Best and Cheapest Home Insurance Companies in Arkansas

To help Arkansas homeowners get the best possible coverage, we collected hundreds of quotes and examined satisfaction ratings for Arkansas' best home insurance companies.

Best cheap home insurance in Arkansas

Cheapest home insurance in Arkansas

Shelter offers the best quote for homeowners insurance in Arkansas, with a statewide annual average of $863. That's 44% less expensive than the average rates among home insurance companies in Arkansas.

Home insurance in Arkansas is 9% cheaper than the average cost of home insurance nationwide, which is $1,680 per year.

Cheapest home insurance companies in Arkansas

Best overall home insurance in Arkansas: Shelter

Shelter is the best home insurance company in Arkansas because it has the best overall mix of cheap quotes, good customer service and financial stability. Shelter's average rate in Arkansas is $863 per year, which is $668 less per year than the average cost across all companies in Arkansas.

The company has a 0.36 score from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, meaning that Shelter receives 64% fewer complaints than similar companies. Shelter also offers replacement cost coverage, which means you'll get new items to replace any damaged items.

One downside is you can't sign up for a policy online. You can receive a quote, but you have to speak to an agent for a policy.

Best for mobile homes: Foremost

14.9% of Arkansas’ single-family housing units are mobile homes, which is 7.4% higher than the national average of 7.5% nation-wide. Foremost, a subsidiary of Farmers, has the best mobile home insurance coverage in Arkansas.

The company’s expertise in mobile home insurance ranges from excellent customer service to affordable rates and extensive coverages for mobile homes. It has a Complaint Index from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) of 0.41, meaning it receives 59% fewer complaints than similar other insurers. Any number under 1.00 is a good sign of customer satisfaction.

One of Foremost's best benefits is extended replacement cost coverage, meaning that if your mobile home is destroyed, you may be eligible to receive up to 20% above the value of your policy limit. This endorsement also replaces items without a deduction for depreciation, a rare benefit for mobile home insurance.

One downside to Foremost is that it doesn't offer instant quotes. You can submit an inquiry online, though, and an agent will email you a quote within 24 hours.

Best for expanded coverage: Travelers

Travelers offers a wide variety of home insurance endorsements you can pay to add on that other companies may not offer, like extra replacement cost coverage, a personal articles floater and green home coverage. Travelers also offers water backup and sump pump discharge or overflow coverage, which covers things like burst pipes and backed-up drains.

Travelers has a relatively low Complaint Index of 0.64 from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). This means that the company receives 64% of the complaints that similar insurers receive.

Travelers' average annual rate for home insurance is also cheaper than most insurers in Arkansas, at $464 less per year than the state annual average of $1,531. This makes it the second most affordable insurance policy in the state behind Shelter.

Best for military families: USAA

For members of the military and their families, we recommend USAA home insurance. The company has slightly lower-than-average rates, with a typical rate of $1,945 per year. What sets USAA apart are unmatched customer satisfaction and military-specific benefits.

USAA has a very impressive 0.15 NAIC Complaint Index, which puts it among the Arkansas insurance companies with the fewest complaints. It also scored a 4.5/5 on the J.D. Power homeowners insurance satisfaction survey, an impressive score compared to other insurers of its size.

Since it was founded specifically to meet the needs of members of the armed forces, USAA has some coverage benefits that may make it especially appealing to servicemembers. For example, USAA's personal property coverages apply worldwide, even in war zones. Most home insurance policies exclude war zones. Plus, if your uniform or military-issued equipment is lost, stolen or damaged while on active or reserve duty, USAA will waive your deductible if you need to make a claim.

The biggest downside to USAA is that it's only available to certain people. You can only buy a home insurance policy from USAA if you have served in the military or if you're the direct family member of a military or USAA member.

Arkansas home insurance rates by city

Cammack Village is the cheapest city for home insurance in Arkansas. This small town near Little Rock has an average rate of $1,339 per year.

Sidney, a small town near Arkansas' northern border, is the most expensive city for home insurance, with an average rate of $1,929 per year, which is 26% above the state annual average. A high tornado risk is likely the reason behind higher home insurance rates.

Best-reviewed homeowners insurance companies in Arkansas

Shelter and USAA are the best-rated home insurance companies in Arkansas. Shelter offers the cheapest rates for most Arkansas homeowners and has low customer complaint scores. Although USAA isn't as cheap, this military-focused company scored the top J.D. Power customer satisfaction rating. You'll get fantastic support with either company.

Common homeowners insurance risks in Arkansas

As a southern state, Arkansas' most common home insurance perils are from tornadoes and other seasonal storms. For example, Arkansas is among the more tornado-prone states in the U.S., with 41 tornadoes registered in the state in 2021. For the most part, the damage these storms can do to your home is covered by standard home insurance, with one major exception: flooding.

Is wind damage covered by homeowners insurance?

Wind damage is a common cause of homeowners insurance claims in Arkansas, and, fortunately, it's almost always covered by homeowners insurance. Wind damage is one of the named insurance perils that appears on the majority of insurance policies. This is true whether the wind damages your home directly, such as by tearing shingles off your roof, or if it causes damage indirectly by knocking a tree onto your house.

Is flood damage covered by homeowners insurance?

Flood damage is an increasing concern for Arkansas homeowners, especially those who live near a major river. For example, 2019 was the worst year for Arkansas River flooding in three decades.

Unfortunately, flooding is almost never covered by standard homeowners insurance. If your home is at risk of flooding, you'll need to buy a separate flood insurance policy to protect your property.

There are two main types of flood insurance: policies sold through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which are backed by the federal government, and private policies sold and backed by insurance companies.

The main differences between the two policy types are that nearly everyone is eligible for NFIP-backed flood insurance, regardless of flood risk. However, there's a strict waiting period of 30 days, and you can only buy up to $250,000 of dwelling coverage. Private insurance policies offer more flexibility when it comes to coverage limits and waiting periods, but homes at high risk of flood damage may be denied coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

We collected home insurance quotes for every ZIP code in the state from the largest home insurance companies in Arkansas. Our sample home insurance profile was for a 2,000-square-foot home built in 1984, with $127,800 of dwelling coverage, which is based on the average Arkansas home, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.

ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only — your own quotes may be different.

We ranked each company's customer service scores by comparing the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index, J.D. Power's home insurance customer satisfaction rankings and our ValuePenguin editor's ratings.