ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia homeowners are paying some of the fastest-rising insurance premiums in the country, and a new industry analysis says the increases are not over.
Premiums across the state went up about 9% on average in 2025 and are on pace to rise roughly another 10% before 2026 is out, a new report from the insurance comparison site Insurify found. The typical Georgia policy now costs $2,896 a year.
Hurricane Helene is a big part of the reason. The storm’s flooding and wind damage left insurers in Georgia paying more in claims than they collected in premiums, and companies raised rates in both years to recover those losses, the analysis found. Rebuilding is also pricier: building material costs have climbed 42% since 2019.
The coast carries the heaviest burden. All six of the state’s most expensive counties for home coverage sit on or near the Atlantic, and Chatham County ranks fourth at an average of $4,047 a year.
Standard policies generally do not pay for flood damage, and some exclude wind or apply a separate wind deductible. Roughly 40% of flood claims come from outside high-risk zones, the report noted.
Some relief is coming, though not right away. House Bill 1344, an insurance affordability and claims law lawmakers passed this year, creates a Storm Damage Mitigation Program that takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. It will be run by the state insurance commissioner’s office and can award grants to help owners harden homes against wind, with a stronger roof eligible for up to $6,000 in a matching grant or $7,500 without a match.
The grants depend on money lawmakers set aside each year in the budget, and the commissioner still has to write the rules. No application process has been published yet.
Georgians can already put money in a tax-free catastrophe savings account, and those who cannot find coverage on the regular market can turn to the Georgia Underwriting Association, the state’s insurer of last resort.
Rates will be on the desk of a new state insurance commissioner. In Tuesday’s election, Democrat Keisha Sean Waites was running about 8 points ahead of Republican Insurance Commissioner John King, part of a Democratic sweep of statewide offices.
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