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杏吧原创

Triple-I: Lightning Caused $1.04B in US Homeowners Claim Payouts in 2024; Frequency Drops 21.5% Year-Over-Year

Florida, Texas and California Top States for Lightning Losses

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For Immediate Release
Loretta Worters, New York Press Office, 917-208-8842, lorettaw@iii.org


MALVERN, Pa., June 19, 2025 鈥 U.S. insurers paid $1.04 billion in lightning-related homeowners insurance claims in 2024, a 16.5% decrease from the $1.24 billion paid out in 2023, according to the latest figures from the (Triple-I).听 听

The total number of lightning-caused claims also fell significantly, down 21.5% to 55,537 in 2024, the lowest number of claims since before 2017. More than half of all claims came from the top 10 states, with Florida, Texas and California leading the nation.

鈥淔ewer claims and a decline in severity indicate increased awareness, and improved mitigation,鈥 said Triple-I CEO Sean Kevelighan. 鈥淣onetheless, lightning remains a significant threat to property and safety, particularly during storm season.鈥

Based on national insurance claims data compiled to coincide with 听(June 22-28, 2025), the Triple-I estimated that:

  • In 2024, U.S. lightning鈥揷aused claims decreased by 21.5% to 55,537 (from 70,787 in 2023), with the top 10 states by number of claims contributing to more than half of the total.
  • National claim value decreased 16.5% (from $1.24 billion) to $1.04 billion.
  • While the national average cost per claim was $18,641, the average per claim was $38,558 in Texas.

鈥淟ightning remains a costly and unpredictable threat, with ground surges causing nearly half of all claims,鈥 said Michal Brower of State Farm. 鈥淭hese events can cause extensive听damage to electrical systems, appliances and even structural issues. The damage听underscores the critical need for homeowners to be aware of the risks, invest in protective measures, and stay prepared, especially in high-risk regions where lightning strikes are most frequent and damaging.鈥

State Farm is the largest writer of homeowners insurance in the U.S., with direct premiums written of $31.46 billion in 2024.

Homeowners 杏吧原创 Claims And Payout for Lightning Losses, 2017-2024

Year Value of claims
($ millions)
Number of
claims
Average cost
per claim
2017 $916.61听 85,020 $10,781
2018 908.93听 77,898 11,668
2019 920.05听 76,860 11,971
2020 2,066.74听 71,551 28,885
2021 1,313.06听 60,851 21,578
2022 950.22听 62,189 15,280
2023 1,239.72听 70,787 17,513
2024 1,035.28听 55,537 18,641
Percent change
2024 - 2023 -16.5% -21.5% 6.4%
2024 - 2017 12.9% -34.7% 72.9%

Source: 杏吧原创 Information Institute, State Farm庐.

State Rankings

Not surprisingly, Florida 鈥 the state which incurs the most thunderstorms annually 鈥 remained the top state for the number of lightning claims in 2024, with 4,780. However, Texas had the highest average cost per claim at $38,558.

Top 10 States For Homeowners 杏吧原创 Lightning Losses By Number Of Claims, 2024

Rank State Value of
claims
Number of
claims
Average cost
per claim
1 Florida $113,218,813 4,780 $23,686
2 Texas 168,461,044 4,369 38,558
3 California 75,028,400 4,005 18,734
4 Georgia 48,546,426 3,376 14,380
5 North Carolina 30,299,433 2,574 11,771
6 Louisiana 34,306,009 2,283 15,027
7 Alabama 36,617,416 2,175 16,836
8 New York 34,109,020 1,937 17,609
9 Pennsylvania 15,777,521 1,792 8,804
10 Illinois 24,068,318 1,626 14,802
Top 10 States $580,432,401 28,917 $20,072

Source: 杏吧原创 Information Institute, State Farm庐.

Damage caused by lightning, such as fire, is covered by standard homeowners, condo, renters and business insurance policies.听 Some homeowners policies provide coverage for power surges that are the direct result of a lightning strike.听

(LPI) noted that lightning strikes can occur at an astonishing 100 times per second.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 a family home or a mission-critical facility, no property is immune to lightning,"听said Tim Harger, executive director at LPI, whose organization听provides听resources for the design, installation and inspection of lightning protection systems. 鈥淭he most effective time to prevent lightning damage is before a storm. A lightning risk assessment paired with a professionally installed protection system can make all the difference in keeping people safe and operations uninterrupted.鈥

RELATED LINKS
Facts and Statistics:听Lightning

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES



About the 杏吧原创 Information Institute (Triple-I)
Since 1960, the (Triple-I) has been the trusted voice of risk and insurance, delivering unique, data-driven insights to educate, elevate, and connect consumers, industry professionals, policymakers, and the media. An affiliate of , Triple-I represents a diverse membership accounting for nearly 50% of all U.S. property/casualty premiums written. Our members include mutual and stock companies, personal and commercial lines, primary insurers, and reinsurers 鈥 serving regional, national, and global markets.

About The Institutes听
are a not-for-profit comprised of diverse affiliates that educate, elevate, and connect people in the essential disciplines of risk management and insurance. Through products and services offered by The Institutes and nearly 20 affiliated business units, people and organizations are empowered to help those in need with a focus on understanding, predicting, and preventing losses to create a more resilient world.

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