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Best cheap home insurance in Fresno in 2024

Updated May 22, 2024
Mercury, Encompass and MAPFRE may be the best home insurance choices for Fresno property owners.
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The best home insurance companies in Fresno

Home insurance in California has become increasingly hard to come by, with some of the state’s largest insurance companies pausing or heavily limiting new policies. Fresno homeowners may have an especially difficult time securing coverage, considering the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) labels Fresno County as relatively high risk for wildfire damage. Bankrate’s insurance editorial team looked at average rates from Quadrant Information Services, customer service scores from J.D. Power, coverage availability, financial strength ratings, discount options and other metrics. We also checked to ensure that the carriers we chose as best are still writing policies in California and have not announced coverage limitations. Based on our research, Mercury, MAPFRE and Encompass write some of the best home insurance in Fresno.

Best for homeowners on the FAIR Plan

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
4.3

Avg. annual premium

$806

$300K dwelling coverage

JD Power

--

Not rated

Why Mercury made our list: Mercury is the 10th-largest property and casualty insurer in California, with just over 3 percent of the state market. Its average rates are 36 percent less than the Fresno citywide average, which could also make it a strong option for homeowners with a tighter budget. Mercury also boasts the highest Bankrate Score on our list due to its highly-rated customer service and third-party financial strength ratings.

Why Mercury may be the best for homeowners on the FAIR plan: Mercury is one of the insurance companies recognized by the California Department of Insurance for selling Difference In Conditions (DIC) policies. The coverage available from the California FAIR Plan is pretty limited, and a DIC policy is intended to fill in those coverage gaps. A DIC from Mercury could be a good choice for Fresno homeowners on the FAIR Plan looking to bolster their coverage.

Scores and Ratings
Bankrate Score 4.3
AM Best Rating A
Read full review
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Best for pre-packaged coverage options

Bankrate Score

Rating: 3.7 stars out of 5
3.7

Avg. annual premium

$1,523

$300K dwelling coverage

JD Power

--

Not rated

Why Encompass made our list: Encompass is a subsidiary of Allstate, but the two operate as separate companies. Although Allstate paused writing new home insurance policies in California, it appears that Encompass is still active in the state. Encompass operates through a network of independent agents and is rated A+ (Superior) by AM Best.

Why Encompass may be best for pre-packaged coverage options: The EncompassOne insurance policy is available in three tiers — Special, Deluxe and Elite — and combines home insurance with auto and valuables coverage. This could make Encompass a strong contender for homeowners (and drivers) looking to take the guesswork out of building their perfect insurance policy.

Scores and Ratings
Bankrate Score 3.7
AM Best Rating A+
Read full review
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Best for local agents

Bankrate Score

Rating: 3.2 stars out of 5
3.2

Avg. annual premium

$1,237

$300K dwelling coverage

JD Power

--

Not rated

Why MAPFRE made our list: MAPFRE writes home insurance in a handful of states — California among them. It is rated A (Excellent) by AM Best, which may not be as high as some of the national carriers, but still signals a strong historical ability to pay out claims. Home policies are pretty customizable; with MAPFRE, homeowners can add endorsements like water backup, replacement cost coverage, credit card coverage and other choices.

Why MAPFRE may be best for local agents: MAPFRE’s online capabilities are a little lacking, so it may be better suited to homeowners who prefer to work with an agent in person. MAPFRE agents are available throughout Fresno to help you build the policy that best meets your needs.

Scores and Ratings
Bankrate Score 3.2
AM Best Rating A
Read full review
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Bankrate logo

Bankrate's trusted insurance industry expertise

Read our full methodology

Bankrate knows that good home insurance can be hard to come by, especially in California. Our average rates are updated each month to help provide you the most quality analysis.

46

years of industry experience

122

carriers reviewed

34.5K

ZIP codes examined

1.2M

quotes analyzed

The cheapest home insurance companies in Fresno

Home insurance can strain a budget, and some homeowners may need to consider their budget first when shopping for insurance. Bankrate’s insurance editorial team found the cheapest home insurance companies in Fresno, California, for different dwelling coverage limits. The dwelling limit you choose can play a large role in the cost of your policy, so the cheapest provider for a $300K limit may not be the same as the one for a $750K policy.

