Estimate your premium and out-of-pocket deductible in California, Washington, or Oregon
Estimates built from state-average rates and typical CEA-style rating factors. Real quotes vary by zip code, soil, and insurer. Not insurance advice.
Sample annual premiums for a $400,000 wood-frame California home built 1940–1979 in a moderate-risk area. Earthquake deductibles are a percentage of dwelling coverage, so a "cheap" premium usually means a bigger check at claim time.
| Deductible | You Pay First (on $400k) | Est. Annual Premium | Premium Savings vs. 5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | $20,000 | $1,160 | — |
| 10% | $40,000 | $998 | 14% |
| 15% | $60,000 | $882 | 24% |
| 20% | $80,000 | $800 | 31% |
| 25% | $100,000 | $731 | 37% |
Notice the trade: moving from 5% to 25% saves $429 a year but adds $80,000 of out-of-pocket exposure. It takes 186 years of savings to fund one deductible gap. That's the honest math behind "cheap" earthquake insurance.
| State | Typical Rate per $1,000 Covered | Sample $400k Home @ 15% | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $2.00 – $4.00 (zip-dependent, can exceed $8 near faults) | $882 | CEA (about 2/3 of policies) or standalone carriers |
| Washington | $1.20 – $2.50 | $532 | Endorsement on homeowners policy or standalone |
| Oregon | $1.00 – $2.20 | $441 | Endorsement on homeowners policy or standalone |
Despite the Cascadia risk, only about 10–13% of California homeowners carry earthquake coverage (CDI surveys), and take-up rates in Washington and Oregon are similar or lower. Most policies are sold through the California Earthquake Authority in CA and as endorsements elsewhere.
Homeowners, renters, and condo policies exclude earthquake damage in every state. A separate earthquake policy (or endorsement) covers the shaking damage to your structure, with a personal property limit and a loss-of-use allowance for temporary housing, both usually set as percentages of your dwelling coverage. This calculator estimates the dwelling premium from your state's average rate per $1,000 of coverage, then adjusts for the five factors insurers actually use.
Start with dwelling coverage ÷ 1,000 × your state's baseline rate: $2.90 in California, $1.75 in Washington, $1.45 in Oregon. Multiply by construction (wood frame 1.00, steel 1.10, reinforced masonry 1.30, unreinforced masonry 1.75, the surcharge that prices many older brick homes out of the market entirely). Then year built (1990+ gets 0.85, pre-1940 pays 1.25), seismic zone (low 0.70, high 1.45), and deductible (5% pays full freight, 15% saves 24%, 25% saves 37%). A completed retrofit earns another 15% off.
Pull your dwelling coverage from your homeowners policy declarations page (Coverage A), not your market value, rebuild cost is what's insured. Pick the deductible you're weighing and read both numbers: the premium you'd pay each year and the check you'd write before the insurer pays anything. The 20-year total is there because earthquake insurance is a long hold, most people who buy it keep it for decades without a claim.
Take a $500,000 wood-frame home in California, built 1965, in a moderate-risk area, with a 15% deductible. The math: $500,000 ÷ 1,000 = 500 × $2.90 = $1,450 base. Wood frame and mid-century build don't adjust it, the 15% deductible multiplies by 0.76, so the estimate is $1,450 × 0.76 = $1,102 a year, or $91.83 a month. The out-of-pocket side matters more: 15% × $500,000 = $75,000 you'd cover yourself before the policy pays a dollar.
Now a Portland example: $350,000, built 1995 (0.85), in a high-risk Cascadia zone (1.45), 10% deductible (0.86), retrofitted (0.85 off). That's 350 × $1.45 × 0.85 × 1.45 × 0.86 × 0.85 = $457 a year, $38.10 a month. Without the retrofit it's $538. The deductible check would be $35,000. A $400,000 wood-frame home in average-risk Seattle runs about $602 a year at a 10% deductible.
Published California Department of Insurance figures put the average earthquake premium around $850 to $900 a year. The real driver is location: CEA rates run from under $1 to more than $8 per $1,000 of dwelling coverage depending on your zip code, soil type, and distance to faults. A $500,000 wood-frame home in an average-risk part of the state typically lands near $1,100 a year at a 15% deductible.
No. Standard homeowners, renters, and condo policies exclude earthquake damage, everywhere in the country. You need a separate earthquake policy or an endorsement. Two related rules surprise people: fire damage caused by an earthquake IS covered by your regular homeowners policy, and damage to your car is covered by the comprehensive portion of your auto policy.
Earthquake deductibles are a percentage of your dwelling coverage, usually 5% to 25%, not a flat dollar amount. At 15% on a $500,000 home you pay the first $75,000 of repairs yourself. Most buyers pick 10% to 15% because the premium savings from going higher are modest, roughly 24% off for jumping from 5% to 15%, while the out-of-pocket risk doubles and then triples.
It depends on whether you could absorb the deductible after a major Cascadia event. A full-margin rupture could damage hundreds of thousands of homes, and only a small share of homeowners in both states carry coverage. If rebuilding or covering a $35,000 to $75,000 deductible would wipe out your savings, a policy that costs $400 to $700 a year in typical areas is worth a hard look.
The California Earthquake Authority is a publicly managed, privately funded entity that writes roughly two-thirds of residential earthquake policies in California. You buy a CEA policy through your homeowners insurer, and the premium is the same no matter which participating carrier you use, since they all feed one risk pool. CEA policies offer deductible choices from 5% to 25% along with separate personal property and loss-of-use limits.
Three levers move the number. Retrofitting, things like bolting the house to its foundation and bracing the crawlspace, typically cuts 15% off a CEA-style premium. Raising the deductible from 5% to 15% saves about 24%, and to 25% saves about 37%, but you're self-insuring more of the loss. And shopping matters outside the CEA, since standalone carriers price construction and age differently.