Data and Analysis on Wildfires and Insurance

Wildfires are a reality for many Californians, and by analyzing multiple data sets over several years the Department can identify trends affecting the insurance market. Data and its objective analysis have driven actions by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara focused on preserving available and affordable insurance options for homeowners and businesses. As the state regulator, with statewide jurisdiction, the Department can provide unique datasets that promote public understanding of insurance market trends, empowering local jurisdictions and consumers with important statewide or local context for decision-making. The Department collects data from insurance companies, and in some cases directly from California businesses, and makes it available through our public website directly to the public, the Governor’s Administration and Legislature, and other stakeholders. The Department will continue to update this web page as new data and analysis becomes available. Data questions related to this page can be directed to: ClimateStudies@insurance.ca.gov. Policyholders and members of the public may direct questions relating to specific cancellation, non-renewal, or other insurance transactions to our Consumer Services Division Help page.

Residential data: Annual Insurance Policy Count Data

Since 2018, annual counts of new, renewed, and non-renewed homeowners and dwelling fire policies have been collected from admitted insurance companies by the Department to better understand statewide and geographical trends in residential insurance markets facing wildfire risks. Annual counts of California FAIR Plan policies and overall counts of surplus lines policies are also collected. Individual, annually released Nonrenewal Data Fact Sheets are provided below, with the 2019 Fact Sheet including data from 2015-2018.

• Statewide Data Fact Sheets for new, renewed, and non-renewal data collected by the Department from 2015-2021 provide an opportunity to review multi-year trends for insurance non-renewals and FAIR Plan policy numbers among residential insurance policies.
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2015-2018
• County-level breakdowns of new, renewed, and non-renewal data provide a more specific information for each of California’s counties.
  • 2015-2021
• ZIP Code-level breakdowns of new, renewed, and non-renewal data.
  • 2015-2021

Statewide Commercial Insurance Data Survey, with an emphasis on agriculture

To inform strategies for increasing the availability of agricultural insurance and additional types of commercial insurance, the Department collected coverage limits, premiums, losses, and claims related to wildfires from admitted insurance companies.

• View the fact sheet on commercial insurance (released October 2021)

Wildfire Risk Information Reporting

Report and Data File including fire and wildfire related losses, segmented by wildfire risk score, collected from admitted insurance companies every two years. The Report is produced pursuant to California Insurance Code Section 929.

• Visit this page to access the Report and the Data File can be accessed under the heading SB 824 Wildfire Risk Information

Insurance Companies Offering Home and Community Hardening Incentives

Companies listed in this resource offer pricing incentives for a home hardening actions and community mitigation designations, including actions listed in the Safer from Wildfires Framework.

• View the list of companies currently offering wildfire safety discounts

Find Insurance Companies That Write in Higher Fire Risk Areas

The Home Insurance Finder allows you to search for insurance companies and licensed agents/brokers who have been identified to sell homeowners, renters, condominium, or mobile home insurance. You can narrow your search to insurance companies that may write in higher fire risk areas.

• Visit the Home Insurance Finder website

https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/200-wrr/DataAnalysisOnWildfiresAndInsurance.cfm