Caret Down Icon
$55
$660
$67
$806
Armed Forces
$70
$842
$103
$1,237
*Average rates for policies with $300K in dwelling coverage
$59
$660
$74
$806
Armed Forces
$81
$842
$116
$1,237
$67
$800
$89
$1,070
Armed Forces
$104
$1,250
$143
$1,710
$101
$1,215
$136
$1,635
Armed Forces
$178
$2,134
$234
$2,803

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Advertising disclosure
This advertisement is powered by Coverage.com, LLC, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate. The offers and links that appear on this advertisement are from companies that compensate Coverage.com in different ways. The compensation received and other factors, such as your location, may impact what offers and links appear, and how, where and in what order they appear. While we seek to provide a wide range of offers, we do not include every product or service that may be available. Our goal is to keep information accurate and timely, but some information may not be current. Your actual offer from an advertiser may be different from the offer on this advertisement. All offers are subject to additional terms and conditions.

Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.

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How much is home insurance in Fresno, California?

The average cost of home insurance in Fresno, California is $1,261 per year for a $300K dwelling limit policy. This is 15 percent less than California average of $1,480.

Both of these averages are below the national average cost of home insurance, which is $2,285 per year — which may seem odd, considering California’s exceptionally high wildfire risk. That’s not an accident: current California’s insurance regulations currently prevent insurance companies from raising rates to a level that accurately reflects the risk of insurance on a home in the state. This leaves home insurance rates stuck at a deceptively low level, and is a major contributor to the ongoing California home insurance crisis.

Fresno rates by home age

In most cases, older homes are more expensive to insure. That is because if an older home needs a full rebuild after a covered loss, it could cost the insurer more money to bring the home up to current building codes. Plus, older homes are more likely to be built with more expensive, hard-to-source materials than a new build. But, that does not guarantee you will get the cheapest rates with a new build. Below, we’ve pulled different rates from the cheapest home insurance companies in Fresno for five different home construction years.

$835
$842
$807
$718
$608
$1,138
$1,185
$1,217
$1,011
$638
Armed Forces
$1,150
$1,215
$1,245
$1,097
$624
$1,613
$1,552
$1,547
$1,470
$1,025
$1,650
$1,668
$1,658
$1,405
$971

Fresno rates by deductible amount 

If you’re trying to get a more affordable rate on your home insurance policy, you might want to look at your deductible. A home insurance deductible is the amount of financial responsibility a homeowners has after they file a claim. In most cases, raising your deductible will result in a lower home insurance premium. But, be careful not to raise it to something you cannot reasonably afford. The table below illustrates average rates for different deductible amounts from the five cheapest insurance companies in Fresno.

$611
$611
$540
$766
$668
$563
Armed Forces
$842
$727
$660
$1,116
$1,041
$815
$1,213
$1,106
$981

Related content:

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze October 2024 rates for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quoted rates are based on married male and female homeowners with a clean claim history, good credit and the following coverage limits:

  • Coverage A, Dwelling: $150,000, $300,000, $350,000, $450,000, $750,000
  • Coverage B, Other Structures: $15,000, $30,000, $35,000, $45,000, $75,000
  • Coverage C, Personal Property: $75,000, $150,000, $175,000, $225,000, $375,000
  • Coverage D, Loss of Use: $30,000, $60,000, $70,000, $90,000, $150,000
  • Coverage E, Liability: $500,000
  • Coverage F, Medical Payments: $1,000

The homeowners also have a $1,000 deductible, a $500 hail deductible and a 2 percent hurricane deductible (or the next closest deductible amounts that are available) where separate deductibles apply.

These are sample rates and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your quotes will differ.

Year built: Rates were calculated based on the following years built for homes and assigned to our homeowners: “1959, 1982, 1992, 2010, 2016 (base) and 2020.”

Bankrate Scores

Our 2024 Bankrate Score considers variables our insurance editorial team determined impacts policyholders’ experiences with an insurance company. These rating factors include a robust assessment of each company’s product availability, financial strength ratings, online capabilities and customer and claims support accessibility. Each factor was added to a category, and these categories were weighted in a tiered approach to analyze how companies perform in key customer-impacting categories.

Each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. Our scoring model provides a comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and highlighting where they fall short.

5
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Overall Score
  • Cost & ratings 50%
  • Coverage & savings 30%
  • Support 20%
  • Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, average quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, Demotech and the NAIC, were analyzed.
  • Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
  • Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways a home insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.
Written by
Natalie Todoroff
Writer, Insurance
Natalie Todoroff is an insurance writer and industry analyst for Bankrate. She is based in San Francisco and holds a personal lines insurance license.
Edited by Editor, Insurance