Ranking every state by premium in 2019 and again in 2023, then comparing each state's position against what actually happened to its bill.
| State | Rank 2019 → 2023 | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 19 → 31 | $1,155 → $1,235 |
| Michigan | 2 → 12 | $1,623 → $1,572 |
| Virginia | 39 → 30 | $967 → $1,238 |
| Missouri | 30 → 21 | $1,074 → $1,323 |
| Kentucky | 26 → 35 | $1,096 → $1,208 |
Three of these five improved their rank and got more expensive
Washington dropped twelve places towards "affordable" while charging drivers $80 more. Kentucky fell nine places and rose $112.
They didn't get cheaper. Everyone else got more expensive faster.
Michigan is the only row where the rank and the bill agree — it fell ten places and cut the premium 3.1%, the single decrease in the country, which we covered in fifty states saw insurance rise.
Virginia is the clearest warning
It climbed nine places towards "expensive" — from 39th to 30th — and that ranking move understates what happened. The premium went from $967 to $1,238, a 28% rise, the largest in the country.
A ranking change of nine places doesn't sound like much. A 28% increase does.
Where the money actually went
Nationally the average premium rose $230.75 between 2019 and 2023. Split by component:
| Component | Increase | Share of the rise |
|---|---|---|
| Liability | +$84.00 | 36.4% |
| Collision | +$81.78 | 35.4% |
| Comprehensive | +$65.83 | 28.5% |
Comprehensive gets the headlines because it grew fastest in percentage terms — up 30%. But it starts from the smallest base, so in dollars it contributed least. Liability added the most money, and liability is the component you have the least control over.
What to do with this
Ignore the ranking, read your own renewal. Your state's position is a comparison with 50 others and tells you nothing about your bill.
Percentage growth and dollar growth point at different things. Re-shopping comprehensive feels productive because the percentage is scary, but liability is where the dollars went.
The rises were nearly universal. Comprehensive and collision went up in all 51 jurisdictions without exception — an auto-renewed policy has absorbed all of it untested.
Check the car before the quote. A branded title changes what an insurer will write. A VIN check shows title status, and our insurance cost pages show what specific models run.
Frequently asked questions
Can a state's insurance ranking improve while premiums rise?
Yes. Washington fell twelve places towards affordable between 2019 and 2023 while its premium rose 6.9%, from $1,155 to $1,235. Everyone else simply got more expensive faster.
Which state had the largest insurance increase?
Virginia, up 28% from $967 to $1,238 — though its ranking only moved nine places, from 39th to 30th, which badly understates what drivers experienced.
Which part of the premium rose most?
Liability added $84.00 of the $230.75 national increase — 36.4% — followed by collision at $81.78 and comprehensive at $65.83. Comprehensive grew fastest in percentage terms but contributed the fewest dollars.
Should I pay attention to state insurance rankings?
Not for your own bill. A ranking is a comparison with fifty other states and can move a dozen places without your premium changing in the same direction.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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