Health insurance premiums have gone up a lot in recent years, rising by 6% for individual plans and 7% for family plans just in 2024. Although prices are rising all over the country, certain states are much more expensive than others. Insurance premiums can cost as much as 20% of the median monthly household income in the most expensive states, but just 4% in the least expensive states.
To identify where Americans are shelling out the most and least for health insurance, WalletHub analyzed the average premiums for a silver health insurance plan (which has a moderate deductible but fairly low premiums) in each of the 50 states, then compared it to the median household income.
| Highest % of Income Spent | Lowest % of Income Spent | |
| 1. Vermont (19.61%) | 41. Colorado (5.90%) | |
| 2. West Virginia (18.81%) | 42. California (5.84%) | |
| 3. Alaska (13.97%) | 43. New Jersey (5.72%) | |
| 4. Wyoming (13.76%) | 44. Rhode Island (5.61%) | |
| 5. New York (10.87%) | 45. Washington (5.26%) | |
| 6. Mississippi (10.47%) | 46. Massachusetts (4.96%) | |
| 7. South Dakota (10.21%) | 47. Minnesota (4.87%) | |
| 8. Louisiana (10.18%) | 48. Virginia (4.85%) | |
| 9. Alabama (10.12%) | 49. Maryland (4.27%) | |
| 10. New Mexico (9.66%) | 50. New Hampshire (4.02%) |
To view the full report and your state’s rank, visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-where-people-spend-the-most-least-on-health-insurance/145713