Every state ranked by how much of each premium dollar comes back to policyholders as coverage — the NAIC loss & cost-containment ratio (incurred losses plus claim-handling costs ÷ earned premium) for pet insurance in 2024. A higher number means more of what pet customers paid in came back out as paid claims; a lower number means more of the premium stayed with insurers as margin and overhead. From 2024 NAIC property & casualty state totals.
| # | State | Value — loss + expense ratio | Loss ratio (excl. expense) | Direct written premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New JerseyNJ | 81.9% | $236,804,000 | |
| 2 | CaliforniaCA | 79.1% | $906,822,000 | |
| 3 | New YorkNY | 77.6% | $384,703,000 | |
| 4 | District Of ColumbiaDC | 75.3% | $26,548,000 | |
| 5 | WashingtonWA | 75.0% | $187,909,000 | |
| 6 | MinnesotaMN | 74.3% | $50,688,000 | |
| 7 | FloridaFL | 72.2% | $301,343,000 | |
| 8 | South CarolinaSC | 71.7% | $48,449,000 | |
| 9 | MaineME | 71.6% | $27,034,000 | |
| 10 | MassachusettsMA | 70.8% | $221,077,000 | |
| 11 | GeorgiaGA | 70.4% | $86,327,000 | |
| 12 | PennsylvaniaPA | 69.9% | $199,653,000 | |
| 13 | VermontVT | 69.8% | $15,079,000 | |
| 14 | New HampshireNH | 69.2% | $42,439,000 | |
| 15 | OregonOR | 68.9% | $74,791,000 | |
| 16 | North CarolinaNC | 68.8% | $111,745,000 | |
| 17 | IllinoisIL | 68.4% | $156,148,000 | |
| 18 | MichiganMI | 68.3% | $73,148,000 | |
| 19 | Rhode IslandRI | 68.2% | $22,490,000 | |
| 20 | DelawareDE | 67.9% | $15,054,000 | |
| 21 | MarylandMD | 68.0% | $105,100,000 | |
| 22 | NevadaNV | 67.8% | $60,235,000 | |
| 23 | ColoradoCO | 67.8% | $145,242,000 | |
| 24 | TexasTX | 67.1% | $242,184,000 | |
| 25 | ConnecticutCT | 66.6% | $101,080,000 | |
| 26 | LouisianaLA | 66.6% | $21,806,000 | |
| 27 | ArizonaAZ | 66.0% | $86,727,000 | |
| 28 | HawaiiHI | 66.1% | $26,252,000 | |
| 29 | VirginiaVA | 65.9% | $142,509,000 | |
| 30 | IndianaIN | 65.0% | $40,567,000 | |
| 31 | OhioOH | 65.0% | $92,859,000 | |
| 32 | TennesseeTN | 64.3% | $47,881,000 | |
| 33 | WisconsinWI | 64.0% | $49,304,000 | |
| 34 | MontanaMT | 62.4% | $8,658,000 | |
| 35 | IdahoID | 62.4% | $15,562,000 | |
| 36 | AlaskaAK | 61.8% | $12,237,000 | |
| 37 | KentuckyKY | 61.3% | $19,146,000 | |
| 38 | MissouriMO | 61.2% | $33,957,000 | |
| 39 | IowaIA | 61.0% | $17,049,000 | |
| 40 | UtahUT | 59.6% | $28,325,000 | |
| 41 | New MexicoNM | 58.8% | $14,685,000 | |
| 42 | NebraskaNE | 58.5% | $10,495,000 | |
| 43 | AlabamaAL | 58.4% | $18,287,000 | |
| 44 | WyomingWY | 57.7% | $3,556,000 | |
| 45 | KansasKS | 57.4% | $15,627,000 | |
| 46 | ArkansasAR | 55.7% | $8,518,000 | |
| 47 | MississippiMS | 54.6% | $6,695,000 | |
| 48 | OklahomaOK | 54.2% | $14,124,000 | |
| 49 | West VirginiaWV | 49.6% | $7,637,000 | |
| 50 | North DakotaND | 48.1% | $3,503,000 | |
| 51 | South DakotaSD | 47.6% | $2,710,000 |
"Value" is the loss & cost-containment ratio — the share of premium paid back as claims plus the cost of handling them. It isn't a quality score: a high ratio can mean generous payouts or simply costly losses in that state, and one bad catastrophe year can lift it. Excludes U.S. territories.
A caveat for shoppers: the states topping this list — like New York and New Jersey — are also states that often cap how much insurers can raise rates on existing policies. That holds down premiums for people already covered, which lifts the ratio you see here. A new customer buying today is quoted at current rates and probably won't get the same value a long-tenured policyholder is locked into — so a high ratio reflects the book of business as a whole, not the deal you'd be offered.
