowest average, $865, and Michigan the highest, $2,610.

The Zebra said factors determining insurance costs include driving habits and traffic violations but also weather, such as hail storms and flooding, and crime.

Rates for auto insurance also vary by company, by ZIP code and by state insurance laws, the analysis said. Michigan’s high rates, for example, are partly due to required unlimited personal injury protection, which leads to some high-payout insurance claims.

Rates have increased as vehicles become more expensive to repair. Low gasoline prices, leading to more driving, and cellphone distraction also are factors leading to more claims, the report said.

steve.jordon@owh.com, 402-444-1080 twitter.com/buffettOWH

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