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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

Women Pay More for Auto Insurance Than Men in 37 States

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Content was accurate at the time of publication.
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Women often face pricier auto insurance premiums than men.

According to a new LendingTree analysis of insurance rate data, women pay more annually for premiums than men in 37 states, with the difference hitting triple digits in a half-dozen of them.

Here’s what else we found.

  • Women pay more annually than men for auto insurance in 37 states. Nationally, women pay an average of $32 more annually than men. By state, that gap is biggest in Florida ($199), Oregon ($130) and Delaware ($118). Men pay more in seven states, with Wyoming having the biggest gap at $31, followed by Vermont and Ohio at $27 for both.
  • In 2023, female drivers in Massachusetts had 17.9 more incidents per 1,000 drivers than male drivers, making it the state with the biggest disparity. It was followed by the District of Columbia (15.1) and Rhode Island (14.9). Meanwhile, male drivers had 3.6 more incidents per 1,000 drivers in Hawaii, followed by Arkansas (1.1) and Maine (1.0).
  • Overall, men and women pay the most annually for auto insurance in Michigan. Both men and women spend an average of $3,814 annually for insurance in Michigan. It’s followed by Florida, where women pay an average of $2,687 and men pay $2,488, and Nevada, where women pay $2,481 and men pay $2,371. On the other hand, women and men pay the least in Vermont, Idaho and Maine (in different orders).
  • Nationally, male teen drivers pay an average of $504 more annually for auto insurance than female teen drivers. Breaking that down, male teen drivers ages 15 to 19 pay more than female teen drivers in 45 states. That gap is biggest in Connecticut ($1,386), New York ($1,174) and Maryland ($1,124). In the remaining six states, male and female teen drivers pay the same amount, on average, for auto insurance.

By analyzing Quadrant Information Services data to determine average car insurance premiums for minimum- and full-coverage policies for 35-year-old male and female drivers with clean records, we found women pay more annually than men in 37 states.

Nationally, the difference isn’t large, with women paying an average of $32 more annually for auto insurance than men — $1,488 versus $1,456. By state, however, that gap can widen: Women in Florida pay an average of $2,687, while men pay $2,488 — a difference of $199 annually in car insurance costs.

Oregon ($130) and Delaware ($118) have the next largest differences. Overall, women pay at least $100 more, on average, in six states.

States with the biggest differences in average annual car insurance premiums for men and women
RankStateAverage annual car insurance premiums, menAverage annual car insurance premiums, womenDifference
1Florida$2,488$2,687$199
2Oregon$2,216$2,346$130
3Delaware$1,961$2,079$118

Source: LendingTree analysis of Quadrant insurance rate data.

According to LendingTree auto insurance expert and licensed insurance agent Rob Bhatt, how insurance companies determine risk plays the largest role in these differences.

“Insurance companies hire actuaries to assess the level of risk various drivers pose based on a number of factors,” he says. “In most states, insurance companies include gender among the many factors they use to determine how risky you may be to insure. The insurance companies in those 37 states probably claim their data shows that women have more claims than men and use this to justify charging women higher rates than men.”

On the other hand, men pay more — on average — in just seven states. The gap is significantly smaller in these states: Wyoming leads, with men paying $1,020 and women paying $989 (a $31 difference). Vermont and Ohio tie for second, with a difference of $27 for both. Meanwhile, men and women pay the same amount for auto insurance in seven states.

