Which States Have the Most Expensive Health Insurance?


Updated: November 22, 2024

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It’s no secret that health insurance coverage is expensive in the U.S. — but how expensive is it, really? And how do those costs vary by state? To find out, MoneyGeek analyzed data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and constructed a ranking of states based on their average annual and monthly health insurance costs.

MoneyGeek’s analysis determined that the average American pays $7,922 annually in health insurance premiums, 14% of the median annual income for full-time workers. Residents of some states are paying even more for coverage. For instance, despite efforts to make health insurance more affordable, residents in New York still could dole out as much as $18,396 annually for coverage. Four other states offer a similar cost climate to The Empire State (more than $10,000 per year), emphasizing the value of having low-cost health insurance options for consumers.

In addition to examining average health care costs, MoneyGeek also analyzed data from the United States Census Bureau and found that nearly 9% of the U.S. population lacks health insurance coverage. This indicates that the need for affordable, high-quality health insurance coverage is growing, particularly in places like Texas, where 18% of citizens are uninsured.

Find MoneyGeek’s full ranking of every state in order of least to most expensive health care coverage in the listicle below. Our breakdown also includes information about the percentage of uninsured residents in each state, as well as the average maximum out-of-pocket expense for plans there.


  • 1. Virginia
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $431
  • 2. Minnesota
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $435
  • 3. Maryland
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $438
  • 4. Kentucky
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $443
  • 5. Idaho
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $452
  • 6. Maine
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $458
  • 7. Indiana
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $476
  • 8. Colorado
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $498
  • 9. Arkansas
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $501
  • 10. New Hampshire
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $506
  • 11. Rhode Island
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $512
  • 12. Michigan
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $520
  • 13. Hawaii
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $526
  • 14. Georgia
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $530
  • 15. Mississippi
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $545
  • 16. North Dakota
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $557
  • 17. Oregon
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $557
  • 18. Montana
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $564
  • 19. Alabama
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $568
  • 20. Washington
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $571
  • 21. District of Columbia
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $572
  • 22. Massachusetts
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $584
  • 23. Ohio
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $595
  • 24. South Carolina
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $612
  • 25. Pennsylvania
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $613
  • 26. Utah
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $615
  • 27. Tennessee
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $617
  • 28. Wisconsin
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $617
  • 29. Iowa
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $620
  • 30. Delaware
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $624
  • 31. Illinois
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $624
  • 32. Nevada
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $624
  • 33. California
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $626
  • 34. New Mexico
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $627
  • 35. Kansas
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $640
  • 36. Arizona
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $643
  • 37. Missouri
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $650
  • 38. Florida
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $654
  • 39. Texas
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $655
  • 40. North Carolina
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $682
  • 41. Louisiana
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $698
  • 42. Oklahoma
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $703
  • 43. Nebraska
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $729
  • 44. New Jersey
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $729
  • 45. South Dakota
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $730
  • 46. Connecticut
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $755
  • 47. Vermont
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $853
  • 48. Wyoming
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $875
  • 49. Alaska
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $882
  • 50. West Virginia
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $956
  • 51. New York
    Monthly Insurance Cost: $1,533

Methodology

MoneyGeek ranked U.S. states based on their monthly and annual health insurance costs and provided additional valuable information, such as each state’s average annual maximum out-of-pocket costs (MOOP) and the percentage of uninsured individuals in each state.

To gather health insurance cost data, MoneyGeek accessed insurance cost information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website and calculated state and national averages. For states with state or hybrid marketplaces, data was hand collected directly from the respective state's marketplace. We also utilized data from the United States Census Bureau to determine the percentage of the population without health insurance coverage in each state.

About Doug Milnes, CFA


Doug Milnes, CFA headshot

Doug Milnes is a CFA charter holder with over 10 years of experience in corporate finance and the Head of Credit Cards at MoneyGeek. Formerly, he performed valuations for Duff and Phelps and financial planning and analysis for various companies. His analysis has been cited by U.S. News and World Report, The Hill, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and many other outlets.

Milnes holds a master’s degree in data science from Northwestern University. He geeks out on helping people feel on top of their credit card use, from managing debt to optimizing rewards.