Agency Checklists’ third installment of the Commissioner’s Annual Report on Home Insurance in Massachusetts takes a look at the latest data for policy numbers by Massachusetts county.
Since 1996, the DOI has been required to produce a home insurance report pursuant to M.G.L. c. 175 Sec. 4A & 4B. Unlike private passenger auto insurance in Massachusetts, there are no specific laws requiring that a property owner purchase home insurance.
Total Number of Home Insurance Coverage Rates by Massachusetts County
There was a total of 2,156,581 home insurance policies in force during the calendar year 2021. This number represents an increase of 99,110 policies from 2020 to 2021 or an increase of 4.82%.
Of that number:
- Homeowner’s insurance policies increased by 51,987
- Tenant and condominium policies increased by 36,259.
Home insurance coverage rates by Massachusetts County
Similar to past years, Middlesex County continues to have the greatest number of homeowners and home insurance policies in the Commonwealth. The following table breaks down the total number of policies according to Massachusetts county.
| 2021 HOME INSURANCE POLICIES | BY COUNTY |
|---|---|
| Middlesex | 484,819 |
| Worcester | 260,051 |
| Essex | 241,290 |
| Norfolk | 227,671 |
| Suffolk | 205,912 |
| Hampden and Hampshire | 182,411 |
| Plymouth | 172,269 |
| Bristol | 164,694 |
| Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket | 143,806 |
| Berkshire and Franklin | 73,656 |
Percentage of Home Insurance Policies Voluntary v. FAIR Plan
The next chart graphs the number of home insurance policies by county. In addition, it shows what percentage of the total policies in each county were voluntary versus policies issue through the FAIR Plan. As to be expected, with the FAIR writing approximately 34.8% of the total policies on the Cape and Islands, that market share is represented in the graph in the counties representing those areas: Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket. The county with the second-largest proportion of FAIR Plan policies written is Suffolk County.
As the following graph illustrates, the DOI noted that the number of home insurance policies remained consistent in each Massachusetts county from 2020 to 2021.
How to read the other articles on this year’s Home Insurance Report
For those individuals interested in reading our earlier articles on the Annual Home Insurance Report from the Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner, please refer to the following articles:
- MA Home Insurance Part I: Premiums Topped $2.8B In 2021
- MA Home Insurance Part II: How the FAIR Plan Fared In 2021