Full rankings

States with the biggest/smallest differences in average annual car insurance premiums for men and women
RankStateAverage annual car insurance premiums, menAverage annual car insurance premiums, womenDifference
1Florida$2,488$2,687$199
2Oregon$2,216$2,346$130
3Delaware$1,961$2,079$118
4New York$2,203$2,317$114
5Nevada$2,371$2,481$110
6Washington$1,459$1,562$103
7New Jersey$1,687$1,776$89
8Louisiana$2,363$2,438$75
9South Carolina$1,529$1,598$69
10Utah$1,366$1,434$68
11Alabama$1,536$1,596$60
12Colorado$1,779$1,834$55
13Kansas$1,050$1,102$52
14District of Columbia$1,305$1,347$42
15Minnesota$1,270$1,309$39
16Illinois$1,381$1,419$38
17Oklahoma$1,501$1,538$37
18New Mexico$1,338$1,374$36
19Kentucky$1,659$1,694$35
19Missouri$1,455$1,490$35
21Texas$1,425$1,459$34
22Virginia$1,131$1,164$33
23Montana$1,273$1,302$29
24Maryland$1,724$1,750$26
25Indiana$953$975$22
26Arkansas$1,073$1,093$20
27Wisconsin$886$905$19
28Mississippi$1,145$1,160$15
28West Virginia$1,162$1,177$15
30North Dakota$1,091$1,104$13
31Idaho$768$780$12
31Nebraska$1,198$1,210$12
33Iowa$929$939$10
34Tennessee$969$977$8
35Arizona$1,614$1,620$6
36Rhode Island$2,270$2,271$1
36South Dakota$860$861$1
38California$1,357$1,357$0
38Georgia$1,494$1,494$0
38Hawaii$1,192$1,192$0
38Massachusetts$1,785$1,785$0
38Michigan$3,814$3,814$0
38North Carolina$805$805$0
38Pennsylvania$1,453$1,453$0
45New Hampshire$831$829-$2
46Connecticut$1,964$1,959-$5
47Alaska$1,279$1,256-$23
48Maine$771$747-$24
49Ohio$1,380$1,353-$27
49Vermont$714$687-$27
51Wyoming$1,020$989-$31

Source: LendingTree analysis of Quadrant insurance rate data.

To paint a fuller picture, we analyzed tens of millions of QuoteWizard by LendingTree insurance quotes from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2023, to calculate incident rates by gender.

Notably, female drivers in Massachusetts have the biggest disparity in incident rates. Female drivers in the state had 66.4 incidents per 1,000 drivers in 2023, while male drivers had 48.5 incidents — a difference of 17.9 incidents. For our purposes, driving incidents are:

  • Accidents
  • DUIs
  • Speeding
  • Citations

Bhatt says drivers in these states can expect incident rates to play a role in insurance rates — if permitted.

“In areas where the discrepancy between male and female crash rates is noticeable, the gender with the higher crash rates can expect to pay more for insurance — assuming the practice isn’t banned in that state,” Bhatt says. “However, a lot of other factors can come into play. Credit, where allowed, and your driving history are often more significant than gender, particularly after you hit your 30s.”

Notably, Massachusetts doesn’t allow insurance companies to use gender as a factor — which may be why it’s one of the seven states where average auto insurance rates are the same for both genders despite the incident rate gap.

Following Massachusetts, the District of Columbia has the next highest discrepancy in incident rates, with 15.1 more incidents per 1,000 drivers among female drivers. Rhode Island (14.9) rounds out the top three.

States with the biggest discrepancies in incidence rates by gender
RankStateIncidents per 1,000 drivers, womenIncidents per 1,000 drivers, menDifference
1Massachusetts66.448.517.9
2District of Columbia44.629.515.1
3Rhode Island61.446.514.9

Source: LendingTree analysis of tens of millions of QuoteWizard by LendingTree insurance quotes from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2023.

The gap is much smaller in the states where men have higher incident rates. Hawaii — another state where auto insurers aren’t allowed to use gender as a factor for rate-setting — has the biggest gap, with male drivers having 3.6 more incidents per 1,000 drivers. It’s followed by Arkansas (1.1) and Maine (1.0).

