- The average U.S. household spent $1,993 on vehicle insurance in 2024. In 2019 it was $1,545, measured the same way, a 29.0% increase over five years.
- Reported spending jumped 58% between 2018 and 2019, from $976 to $1,545, but BLS documents that the source of this estimate changed that year (from its Diary Survey to its Interview Survey). Most of that jump reflects the change in measurement, not a one-year 58% rise in insurance costs, so 2018 and earlier are not directly comparable with 2019 and later.
- By 2024, average vehicle insurance spending was nearly 5 times average vehicle finance charges ($1,993 vs. $418), and from 2019 to 2024 insurance grew 29.0%, slower than finance charges (+65.9%) but faster than vehicle purchases (+21.5%).
- Vehicle insurance now consumes about 1.9% of average pre-tax household income (2024), up from 1.2% as recently as 2018.
01 Introduction
The average U.S. household spent $1,993 on vehicle insurance in 2024. Every driver pays for insurance, and almost every driver eventually wonders whether their rate is normal. Most answers to that question come from insurance companies or comparison-shopping sites with an obvious interest in what you conclude. This article uses a different source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey, which has tracked average household spending on vehicle insurance every year since long before 2000, independent of any insurer, broker, or lead-generation business.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, multi-year tables, 2000–2024The figures below are average annual expenditure per consumer unit (BLS's term for a household), not a quoted premium. See what this number actually measures for how that differs from a typical insurance quote.
02 The Full 25-Year History, 2000–2024
Reported average household spending on vehicle insurance was $778 in 2000 and $1,993 in 2024. The two ends of that series are not directly comparable, because BLS changed the source of this estimate in 2019 (see the 2019 break). Within 2000 to 2018, spending rose from $778 to $976 and was roughly flat, even dipping some years, through the 2010s. From 2019 on, the figures come from a different survey component and rise from $1,545 to $1,993.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, multi-year tables ("Vehicle insurance" line item), 2000–2024| Year | Avg. Annual Spending | Index (2000 = 100) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,993 | 256 |
| 2023 | $1,775 | 228 |
| 2022 | $1,592 | 205 |
| 2021 | $1,528 | 196 |
| 2020 | $1,575 | 202 |
| 2019 | $1,545 | 199 |
| 2018 | $976 | 125 |
| 2017 | $967 | 124 |
| 2016 | $1,149 | 148 |
| 2015 | $1,079 | 139 |
| 2014 | $1,112 | 143 |
| 2013 | $1,013 | 130 |
| 2012 | $1,018 | 131 |
| 2011 | $983 | 126 |
| 2010 | $1,010 | 130 |
| 2009 | $1,075 | 138 |
| 2008 | $1,113 | 143 |
| 2007 | $1,071 | 138 |
| 2006 | $886 | 114 |
| 2005 | $913 | 117 |
| 2004 | $964 | 124 |
| 2003 | $905 | 116 |
| 2002 | $894 | 115 |
| 2001 | $819 | 105 |
| 2000 | $778 | 100 |
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Use the Calculator03 The 2019 Break in the Series
Between 2018 and 2019, reported average vehicle insurance spending went from $976 to $1,545, a 58% increase. That is not a one-year change in what insurance costs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that in 2019 the source of this estimate switched from its Diary Survey to its Interview Survey, because it judged the Interview Survey to be a better measure of insurance spending. BLS reports that the published 2018-to-2019 change mixes two different data sources, and that the change within each source separately was far smaller (see the BLS notice on vehicle insurance spending in the 2019 estimates).
Calculated from BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey multi-year tables: ($1,545 − $976) / $976 = 58.3%; $1,545 − $976 = $569; $976 − $778 = $198Spending has kept climbing since that step-change: from $1,545 in 2019 to $1,993 in 2024, a further 29% increase over five years, on a consistent basis.
Calculated: ($1,993 − $1,545) / $1,545 = 29.0%04 Insurance vs. Other Vehicle Ownership Costs
BLS tracks several other vehicle-related expenditure categories in the same survey. Because of the 2019 change in how insurance is measured, the comparison below is split at 2019: 2000 to 2018 on the old basis, and 2019 to 2024 on the current one.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, multi-year tables, 2000–2024| Year | Vehicle Insurance | Vehicle Purchases (net outlay) | Vehicle Finance Charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $778 | $3,418 | $328 |
| 2010 | $1,010 | $2,588 | $243 |
| 2018 | $976 | $3,975 | $222 |
| 2019 | $1,545 | $4,394 | $252 |
| 2024 | $1,993 | $5,337 | $418 |
| Change, 2000–2018 | +25.4% | +16.3% | −32.3% |
| Change, 2019–2024 | +29.0% | +21.5% | +65.9% |
In 2019, average insurance spending was about 35% of average net vehicle-purchase outlay. By 2024 it was about 37%. Both years are on the current measurement basis, so this comparison is not affected by the 2019 change.
Calculated: $1,545/$4,394=35.2% (2019); $1,993/$5,337=37.3% (2024)05 Insurance as a Share of Household Income
BLS's Consumer Expenditure Survey also reports average pre-tax household income for the years since 2013, making it possible to track vehicle insurance as a share of income over the most recent decade.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, multi-year tables, "Income before taxes" and "Vehicle insurance," 2013–2024| Year | Income Before Taxes | Vehicle Insurance | Insurance Share of Income |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $104,207 | $1,993 | 1.9% |
| 2023 | $101,805 | $1,775 | 1.7% |
| 2022 | $94,003 | $1,592 | 1.7% |
| 2021 | $87,432 | $1,528 | 1.7% |
| 2020 | $84,352 | $1,575 | 1.9% |
| 2019 | $82,852 | $1,545 | 1.9% |
| 2018 | $78,635 | $976 | 1.2% |
| 2017 | $73,573 | $967 | 1.3% |
| 2016 | $74,664 | $1,149 | 1.5% |
| 2015 | $69,627 | $1,079 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $66,877 | $1,112 | 1.7% |
| 2013 | $63,784 | $1,013 | 1.6% |
Insurance's share of income held fairly steady in the 1.5%–1.7% range through the mid-2010s, dipped to a low of 1.2% in 2018, then rose to about 1.9% in 2019, a step that coincides with the 2019 change in how BLS measures this category, and has stayed near that level since.
Calculated from the table above06 What This Number Actually Measures
This figure is not the same thing as a quoted insurance premium, and understanding the difference matters:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey methodology- It's a household average, not a per-vehicle premium. BLS reports average vehicle insurance expenditure per consumer unit (roughly, a household), not per vehicle or per driver. A household with two insured vehicles is averaged the same as a household with one.
- It includes households without a vehicle. Across the full 2000–2024 period, BLS data shows about 87%–89% of consumer units owned or leased at least one vehicle in any given year. The insurance averages above are computed across all consumer units, including the roughly 11%–13% that owned no vehicle and paid no vehicle insurance, which pulls the reported average down slightly relative to what an insured household alone pays.
- It's actual reported spending, not a rate quote. This reflects what households actually paid, aggregated nationally, rather than a premium quote for a specific driver profile, vehicle, or state, the kind of number an insurance comparison site would show you.
07 Data Sources
Every figure in this article comes from a U.S. government source. No proprietary, estimated, or insurance-industry data was used.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Expenditure Surveys, "Average annual expenditures and characteristics of all consumer units," multi-year tables covering 2000–2005, 2006–2012, 2013–2020, and 2021–2024. bls.gov/cex