Which states get the most value from pet coverage?

Every state ranked by how much of each premium dollar comes back to policyholders as coverage — the NAIC loss ratio (claims paid ÷ earned premium) for pet insurance in 2024. A higher number means more of what pet customers paid in came back out as claims; a lower number means more of the premium stayed with insurers as margin and overhead. From 2024 NAIC property & casualty state totals.

72¢ came back to pet policyholders for every premium dollar in 2024

Best value: New Jersey — 81.9¢ back per $1

Least value: South Dakota — 47.6¢ back per $1

Total pet premium: $4,590,768,000

#	State	Loss ratio	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	MarylandMD	68.0¢	$105,100,000
21	DelawareDE	67.9¢	$15,054,000
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	HawaiiHI	66.1¢	$26,252,000
28	ArizonaAZ	66.0¢	$86,727,000
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

This is the loss ratio — the share of premium paid back to policyholders as claims. 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.

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.