# Home Insurance, Weather-Related Auto Costs Top Property Taxes in 75% of U.S. Counties

By Riza Dagoc

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/40390
Published: 2026-10-25T03:14:06.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-25T03:14:06.000Z
Section: Regulation

> Homeowners insurance premiums rose 45% over the past decade after inflation, while typical hidden homeownership costs reached $16,566.

Homeowners insurance alone costs more than property taxes in roughly two-thirds of U.S. counties, and adding weather-related auto coverage raises the share to 75%, increasing pressure on household budgets.

County-average homeowners insurance premiums rose 45% over the past decade after inflation. Nebraska recorded a 79% increase. Across counties, property insurance averages 14% more than property taxes. Including the weather-related portion of auto premiums raises the combined insurance burden to 30% above property-tax bills.

The broader comparison counts only auto premiums tied to weather, not full auto coverage. The figures compare county averages, so they do not describe every household’s individual costs.

Typical hidden costs of homeownership totaled $16,566, up 31.7% over five years. Insurance premiums had the largest increase among those costs.

The burden is greatest in the Southeast, where relatively low property taxes and hurricane exposure can leave insurance premiums at 2.5 to four times a typical tax bill. In the Northeast, the West and large metropolitan areas, higher property taxes make rising premiums a smaller share of overall costs. Hailstorms and severe winter weather are driving claims pressure in Colorado, Utah and Minnesota.

The Trump administration is shifting more disaster-recovery costs to state and local governments. The federal government covered about 90% of those costs over the past two decades, but the division is now approaching an even split. Andrew John Stevenson, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, called the change “a very daunting proposal for local government, local budgets” and said localities lack capital to respond on an ad hoc basis.