State-by-state data

Driving incidents per 1,000 drivers by state and gender
StateIncidents per 1,000 drivers, womenIncidents per 1,000 drivers, menDifference
Alabama23.023.9-0.9
Alaska19.418.21.2
Arizona23.623.40.2
Arkansas14.015.1-1.1
California48.838.310.5
Colorado23.523.10.3
Connecticut21.521.10.4
Delaware20.818.52.3
District of Columbia44.629.515.1
Florida24.622.52.0
Georgia25.825.9-0.1
Hawaii24.828.4-3.6
Idaho29.527.81.6
Illinois22.221.11.1
Indiana29.829.60.2
Iowa26.625.70.9
Kansas26.325.11.2
Kentucky16.916.20.7
Louisiana18.418.00.3
Maine20.321.3-1.0
Maryland31.228.13.2
Massachusetts66.448.517.9
Michigan12.612.50.1
Minnesota24.924.10.8
Mississippi17.017.2-0.2
Missouri25.625.20.5
Montana29.029.00.0
Nebraska28.726.42.3
Nevada23.920.43.4
New Hampshire19.118.90.2
New Jersey30.325.74.5
New Mexico21.020.10.9
New York19.716.43.3
North Carolina37.334.13.2
North Dakota35.730.25.5
Ohio28.327.21.0
Oklahoma16.616.50.1
Oregon32.631.01.5
Pennsylvania22.921.41.5
Rhode Island61.446.514.9
South Carolina29.727.81.9
South Dakota21.021.5-0.4
Tennessee26.126.7-0.6
Texas27.526.31.1
Utah30.930.10.8
Vermont16.614.71.9
Virginia27.626.41.3
Washington32.030.61.5
West Virginia17.517.10.3
Wisconsin28.828.20.6
Wyoming25.223.12.1

Source: LendingTree analysis of tens of millions of QuoteWizard by LendingTree insurance quotes from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2023.

As for where men and women pay the most for auto insurance, both genders see the highest rates in Michigan. On average, both men and women pay $3,814 annually in the state.

That high cost can largely be attributed to the state’s no-fault law, which results in high insurance claim payouts, especially for personal injury protection (PIP) claims. These payouts are among the highest in the country. The state also has high minimum insurance requirements, which means higher prices for more required coverage.

Florida ranks second for both genders, with women paying an average of $2,687 and men paying $2,488. Florida’s high rate of uninsured drivers plays a role here: When these drivers are involved in accidents, the costs have to be covered by insured drivers.

States with the highest average annual car insurance premiums
RankStateAverage annual car insurance premiums, menAverage annual car insurance premiums, women
1Michigan$3,814$3,814
2Florida$2,488$2,687
3Nevada$2,371$2,481

Source: LendingTree analysis of Quadrant insurance data.

Nevada rounds out the top three, where women pay $2,481 and men pay $2,371.

On the other hand, women and men both pay the least in Vermont, at $687 for women and $714 for men. Following that, Maine ($747) ranks second and Idaho ($780) ranks third for women. Those rankings swap for men, with Idaho ($768) second and Maine ($771) third.

Full rankings

States with the highest/lowest average annual car insurance premiums for men
RankStateAverage annual car insurance cost, men
1Michigan$3,814
2Florida$2,488
3Nevada$2,371
4Louisiana$2,363
5Rhode Island$2,270
6Oregon$2,216
7New York$2,203
8Connecticut$1,964
9Delaware$1,961
10Massachusetts$1,785
11Colorado$1,779
12Maryland$1,724
13New Jersey$1,687
14Kentucky$1,659
15Arizona$1,614
16Alabama$1,536
17South Carolina$1,529
18Oklahoma$1,501
19Georgia$1,494
20Washington$1,459
21Missouri$1,455
22Pennsylvania$1,453
23Texas$1,425
24Illinois$1,381
25Ohio$1,380
26Utah$1,366
27California$1,357
28New Mexico$1,338
29District of Columbia$1,305
30Alaska$1,279
31Montana$1,273
32Minnesota$1,270
33Nebraska$1,198
34Hawaii$1,192
35West Virginia$1,162
36Mississippi$1,145
37Virginia$1,131
38North Dakota$1,091
39Arkansas$1,073
40Kansas$1,050
41Wyoming$1,020
42Tennessee$969
43Indiana$953
44Iowa$929
45Wisconsin$886
46South Dakota$860
47New Hampshire$831
48North Carolina$805
49Maine$771
50Idaho$768
51Vermont$714

Source: LendingTree analysis of Quadrant insurance data.

