The Best Home Insurance in Kentucky
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The average cost of homeowners insurance in Kentucky is $2,190 per year. That’s compared to the national average of $1,915.
NerdWallet analyzed data from numerous insurance companies to help you find the best home insurance in Kentucky in the following categories:
Best for affordability: Travelers.
Best for coverage: Erie and Openly.
Best for consumer experience: Nationwide.
The rates in our analysis are estimates based on many factors, so your rate may differ.
Note: Some insurance companies included in this article may have made changes in their underwriting practices and no longer issue new policies in your state.
Best affordable homeowners insurance in Kentucky: Travelers
Travelers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Travelers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
In Kentucky, the average annual premium for Travelers is $1,915, which is less than the state average of $2,190.
Travelers offers a robust online experience. You can use the website to get a homeowners insurance quote, file and track claims, make payments, and learn about insurance basics.
Its coverage offerings are similarly strong. For example, you may be able to add extra coverage in case the dwelling limit on your home isn’t enough to rebuild your house after a disaster. One unique option is Travelers’ green home coverage, which pays extra if you want to use eco-friendly materials when repairing or rebuilding your home after a covered claim.
Learn more in our Travelers homeowners insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Kentucky for coverage: Erie and Openly
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Erie
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Erie offers guaranteed replacement cost for the structure of your home. With this coverage, the company will pay to rebuild your home completely after a disaster, even if the amount exceeds your dwelling limit.
Got a car to insure, too? If you bundle your home and auto insurance with Erie, you could get a discount of upwards of 16%. You may also be able to save if your home has certain safety and security features such as smoke alarms or sprinkler systems.
For more details, read our Erie home insurance review.
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Openly
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Openly’s default homeowners policy goes significantly beyond those of many other insurers. Most notably, it offers guaranteed replacement cost coverage for the structure of your home. That means if your house is destroyed by a covered disaster, Openly will pay whatever it takes to rebuild it the way it was before, up to $5 million.
Plus, if your things are stolen or destroyed, Openly will pay enough for you to buy brand-new replacements, rather than paying less for older items that have lost value over time. It also covers your belongings on an “open perils” basis, paying for damage from anything except scenarios your policy excludes. Most home insurance policies cover damage only from causes specifically named in your policy.
Learn more with our Openly home insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Kentucky for consumer experience: Nationwide
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Nationwide's website makes it easy to manage policies, file and track claims, and set up automatic billing. The company also has a highly rated app for Android and iOS that allows customers to file and track claims, review policy documents, and set up autopay.
In addition, Nationwide’s customers have several ways to get assistance, such as reaching out to their agent or calling the company’s customer service hotline. Outside of business hours, they can use the Nationwide website to get proof of insurance, pay bills and schedule callbacks. A chatbot is also available to answer basic questions.
Learn more with our Nationwide homeowners insurance review.
Full list of the best homeowners insurance in Kentucky
NerdWallet analyzed home insurance companies across the state to find the best home insurance in Kentucky. Here are all of the insurers that received a NerdWallet star rating of 4.5 or higher:
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
$2,580 | ||
$1,935 | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
$2,075 | ||
$1,915 | ||
USAA* | Not available | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
How much does homeowners insurance cost in Kentucky?
The average annual cost of home insurance in Kentucky is $2,190. That’s 14% more than the national average of $1,915.
In most U.S. states, including Kentucky, many insurers use your credit-based insurance score to help set rates. Your insurance score is similar but not identical to your traditional credit score.
In Kentucky, those with poor credit pay an average of $4,105 per year for homeowners insurance, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That’s 87% more than those with good credit.
Average cost of homeowners insurance in Kentucky by city
How much you pay for home insurance in Kentucky will depend on your ZIP code. For example, the average cost of homeowners insurance in Louisville is $2,315 a year, while homeowners in Lexington pay an average of $1,895 per year.
