Verified Primary Sources · Updated September 2026
Property Insurance Claims Statistics 2026
The numbers on home and property claims — average payouts, catastrophe frequency, water damage, denial rates, and inflation — pulled from NAIC, Triple-I, FEMA/NFIP, NOAA, Aon, and state regulators. Built to be cited.
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Key Takeaways
U.S. homeowners insurers closed 7,354,437 claims with payment in 2024, equating to an inflation-adjusted average claim severity of $13,349 per claim. — NAIC (Market Conduct Annual Statement, Center for Insurance Policy and Research), 2026.
Homeowners insurers incurred $98.161 billion in losses in 2024, the basis for NAIC's national average homeowners claim severity of $13,349. — NAIC, 2026.
Fire and lightning is by far the costliest homeowners claim cause, with an average payout of $83,991 per claim (2018-2022). — Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025.
The average National Flood Insurance Program claim was $63,691 and the median claim was $20,272 over 2020-2024. — FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program, 2025.
About 5.8 percent of insured homes had a homeowners insurance claim in the 2018-2022 period; roughly one in 18 insured homes files a claim each year. — Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025.
The U.S. was struck by 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2025, costing $115 billion and causing 276 deaths. — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2026.
In 2024 NOAA confirmed 27 U.S. billion-dollar weather and climate disasters with a total cost of $182.7 billion. — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2025.
The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires caused $58 billion in economic losses and $41 billion in insured losses, making them the most expensive wildfires ever recorded globally. — Aon (2026 Climate and Catastrophe Insight), 2026.
Hail alone accounts for as much as 80 percent of severe convective storm claims in any given year, and roofs bear an estimated 70 to 90 percent of total insured residential catastrophe losses. — Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), 2026.
Water damage and freezing accounted for 27.6 percent of U.S. homeowners insurance claims in 2022. — Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025.
Of 698,742 Florida property claims closed in 2024, 60,261 (8.62 percent) were litigated and 621,154 were not. — Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2025.
Florida policyholders who used a public adjuster on non-catastrophe claims received a median $9,379 versus $1,391 for those who did not — a difference of 574 percent. — OPPAGA (Florida Legislature), 2010.
Average homeowners insurance claim payout
U.S. homeowners insurers closed 7,354,437 claims with payment in 2024, equating to an inflation-adjusted average claim severity of $13,349 per claim.
— NAIC (Market Conduct Annual Statement, Center for Insurance Policy and Research), 2026. Source
Homeowners insurers incurred $98.161 billion in losses in 2024, the basis for NAIC's national average homeowners claim severity of $13,349.
— NAIC, 2026. Source
In 2024 average homeowners claim severity was highest in the Western Zone at $14,249 and the Northeast Zone at $13,423 (2025 dollars), versus $12,564 in the Southeast.
— NAIC, 2026. Source
The weighted-average homeowners insurance claim severity for 2018-2022 was $15,749, rising to $18,311 in 2022 alone (up from $14,579 in 2018).
— Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I), ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
The average homeowners property damage claim was $15,570 in 2018-2022, while the average liability claim was $26,175.
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
Fire and lightning is by far the costliest homeowners claim cause, with an average payout of $83,991 per claim (2018-2022).
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
Average homeowners claim severity was $13,954 for water damage and freezing, $13,511 for wind and hail, and $5,024 for theft (2018-2022).
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
The average National Flood Insurance Program claim was $63,691 and the median claim was $20,272 over 2020-2024.
— FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program, 2025. Source
In 2024 the national average lightning-caused homeowners claim was $18,641; in Texas the average was $38,558.
— Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), 2025. Source
Catastrophe claim frequency (hurricane/wildfire/water)
Nationwide, homeowners insurers closed 71.2 claims with payment per 1,000 policies in force in 2024.
— NAIC, 2026. Source
Homeowners claim frequency in 2024 was highest in the Southeast (90.1 claims closed with payment per 1,000 policies) and Midwest (76.2), and lowest in the Northeast (45.7).
— NAIC, 2026. Source
About 5.8 percent of insured homes had a homeowners insurance claim in the 2018-2022 period; roughly one in 18 insured homes files a claim each year.
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
The U.S. was struck by 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2025, costing $115 billion and causing 276 deaths.
— NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2026. Source
In 2024 NOAA confirmed 27 U.S. billion-dollar weather and climate disasters with a total cost of $182.7 billion.
— NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2025. Source
Severe convective storms generated $61 billion in global insured losses in 2025, the third-highest SCS total on record, and have overtaken tropical cyclones as the costliest insured peril of the 21st century.
— Aon (2026 Climate and Catastrophe Insight), 2026. Source
U.S. insured losses from natural disasters reached $103 billion in 2025, representing 81 percent of global industry losses.
— Aon (2026 Climate and Catastrophe Insight), 2026. Source
The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires caused $58 billion in economic losses and $41 billion in insured losses, making them the most expensive wildfires ever recorded globally.
— Aon (2026 Climate and Catastrophe Insight), 2026. Source
The Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025 caused around $53 billion in overall losses including roughly $40 billion insured, the most expensive wildfire disaster on record.
— Munich Re, 2026. Source
U.S. severe convective storms caused $51 billion in insured losses in 2025, the third straight year above $50 billion.
— Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), 2026. Source
Hail alone accounts for as much as 80 percent of severe convective storm claims in any given year, and roofs bear an estimated 70 to 90 percent of total insured residential catastrophe losses.
— Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), 2026. Source
Estimated U.S. insured property losses from natural catastrophes hit a record $131.0 billion in 2017 ($163.9 billion in 2023 dollars).
— Triple-I / Aon, 2024. Source
The NFIP's largest flood event payout on record was Hurricane Katrina (Aug. 2005): 168,200 paid losses and $16.33 billion paid ($26.25 billion in 2024 dollars), an average of $156,046 per loss.
— FEMA NFIP data, analysis by Aon (via Triple-I), 2025. Source
In 2025 hail events totaled 5,432 in the U.S. (up from 5,373 in 2024), with Texas (902) and Kansas (375) recording the most major hail events.
— NOAA Storm Prediction Center (via Triple-I), 2026. Source
Water damage and mold claims
Water damage and freezing accounted for 27.6 percent of U.S. homeowners insurance claims in 2022.
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
About one in 60 insured homes has a property damage claim caused by water damage or freezing each year (claim frequency of 1.61 per 100 house-years, 2018-2022).
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
Water damage and freezing claims averaged $13,954 per claim in 2018-2022, the second-costliest major homeowners claim category after fire and lightning.
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
In 2024 the NFIP paid more than 101,494 flood insurance claims providing more than $7.96 billion in claim payments.
— FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program, 2025. Source
Between 1968 and 2025 the NFIP processed more than 2.7 million flood insurance claims.
— FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program, 2025. Source
As of March 31, 2025 the NFIP protected approximately $1.3 trillion in assets across nearly 4.7 million active policies in more than 22,700 communities.
— FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program, 2025. Source
From 2014 to 2024, almost one-third of NFIP flood insurance claims came from areas outside mapped high-risk flood zones.
— FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program, 2025. Source
Florida insurers closed 82,965 claims for accidental discharge or overflow of water in 2024, plus 82,066 'other water' claims.
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (2025 Property Insurance Stability Report), 2025. Source
Claim denial / underpayment rates
Of 698,742 Florida property claims closed in 2024, 60,261 (8.62 percent) were litigated and 621,154 were not.
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2025. Source
Average loss adjustment expense was $12,701 for litigated claims versus $1,778 for non-litigated claims in Florida in 2024.
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2025. Source
Florida law requires an insurer to pay or deny a property claim within 60 days of receipt (reduced from 90 days by SB 2-A, effective December 16, 2022).
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2025. Source
Texas insurers paid $8.74 billion in homeowners losses in 2025 across wind and hail, water, fire, and theft/liability/vandalism.
— Texas Department of Insurance, 2026. Source
Property damage including theft accounted for 97.8 percent of U.S. homeowners insurance claims in 2022, with liability claims making up only 2.1 percent.
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
Public adjuster usage and outcomes
Public adjusters represented policyholders in 26 percent of non-catastrophe and 39 percent of catastrophe claims filed with Citizens Property Insurance Corporation in 2008-2009.
— Florida Legislature, Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), 2010. Source
Florida policyholders who used a public adjuster on non-catastrophe claims received a median $9,379 versus $1,391 for those who did not — a difference of 574 percent.
— OPPAGA (Florida Legislature), 2010. Source
For catastrophe claims tied to the 2004 hurricanes, the typical payment was $22,266 with a public adjuster versus $18,659 without; for 2005 hurricane claims, public-adjuster claims paid 747 percent more.