States with the highest/lowest average annual car insurance premiums for women
RankStateAverage annual car insurance cost, women
1Michigan$3,814
2Florida$2,687
3Nevada$2,481
4Louisiana$2,438
5Oregon$2,346
6New York$2,317
7Rhode Island$2,271
8Delaware$2,079
9Connecticut$1,959
10Colorado$1,834
11Massachusetts$1,785
12New Jersey$1,776
13Maryland$1,750
14Kentucky$1,694
15Arizona$1,620
16South Carolina$1,598
17Alabama$1,596
18Washington$1,562
19Oklahoma$1,538
20Georgia$1,494
21Missouri$1,490
22Texas$1,459
23Pennsylvania$1,453
24Utah$1,434
25Illinois$1,419
26New Mexico$1,374
27California$1,357
28Ohio$1,353
29District of Columbia$1,347
30Minnesota$1,309
31Montana$1,302
32Alaska$1,256
33Nebraska$1,210
34Hawaii$1,192
35West Virginia$1,177
36Virginia$1,164
37Mississippi$1,160
38North Dakota$1,104
39Kansas$1,102
40Arkansas$1,093
41Wyoming$989
42Tennessee$977
43Indiana$975
44Iowa$939
45Wisconsin$905
46South Dakota$861
47New Hampshire$829
48North Carolina$805
49Idaho$780
50Maine$747
51Vermont$687

Source: LendingTree analysis of Quadrant insurance data.

While adult women generally pay more for auto insurance than adult men, the reverse is true for teen drivers ages 15 to 19 with stand-alone policies. Nationally, male teen drivers pay an average of $4,755 annually for car insurance, while female teen drivers pay $4,251 — a difference of $504.

According to Bhatt, this, too, largely boils down to risk.

“There’s a wide body of research that shows that male teens are involved in fatal car accidents, which are the most severe, at an alarmingly higher rate than female teens,” he says. “Insurance companies generally charge the highest rates to those with the greatest likelihood of costing them money in the form of a claim and the lowest rates to the least risky drivers.”

That holds true for all younger Americans, not just teens. In another LendingTree study on incident rates by age, we found that Gen Zers ages 18 to 26 had 49.07 incidents per 1,000 drivers, nearly double that of the second-highest group.

Breaking it down further, male teen drivers pay more than female teen drivers in 45 states. Connecticut has the biggest gap, where male teens pay an average of $9,268 and female teens pay an average of $7,882 — a difference of $1,386. That’s followed by New York ($1,174) and Maryland ($1,124).

States with the biggest differences in average annual car insurance premiums for female and male teen drivers
RankStateAverage annual car insurance premiums, female teensAverage annual car insurance premiums, male teensDifference
1Connecticut$7,882$9,268$1,386
2New York$5,900$7,074$1,174
3Maryland$5,163$6,287$1,124

Source: LendingTree analysis of Quadrant insurance data.

Notably, female teen drivers don’t pay more than male teen drivers in any state. In the remaining six states, male and female teen drivers pay the same amount, on average, with Hawaii ($1,207) having the lowest average annual insurance costs.

