Earthquake Insurance Premiums by State

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.

Rank State Direct premiums written in 2009 (thousands)

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

Earthquake Insurance Premiums by State

Rank State Direct premiums written in 2009 (thousands)

More from Insurance Journal