City | Average annual rate | Average monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
Ashland | $2,165 | $180 |
Bowling Green | $2,605 | $217 |
Corbin | $3,160 | $263 |
Covington | $1,770 | $148 |
Elizabethtown | $2,265 | $189 |
Florence | $1,875 | $156 |
Frankfort | $1,865 | $155 |
Ft. Mitchell | $1,730 | $144 |
Georgetown | $1,885 | $157 |
Glasgow | $2,485 | $207 |
Henderson | $2,340 | $195 |
Hopkinsville | $2,470 | $206 |
Independence | $1,800 | $150 |
Lexington | $1,895 | $158 |
London | $3,415 | $285 |
Louisville | $2,315 | $193 |
Newport | $1,915 | $160 |
Nicholasville | $2,160 | $180 |
Owensboro | $2,220 | $185 |
Paducah | $2,270 | $189 |
Richmond | $2,110 | $176 |
Shelbyville | $2,320 | $193 |
Shepherdsville | $2,560 | $213 |
Somerset | $2,480 | $207 |
Winchester | $2,055 | $171 |
The cheapest home insurance in Kentucky
Here are the insurers we found with average annual rates below the Kentucky average of $2,190.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
Not rated | $1,800 | |
$1,915 | ||
$1,935 | ||
$2,075 | ||
$2,120 |
What to know about Kentucky homeowners insurance
You may face certain risks when living in Kentucky. Here are a few of the most common, along with steps you can take to insure your home properly against them.
Severe weather
A typical homeowners insurance policy will cover much of the damage caused by severe weather, including wind, hail, snow and lightning. However, make sure to review your policy to find out if you have separate deductibles for wind or hail damage. (A homeowners insurance deductible is the amount subtracted from your claim payout.)
For example, your policy may have a $1,000 deductible for most claims and a 1% deductible for wind claims. So if your house has $200,000 worth of dwelling coverage, you’d have to pay for the first $2,000 of wind damage yourself.
Flooding
Flooding can cause extensive damage, and standard homeowners insurance policies won’t cover it. When in doubt, consider purchasing separate flood insurance to protect your home from the damage that comes with flooding.
To find out if you’re at risk, put your address into the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood maps or visit RiskFactor.com, a website from the nonprofit First Street Foundation. Even if your home isn’t in a high-risk location, you may still want to buy flood insurance for extra peace of mind.
Note that while you can get flood coverage anytime, there’s typically a 30-day waiting period before the insurance takes effect.
Fires
Homeowners insurance will generally cover damage from wildfires or other types of fire. Check your policy to ensure your coverage limits are adequate, especially if you live in a wildfire-prone area.
Pay particular attention to your dwelling coverage limit, which is the amount an insurance company will pay to rebuild the structure of your house. Because a fire can destroy your home, you’ll want to make sure this amount is enough to rebuild from the ground up. Your insurance agent can help you set the right limit.
Sinkholes
Much of Kentucky is built on karst, a type of terrain that is responsible for the state's well-known caves — as well as the occasional sinkhole. A sinkhole can cause significant damage to your home, and standard homeowners policies often won’t cover it. If you live in an area with a higher risk, check to see whether your policy covers sinkhole damage. If not, consider buying additional sinkhole coverage.
The Kentucky Geological Survey’s website is an excellent resource for learning more about sinkholes and karst topography, including the risks of karst and how to identify potential sinkholes on your property.
Kentucky insurance department
The Kentucky Department of Insurance regulates the state’s insurance market and offers information for consumers. You can file a complaint against your insurance company with the agency online, by mail or by fax. If you need assistance, call the Kentucky Department of Insurance toll-free at 800-595-6053.
Amanda Shapland contributed to this story.
NerdWallet calculated median rates for 40-year-old homeowners from various insurance companies in every ZIP code across the state. All rates are rounded to the nearest $5.
Sample homeowners were nonsmokers with good credit living in a single-family, two-story home built in 1984. They had a $1,000 deductible and the following coverage limits:
$300,000 in dwelling coverage.
$30,000 in other structures coverage.
$150,000 in personal property coverage.
$60,000 in loss of use coverage.
$300,000 in liability coverage.
$1,000 in medical payments coverage.
We made minor changes to the sample policy in cases where rates for the above coverage limits or deductibles weren’t available.
We changed the credit tier from “good” to “poor,” as reported to the insurer, to see rates for homeowners with poor credit.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
Star rating methodology
NerdWallet’s homeowners insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, coverages, discounts and online experience. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our full homeowners insurance rating methodology.
Complaint methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2020-2022. To assess how insurers compare with one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
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