Full rankings

States with the biggest/smallest differences in average annual car insurance premiums for female and male teen drivers
RankStateAverage annual car insurance premiums, female teensAverage annual car insurance premiums, male teensDifference
1Connecticut$7,882$9,268$1,386
2New York$5,900$7,074$1,174
3Maryland$5,163$6,287$1,124
4Wyoming$2,406$3,340$934
5Nevada$8,511$9,404$893
6District of Columbia$4,395$5,248$853
7Kentucky$5,501$6,275$774
8Rhode Island$7,166$7,927$761
9Georgia$4,640$5,382$742
10Delaware$6,390$7,117$727
11Oklahoma$4,558$5,267$709
12Ohio$3,234$3,899$665
13Texas$4,332$4,978$646
14Florida$6,778$7,420$642
15Arizona$4,866$5,488$622
16Minnesota$3,323$3,939$616
17Virginia$3,115$3,715$600
18West Virginia$3,590$4,171$581
19Alabama$4,852$5,406$554
20Oregon$5,831$6,384$553
21Missouri$4,199$4,751$552
22Louisiana$6,410$6,943$533
23New Mexico$3,981$4,497$516
24South Carolina$4,157$4,635$478
25Nebraska$3,697$4,171$474
26Colorado$5,581$6,052$471
27Washington$4,184$4,652$468
28Utah$4,405$4,865$460
29Arkansas$3,592$4,048$456
30Alaska$3,351$3,806$455
31Tennessee$3,380$3,813$433
32Mississippi$3,605$4,034$429
33South Dakota$2,119$2,543$424
34New Jersey$4,859$5,271$412
35Illinois$4,313$4,723$410
36North Dakota$2,726$3,135$409
37Vermont$1,880$2,275$395
38Kansas$3,486$3,847$361
39Iowa$2,463$2,821$358
40Idaho$2,521$2,869$348
41Maine$2,639$2,975$336
42Wisconsin$2,799$3,115$316
43New Hampshire$2,573$2,881$308
44Indiana$2,764$3,051$287
45Montana$4,251$4,324$73
46California$3,400$3,400$0
46Hawaii$1,207$1,207$0
46Massachusetts$4,819$4,819$0
46Michigan$9,118$9,118$0
46North Carolina$1,754$1,754$0
46Pennsylvania$4,135$4,135$0

Source: LendingTree analysis of Quadrant insurance data.

When discussing tackling gender disparities in auto insurance, it’s worth reiterating that six states — California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania — prohibit insurance companies from using a person’s gender as a factor in determining their car insurance rate. (While Montana used to ban gender rating, the state began allowing it again in 2021.)

Bhatt says there’s been further political pressure in other states to stop the practice. “Insurance companies are always evaluating the effectiveness of their ratings systems internally,” he says. “The most successful ones tend to be those that move away from using outdated information to set their rates.”

In the meantime, Bhatt recommends shopping around to find a lower rate. “Car insurance companies weigh each rate factor differently,” he says. “Some place greater emphasis on your driving record or credit than your gender. Others are more forgiving of a ticket or accident, regardless of your gender. Some give men and women deeper discounts than others for bundling your car insurance with a home or renters policy.”

Researchers analyzed tens of millions of QuoteWizard by LendingTree insurance quotes from Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2023.

To determine the best and worst drivers by gender in each state, researchers calculated the number of driving incidents per 1,000 drivers by gender and by state. This main category included accidents, DUIs, speeding-related incidents and citations.

Our analysis also used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your own quotes will likely be different.

Unless otherwise noted, rates for male and female drivers reflect the average of premiums available for minimum- and full-coverage policies for a 35-year-old driver with a clean record. Rates for teen drivers were the same as above but for those ages 15 to 19. Rates for teen drivers were for those with a stand-alone policy. Minimum-coverage policies meet each state’s minimum requirements for liability insurance. Uninsured-motorist coverage and/or personal injury protection (PIP) are included in states where these coverages are required. Full-coverage policies include the following coverages, limits and deductibles:

  • Bodily injury liability: $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $100,000
  • Collision: $500 deductible
  • Comprehensive: $500 deductible
  • Uninsured motorist: Minimum limits where required
  • Personal injury protection: Minimum limits where required

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