All 51 jurisdictions ranked · national benchmark $704
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All 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranked by 2027 benchmark premium for a 40-year-old. The national benchmark is $704. Vermont is the most expensive at $1,313 — more than three times New Hampshire.
Version 1.0 · last updated 2026-08-02 · source: KFF Marketplace Average Benchmark Premiums, 2027
Ask most tools which states are cheapest for health insurance and you will still get an answer built on pre-2026 numbers. One widely repeated list names West Virginia among the five cheapest states. West Virginia's 2027 benchmark is $1,185 — it ranks 48 of 51, near the most expensive in the country.
Rates changed sharply for 2027 because the enhanced federal premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025. Any ranking built before that is not slightly stale, it is wrong. This page is the current figures, dated and sourced, with the underlying data published so anyone can check it.
| # | State | Benchmark @40 | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire * | $486 | -31% |
| 2 | Maryland | $491 | -30% |
| 3 | Oregon * | $519 | -26% |
| 4 | Minnesota * | $525 | -25% |
| 5 | Iowa * | $528 | -25% |
| 6 | Indiana | $537 | -24% |
| 7 | Virginia | $549 | -22% |
| 8 | Massachusetts * | $551 | -22% |
| 9 | Idaho * | $553 | -21% |
| 10 | Nevada | $565 | -20% |
| 11 | Hawaii * | $592 | -16% |
| 12 | Michigan | $595 | -16% |
| 13 | Ohio | $603 | -14% |
| 14 | Arizona * | $609 | -14% |
| 15 | North Dakota * | $610 | -13% |
| 16 | Colorado | $615 | -13% |
| 17 | Rhode Island * | $629 | -11% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania * | $648 | -8% |
| 19 | California * | $655 | -7% |
| 20 | North Carolina | $660 | -6% |
| 21 | New Jersey * | $665 | -6% |
| 22 | Kentucky * | $667 | -5% |
| 23 | Missouri * | $675 | -4% |
| 24 | District of Columbia * | $678 | -4% |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $686 | -3% |
| 26 | South Carolina | $702 | -0% |
| 27 | South Dakota | $704 | +0% |
| 28 | Illinois | $707 | +0% |
| 29 | Alabama | $712 | +1% |
| 30 | Utah | $716 | +2% |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $720 | +2% |
| 32 | New Mexico * | $725 | +3% |
| 33 | Louisiana * | $730 | +4% |
| 34 | Georgia | $733 | +4% |
| 35 | Texas | $737 | +5% |
| 36 | Florida | $738 | +5% |
| 37 | Kansas | $748 | +6% |
| 38 | Arkansas | $757 | +8% |
| 39 | Washington * | $768 | +9% |
| 40 | Nebraska | $780 | +11% |
| 41 | Tennessee | $796 | +13% |
| 42 | Maine * | $804 | +14% |
| 43 | Mississippi | $814 | +16% |
| 44 | Delaware * | $876 | +24% |
| 45 | Montana * | $889 | +26% |
| 46 | Connecticut * | $1,005 | +43% |
| 47 | New York * | $1,041 | +48% |
| 48 | West Virginia * | $1,185 | +68% |
| 49 | Wyoming * | $1,190 | +69% |
| 50 | Alaska * | $1,284 | +82% |
| 51 | Vermont * | $1,313 | +86% |
* Health Advisory is licensed in 23 states. Figures for every other jurisdiction are published here as reference data only — we cannot sell or advise on coverage there.
Premiums are full price before premium tax credits. Most marketplace buyers pay less; what you pay depends on household income, household size and county.
The full table is published as benchmark-2026.json and benchmark-2026.csv, versioned and dated, under CC BY 4.0.
Plans By State. 2027 ACA Benchmark Premiums, All 51 US Jurisdictions. Version 1.0, 2026-08-02. Derived from KFF, Marketplace Average Benchmark Premiums 2027. https://www.plansbystate.com/rankings/cheapest-states-2026.html
Put your ZIP code in and a licensed agent will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to a licensed agent — not a call center.
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There is no single 2026 price. Enter your ZIP and a licensed agent will pull what is filed in your county, then work out what help you qualify for.
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