— OPPAGA (Florida Legislature), 2010. Source
Public adjusters represented policyholders in 61 percent of mediations and 89 percent of appraisal arbitrations requested by Citizens in 2008.
— OPPAGA (Florida Legislature), 2010. Source
Florida caps public adjuster fees at 10 percent of the claim payment for one year after a declared emergency, and 20 percent thereafter.
— Florida Department of Financial Services, 2025. Source
Time to settle claims
Across all perils, the average time for Florida insurers to close a claim is 57 days and the median is 27 days (claims closed in 2024).
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2025. Source
The average time for a Florida policyholder to report a claim to an insurer is 47 days (median 6 days).
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2025. Source
The median time to close a non-catastrophe claim was 115 days with public adjuster representation versus 41 days without.
— OPPAGA (Florida Legislature), 2010. Source
Catastrophe claims represented by public adjusters typically took 132 to 296 days longer to close than claims without public adjuster representation.
— OPPAGA (Florida Legislature), 2010. Source
For new catastrophe claims tied to the 2004 hurricanes, the typical period from first notice of loss to final settlement was 306 days with a public adjuster versus 10 days without.
— OPPAGA (Florida Legislature), 2010. Source
Percentage of claims disputed
In 2023 Florida accounted for 9.73 percent of nationwide homeowners insurance claims but 71.46 percent of homeowners insurance lawsuits.
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (NAIC MCAS data), 2025. Source
In 2022 Florida accounted for 14.93 percent of nationwide homeowners claims but 70.83 percent of the suits.
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (NAIC MCAS data), 2025. Source
In Florida in 2024 the litigation rate was 11.68 percent for accidental water-discharge claims, 11.43 percent for windstorm/hail claims and 6.82 percent for hurricane claims.
— Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2025. Source
Wind and hail is the most frequent homeowners claim type, at 2.82 claims per 100 house-years (2018-2022), followed by water damage and freezing at 1.61.
— Triple-I, ISO/Verisk data, 2025. Source
Commercial property claims
A Kroll study of property appraisals found approximately 90 percent of buildings studied were underinsured, with 68 percent of those valued in 2020-2021 underinsured by 25 percent or more.
— Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), citing Kroll, 2024. Source
U.S. commercial property insurance rates fell 0.94 percent in Q2 2024, breaking a 27-quarter streak of increases dating to 2017.
— Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), citing Aon, 2024. Source
Commercial multiple peril lines accounted for 23 percent of U.S. fire losses in 2022, versus 48 percent for homeowners.
— Triple-I / NFPA, 2024. Source
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season pushed U.S. insured losses from tropical cyclones to an estimated $51 billion, with Hurricane Milton at about $25 billion and Helene roughly $16 billion.
— Triple-I, citing Munich Re, 2024. Source
NFIP commercial/business flood coverage limits are $500,000 for building and $500,000 for contents.
— FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program, 2025. Source
Inflation effect on claim costs
Inflation-adjusted average homeowners premium per policy rose between 18.3 percent and 43.3 percent across NAIC regions from 2018 to 2024, an average of 2.4 to 5.3 percent per year.
— NAIC, 2026. Source
In 2025 dollars, homeowners claim severity rose 21.6 percent in the Midwest and 22.9 percent in the Northeast versus the 2018 baseline, and 9.5 percent in the Southeast.
— NAIC, 2026. Source
Cumulative U.S. inflation from 2018 to 2024 measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditure index was 21.5 percent, the benchmark NAIC used to adjust premium and severity figures.
— NAIC (citing U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis), 2026. Source
Demographic shifts into high-risk areas, legal system abuse, and escalating labor and construction costs collectively account for up to 90 percent of insured loss growth since 2000.
— Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), citing Gallagher Re, 2026. Source
From 2014 to 2023 the CPI for repair of household items rose 66.0 percent, legal services rose 35.9 percent and the median price of existing single-family homes rose 89.4 percent.
— Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), BLS data, 2025. Source
The average U.S. homeowners insurance premium was $1,411 in 2021, up 7.6 percent from 2020.
— NAIC (via Triple-I), 2025. Source
The claims numbers matter. The outcome on your claim matters more.
Talk directly with Renee Bryant about a property claim, an appraisal, or what an independent claims consultant would mean for your file.
All Lines Claim Consultants · 6600 Taylor Road, Suite 103, Punta Gorda, FL 33950 · rbryant@alllinescc.com