What Drivers Actually Spend on Car Insurance, by State
Not quote-study hypotheticals — regulator data on real premiums paid. Per the NAIC, the average insured vehicle cost $1,282 to insure in 2023, up 14% in a single year. The spread runs from North Dakota ($808) to Florida ($1,865) — a 2.3x gap.
By the CarWhere Research Team · NAIC data through 2023 · Download the table (CSV) · Press: [email protected]
Key findings
- Countrywide average: $1,282 per insured vehicle (2023), up 14% year over year — the largest annual jump on record.
- Most expensive: Florida ($1,865), then Louisiana ($1,754) and New York ($1,753).
- Cheapest: North Dakota ($808), Maine ($856), Idaho ($864).
- Spending rose in all 51 jurisdictions; Florida climbed fastest at +18.9%.
- This is average expenditure (real premiums ÷ insured car-years) — expect full-coverage quotes for a single newer car to run well above it.
All 50 states + D.C., ranked by what drivers spent
NAIC average expenditure per insured vehicle, 2022 vs 2023.
| Rank | State | 2023 avg spent | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | $1,865 | $1,568 | +18.9% |
| 2 | Louisiana | $1,754 | $1,558 | +12.6% |
| 3 | New York | $1,753 | $1,548 | +13.2% |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $1,677 | $1,501 | +11.7% |
| 5 | New Jersey | $1,573 | $1,411 | +11.5% |
| 6 | Georgia | $1,555 | $1,345 | +15.6% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $1,540 | $1,423 | +8.2% |
| 8 | Maryland | $1,477 | $1,281 | +15.3% |
| 9 | Delaware | $1,462 | $1,296 | +12.8% |
| 10 | Nevada | $1,462 | $1,291 | +13.2% |
| 11 | Colorado | $1,453 | $1,275 | +14% |
| 12 | Michigan | $1,444 | $1,340 | +7.8% |
| 13 | Texas | $1,429 | $1,233 | +15.9% |
| 14 | Connecticut | $1,394 | $1,279 | +9% |
| 15 | South Carolina | $1,367 | $1,205 | +13.5% |
| 16 | Arizona | $1,344 | $1,155 | +16.4% |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $1,326 | $1,191 | +11.4% |
| 18 | California | $1,225 | $1,087 | +12.7% |
| 19 | Mississippi | $1,200 | $1,061 | +13.1% |
| 20 | Oregon | $1,170 | $1,006 | +16.4% |
| 21 | Utah | $1,169 | $1,024 | +14.1% |
| 22 | Missouri | $1,155 | $1,004 | +15.1% |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $1,155 | $1,018 | +13.5% |
| 24 | Illinois | $1,153 | $994 | +16% |
| 25 | Washington | $1,153 | $1,048 | +9.9% |
| 26 | Virginia | $1,114 | $950 | +17.3% |
| 27 | Alaska | $1,113 | $1,014 | +9.8% |
| 28 | Minnesota | $1,103 | $962 | +14.7% |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $1,084 | $959 | +13.1% |
| 30 | New Mexico | $1,082 | $958 | +13% |
| 31 | Alabama | $1,081 | $966 | +11.9% |
| 32 | West Virginia | $1,063 | $953 | +11.6% |
| 33 | Arkansas | $1,051 | $926 | +13.4% |
| 34 | Tennessee | $1,050 | $924 | +13.6% |
| 35 | Kentucky | $1,046 | $938 | +11.5% |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $987 | $881 | +12% |
| 37 | Nebraska | $981 | $872 | +12.5% |
| 38 | Montana | $975 | $885 | +10.2% |
| 39 | Kansas | $973 | $868 | +12% |
| 40 | Wyoming | $948 | $848 | +11.8% |
| 41 | Ohio | $947 | $835 | +13.4% |
| 42 | South Dakota | $937 | $823 | +13.8% |
| 43 | Indiana | $926 | $814 | +13.8% |
| 44 | North Carolina | $925 | $839 | +10.2% |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $922 | $810 | +13.8% |
| 46 | Vermont | $893 | $793 | +12.6% |
| 47 | Hawaii | $888 | $844 | +5.2% |
| 48 | Iowa | $873 | $777 | +12.4% |
| 49 | Idaho | $864 | $772 | +11.9% |
| 50 | Maine | $856 | $767 | +11.7% |
| 51 | North Dakota | $808 | $729 | +10.8% |
| Countrywide | $1,282 | $1,125 | +14% |
Insurance is one line of the ownership bill.
Stack it next to fuel and fees before you pick the car: compare powertrains in the gas vs hybrid vs EV calculator, check annual fuel cost by model, and make sure the purchase itself is right with what buyers actually paid.
Methodology
Figures are "average expenditure" from the NAIC's 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report (adopted December 2025): total liability, collision, and comprehensive premium written in each state divided by liability car-years — i.e., real premiums paid per insured vehicle across all coverage mixes, driver profiles, and discounts. 2023 is the latest insurer-reported year. This intentionally differs from full-coverage quote studies, which price a hypothetical driver; both are useful, but only one measures actual spending. Data © NAIC, cited with attribution; ranking and analysis by CarWhere. Full table as CSV.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of car insurance?
$1,282 per insured vehicle per year, per the latest NAIC regulator data (2023) — up 14% from $1,125 the year before, the sharpest jump in the dataset's history. This is average expenditure: real premiums actually paid across all drivers and coverage mixes, not a hypothetical full-coverage quote.
Why is this number lower than the $2,000+ averages other sites report?
Most published "average costs" are quote studies: a hypothetical driver profile priced for FULL coverage at every insurer, averaged. NAIC average expenditure is what insured drivers in each state actually spent — including liability-only policies, multi-car discounts, and the coverage levels people really buy. Both are valid; this one reflects real wallets rather than rate cards.
Which state has the most expensive car insurance?
Florida, at $1,865 per insured vehicle in 2023 — 2.3x the cheapest state, North Dakota ($808). Louisiana ($1,754) and New York ($1,753) round out the top three.
Where is car insurance rising fastest?
Countrywide spending rose 14% in a single year. Florida led at +18.9%; every state in the table increased. Repair costs, vehicle prices, and litigation drove the 2022-2023 surge — worth re-shopping your policy annually.
Where does this data come from?
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report (adopted December 2025) — premium data regulators collect directly from insurers. Average expenditure = total liability, collision, and comprehensive premium written in the state divided by insured car-years. 2023 is the most recent year insurers have reported. Table republished with attribution to NAIC; analysis by CarWhere (carwhere.com).