Add The California Post on Google California’s dreamiest housing markets are turning into an insurance nightmare.
A new national map from Insurify names California the least insurable state on the West Coast — with Los Angeles and Santa Cruz counties both scoring above 95 on the company’s 100-point Home Insurance Risk Index.
The index ranks more than 3,100 US counties based on natural disaster threats, home values, housing age and insurance costs, measuring how difficult and expensive it can be to insure a home.
Los Angeles County landed the highest score of any major US housing market, earning a 96.5 out of 100 — good for No. 35 nationally among all counties.
Homeowners in LA County pay an average annual home insurance premium of $4,173 ‚ 42% above the national average — while the median home value sits at $783,300.
Insurify pointed to the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in early 2025, which the company said became the two most expensive fires on record globally based on insured losses, with estimated hits of $23 billion and $18 billion.
But the company said wildfires are not the only threat facing LA homeowners.
Los Angeles County is also more at risk for earthquake and inland flooding damage than any other county in the country, according to FEMA data cited in the study. The agency projects natural hazards will cost the county $3.9 billion in a typical year from deaths, injuries and property damage.
Santa Cruz County also posted one of the West Coast’s worst scores, with a 95.1, making California the only West Coast state with two counties above 95.
The Golden State also claimed three spots on Insurify’s list of 10 major housing markets facing high risks for homeowners.
San Francisco County scored 93.7, ranking No. 38 nationally, with an aveerafe annual home insurance premium of $3,509 and a staggering median home value of $1,380,500.
While San Francisco may not carry the same wildfire profile as other parts of the state, Insurify said its risk is driven largely by the threat of a major earthquake — a peril that standard home insurnace policies typically do not cover.
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Orange County followed closely behind with a 93.6 score, ranking No. 79 nationally. Its average annual premium was $3,483, with a median home value of $915,500.
Insurify noted that Orange County remains vulnerable to several disaster threats, including wildfires and landslides. From 2015 to 2018 alone, fires burned more than 35,000 acres in the county, according to the report.
Despite the high risk scores, California’s premiums remain far below the jaw-dropping costs seen in hurricane-prone parts of Florida and the Gulf Coast.
Monroe County, Florida — home to the Keys — was ranked the least insurable county in America, with a near-perfect risk score of 99.5 and an average annual home insurance premium of $22,436.
Insurify found that 19 of the 20 least insurable counties in the US are along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, where homes face high wind damage from hurricanes.
Still, California’s inclusion near the top of the rankings underscores the state’s own insurance crisis, where wildfire danger, earthquake risk, high home values and regulatory limits on rate hikes have collided.
Insurify said insurers generally cannot move forward with major rate increases in California without regulatory approval — a system that can keep premiums lower, but has also prompted some carriers to pull back from the state, reducing competition and making coverage harder to find.
The report found the average US home insurance premium has soared 46% since 2021 to $2,948 annually.
