Our data methodology
Every rate number on this site comes from real quotes returned to real people through the HoneyQuote platform. Here's exactly how we collect them, how we turn them into local benchmarks, and how often they change.
The insurance internet loves a "free quote" that turns into a week of spam calls. That's not how we work. We only earn a cent when you actually find a policy worth buying- never for passing your number around. The team behind our content is comprised of experienced writers and licensed insurance pros, our rate data and coverage explainers hold to standards we publish out in the open, and no carrier or partner gets to edit what we tell you. Want to know how we keep the lights on without selling you out? Here's exactly how HoneyQuote makes money.
Where our numbers come from
Our numbers come from our own platform. When someone requests coverage through HoneyQuote, our carrier partners return real quotes for that specific property. We keep those quotes, strip out anything that identifies the person, and aggregate what's left into local benchmarks.
That's the whole source. We don't model prices, and we don't buy a rate-filing database and publish what carriers are theoretically permitted to charge. Filed rates and quoted rates are not the same thing — a filing is permission, a quote is a price someone was actually shown for their actual roof, in their actual ZIP code, on an actual date.
Our data sources
Quotes are the foundation. A handful of other sources give them context.
| Source | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| HoneyQuote quote platform | Primary source. Real quotes returned to real applicants for specific properties. |
| Our carrier partners (20+ coastal carriers) | Coverage availability, eligibility rules, and filed discounts by state and territory. |
| State insurance department filings and rate orders | Context on approved rate changes, so we can explain why a benchmark moved. |
| FEMA flood maps (NFIP) | Flood zone designation for the property. |
| NOAA and the National Hurricane Center | Storm history and exposure context by region. |
| IBHS FORTIFIED program records | Mitigation designations that carry premium credits. |
| AM Best and Demotech | Carrier financial strength. |
| Consumer reports and insurance scores | A rating variable carriers use to price. See our terms for how we obtain these. |
Why a national average won't tell you what your coastal home costs
The big comparison sites publish national home insurance averages. Those numbers are built on a generic profile: a mid-size single-story house, a flat dollar deductible, and not much else.
Look at what that profile doesn't contain. No roof age — often the deciding factor in whether a coastal home can get covered at all. No roof shape or material. No named-storm deductible, which on the coast is usually a percentage of your dwelling limit rather than a flat amount, and is the number that actually matters after a hurricane. No wind mitigation credits. No FORTIFIED designation. No distance to open water. No treatment of flood, which a home policy never covers.
A national average isn't wrong so much as it's answering a different question. It describes an inland house. If you live near the water, it can't describe yours — and that's why we built our own benchmark instead of licensing someone else's.
How we handle wind pools and last-resort carriers
Every coastal state we serve runs some form of residual market: a state-backed insurer of last resort for properties the private market won't write. The names and the rules differ by state. Florida has Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Texas has TWIA, and Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi each run their own wind pool or beach plan. Whichever coast you're on, the same question applies: is the last-resort option part of the number you're reading?
These carriers price differently from the private market, so whether they're in or out of a benchmark moves the number.
One consequence worth stating plainly: because every state sets its own residual market, mitigation credits, and deductible rules, our benchmark for a city in one state isn't directly comparable to one in another. Same currency, different rules. We publish each market on its own terms rather than flattening the coast into a single number.
See it in practice
Wherever a benchmark appears on the site, it carries its source and the date behind it. Here is how that looks on a city rate page.
| ZIP code | Median quote | Distance-to-water tier | Quotes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33606 | $4,180 | Under 1 mile | 412 |
| 33611 | $3,740 | 1–3 miles | 386 |
| 33609 | $3,210 | 3–10 miles | 501 |
| 33647 | $2,690 | Over 10 miles | 638 |
How we protect your information
We do not sell customer data. We guarantee you will not receive spam calls from getting your free quotes with HoneyQuote. Full detail is in our privacy policy.
Which carriers are included
Our benchmarks draw on quotes from our network of 20+ coastal carriers. The mix isn't identical everywhere — carriers choose which states, counties, and sometimes which ZIP codes they'll write, and they enter and leave coastal markets regularly. So the carrier set behind one benchmark may differ from another, and it may change between refreshes. Where that shift is large enough to move a number, we note it.
On how we get paid: we earn a commission from the carrier when you buy a policy through us. Our benchmarks are calculated from quote data before any commission consideration, and no carrier can pay to appear lower in them or be excluded from them. We're a licensed independent agency, not a lead broker.
Definitions
What this data is not
A benchmark is not a quote. It describes a defined property in your area, not your house. Your own price will differ, sometimes by a lot, because of your roof, your claims history, your coverage choices, your insurance score, and exactly where you sit relative to water.
It is also not a prediction. A benchmark describes what carriers quoted in a past window. Coastal pricing moves with reinsurance costs, storm seasons, and carriers entering and leaving markets, and it can move quickly.
And it is not complete. Where we do not have enough quotes to publish responsibly, we do not publish. Our data is deepest in Florida and the Texas Gulf Coast and thinner in Alabama, Mississippi, and the Carolinas. If you want your actual number, get a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Real quotes returned by our carrier partners to real applicants through the HoneyQuote platform, stripped of personal information and aggregated into local benchmarks.
Real quotes. Many comparison sites publish figures derived from state rate filings, which describe what a carrier has permission to charge. We publish what carriers actually quoted for actual coastal properties.
Quote data feeding our benchmarks refreshes monthly. Carrier availability refreshes weekly, and financial strength ratings quarterly. Every rate table on the site shows the date its data was last refreshed.
Because a benchmark describes a defined property profile, not your property. Roof age, claims history, coverage choices, insurance score, and exact distance to water all move your price. On the coast, two neighbors can be quoted very differently.
At least 20 quotes from at least 3 distinct carriers within the past 12 months. Below that, we suppress the ZIP-level figure and show a city or county benchmark instead, labeled as such.
No. Names, addresses, contact details, and policy numbers are removed before aggregation, and we never publish a figure derived from a single household. We don't sell customer data.
Competitive prices on the coverage you need.
Low-cost insurance. Absolute clarity on what’s covered.
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