Average home insurance cost in California, by county (2026 filed-rate data)

National "average" figures are nearly useless in California, where your premium depends far more on your county's wildfire exposure than on any statewide number. So instead of an estimate, this uses the California Department of Insurance's own filed-rate data — the premiums carriers actually filed for a standard $625,000 home, effective May 1, 2026.

Key takeaways

• For a $625,000 dwelling, filed median premiums run roughly $1,000–$2,000/yr depending on the county.
• Cheapest county median: Santa Clara ≈ $1,068. Among the highest: Amador ≈ $1,988, Alpine ≈ $1,982, Riverside ≈ $1,930.
• These are standard (admitted) market rates. If you can only get the FAIR Plan, expect more — it averages $3,008/yr statewide (as of March 2026) and covers fire only.
• Source: CDI Homeowners Insurance Comparison Tool (Insurance Code §12959), one representative city per county, $1,000 deductible.

Median filed premium by county (selected)

County	Median /yr	Middle 50% (p25–p75)	Lowest filed
Santa Clara	$1,068	—	—
San Mateo	$1,146	—	—
Sonoma	$1,192	$924–$1,496	$450
Alameda	$1,218	$898–$1,758	$638
Napa	$1,271	$1,049–$1,830	$450
Sacramento	$1,306	$1,114–$1,672	$450
Los Angeles	$1,388	$1,267–$1,764	$533
Ventura	$1,501	$1,034–$1,776	$462
San Diego	$1,540	$1,154–$1,879	$506
Butte	$1,566	$1,243–$1,919	$450
El Dorado	$1,795	$1,500–$2,379	$450
Riverside	$1,930	$1,547–$2,242	$452
Alpine	$1,982	—	—
Amador	$1,988	—	—

All 58 counties are on the average cost hub and each county's own page (e.g. Los Angeles, San Diego).

How to read these numbers

• Median is the middle of all carriers surveyed in that county — a better "typical" than an average, which a few very high or very low filings can skew.
• The middle 50% (p25–p75) shows how much shopping matters. In Alameda the typical range is $898 to $1,758 — nearly double, for the same home. Getting more than one quote is the single biggest lever you control.
• Lowest filed is the cheapest carrier in the survey for that county. It isn't a promise you'll qualify, but it shows the floor exists.

Why the FAIR Plan changes the picture

These medians are the standard market. The catch is availability: in higher-risk counties, fewer carriers will write you, so the "median" may not be reachable and you fall back to the FAIR Plan — fire-only, and pricier (statewide average $3,008/yr, as of March 2026). That's why this site pairs every cost figure with who is likely to actually write your address, and always computes the FAIR Plan + DIC fallback. See what the FAIR Plan is and how FAIR + DIC compares.

Lower your premium (and your odds of non-renewal)

1. Shop the full range. The p25–p75 spread is real money.
2. Document wildfire mitigation. Under California's "Safer from Wildfires" rules, insurers must credit defensible space, a Class-A roof, and ember-resistant vents.
3. Re-shop every year. Carrier appetite shifts constantly as companies re-enter under the state's Sustainable Insurance Strategy.

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Premiums are public filed data from the California Department of Insurance (§12959 comparison tool, $625,000 Coverage A, $1,000 deductible, effective 2026-05-01). FAIR Plan averages are from the California FAIR Plan. These are filed-data ranges, not quotes; Who Will Insure estimates and refers to licensed brokers, and never binds coverage.