Most popular insurance brands in America
Many Americans find themselves strapped for cash. According to the Federal Reserve's "Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2018," four in 10 American adults would have difficulty covering an unexpected $400 expense with cash or its equivalent. Worse yet, the report also stated that 12% of adults could not come up with the money at all. So what happens when an emergency, such as an ambulance ride or a car accident, pops up in someone's life?
Insurance can be one possibility. Nearly 92% of Americans had health insurance during the year 2018, according to a Census report. High numbers of Americans also rely on insurance to cover their most valuable assets. The Insurance Information Institute reports that 95% of homeowners have policies to cover their homes and 87% of drivers have car insurance. Demand for insurance has become a $1.2 trillion industry, with nearly 6,000 insurance companies competing for their share of the pie.
To determine which insurance brands are the most popular in America, Stacker analyzed data from YouGov, including almost 8,000 interviews between November 2018 and November 2019 to learn how people felt about various insurance brands. Stacker ranked these popular brands based on the positive opinion rating from the data. The 25th-most popular insurance brand received a positive opinion rating of 27%, while the first-place insurance brand earned a positive opinion from two-thirds of all respondents.
Insurance companies like these are who countless Americans call on for support during a crisis in their lives, from a flooded basement or kitchen fire to a cancer scare, travel headache, or identity theft. And some insurance companies have a more positive image in the minds of Americans than others.
Read on to find out the 25 most popular insurance brands in America, along with some interesting facts about those businesses.
#25. Berkshire Hathaway
- Positive opinion: 27%
With roots as a textile manufacturing company in 1839, Berkshire Hathaway has grown into a multinational conglomerate. It offers not only a variety of insurance, including liability, professional liability, and travel, but it also owns several major companies, including Dairy Queen, Duracell, and Fruit of the Loom. Berkshire Hathaway’s chief executive, Warren Buffett, is one of the richest people in America, with a net worth around $90 billion.
#24. Travelers
- Positive opinion: 29%
Travelers is a pioneer in its field. It started offering accident insurance in 1864, car insurance in 1897, aircraft liability insurance in 1919, accident insurance for space flights in 1969, and coverage for identity fraud expense reimbursement in 1999—all firsts for the industry. Today, it provides a variety of insurance products, including coverage for cars, homes, yachts, and renters.
#23. Cigna
- Positive opinion: 29%
Cigna primarily focuses on health care, offering dental, medical, and supplemental insurance to 165 million customers worldwide. Anthem, a rival insurance company, tried to acquire Cigna and create the biggest insurer by membership in the nation in 2015. Insurance Journal called the failed merger “one of the largest corporate deals in the U.S. to go sour.”
#22. New York Life
- Positive opinion: 29%
New York Life is one of the largest mutual life insurance providers in the U.S. Its iconic Manhattan building was once the location of Madison Square Garden and is recognized as a historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.
#21. The Hartford
- Positive opinion: 30%
Primarily selling its services through independent agents and brokers, The Hartford offers a suite of auto, home, and business insurance coverage. Baseball legend Babe Ruth purchased disability insurance from The Hartford in 1920.
#20. Navy Federal Credit Union
- Positive opinion: 31%
Navy Federal Credit Union provides at least five different types of insurance, including auto, health, homeowners, life, and disability. Its membership base solely comprises people with a connection to the military, National Guard, or Department of Defense.
#19. Humana
- Positive opinion: 33%
Humana customers get everything from dental and vision coverage to health plans, Medicare supplements, and pharmacy services from the Louisville, Ky.-based company. In early 2020, customers told WFLA that a computer glitch at Humana interrupted their insurance coverage—just a week before the company revealed a new technology hub for members at the Consumer Electronics Show.
#18. Aetna
- Positive opinion: 33%
Aetna is a 167-year-old company that offers health coverage, dental insurance, and vision plans to more than 30 million members. Its name is a nod to the 11,000-foot-tall Mt. Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
#17. MetLife
- Positive opinion: 33%
Offering insurance coverage, annuities, asset management, and employee benefits, MetLife has a presence in more than 40 countries around the world. In 2011, the company bought the naming rights to a New Jersey stadium complex, which is now called MetLife Stadium. It serves as the home base for the New York Giants and the New York Jets.
#16. John Hancock
- Positive opinion: 33%
Serving over 2.6 million policyholders, John Hancock specializes in life insurance. The company's innovative Vitality Program treats customers who participate in healthy activities to special rewards, like an Apple Watch at a steep discount.
#15. Anthem Blue Cross
- Positive opinion: 34%
Anthem provides health insurance plans to 41 million people across 21 states and Washington D.C. After a hacker broke into Anthem’s database and stole 79 million people’s personal data, the company agreed to a legal settlement of $115 million. At the time, NBC reported that it would be “the largest settlement ever for a data breach.”
#14. AARP Medicare Plans from UnitedHealthcare
- Positive opinion: 35%
AARP has teamed up with UnitedHealthcare to offer Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare supplemental insurance, and Medicare prescription drug coverage. The duo recently set up a program with Lyft to make it easier for senior citizens to access transportation to medical appointments.
#13. AARP Auto/Home Insurance from The Hartford
- Positive opinion: 36%
Older adults can access car and homeowner's insurance from The Hartford with their AARP membership. Members who bundle their auto and home policies may get additional savings on their insurance.
#12. UnitedHealthcare
- Positive opinion: 36%
UnitedHealthcare provides a range of health plans for individuals and families, including short-term health insurance and dental coverage. The health insurer has over 1.3 million doctors and health care professionals in its network.
#11. Liberty Mutual
- Positive opinion: 37%
Liberty Mutual is the world's fifth-largest property and casualty insurer. One of its claims to fame is its creation of the first battery-powered prosthetic elbow in 1967.
#10. Nationwide
- Positive opinion: 37%
Customers have access to property insurance, automobile policies, pet policies, travel insurance, and a plethora of other kinds of coverage from Nationwide. The company, which goes back to 1925, has a long-standing relationship with farm bureaus across the country.
#9. Farmers Insurance
- Positive opinion: 39%
One of the nation’s largest insurers of automobiles, homes, and businesses is Farmers Insurance. Despite this superlative, the company has rather humble roots. It started by offering vehicle insurance to rural farmers in 1928.
#8. Aflac
- Positive opinion: 42%
Aflac specializes in supplemental health insurance, including short-term disability policies and accident coverage. It gained worldwide brand awareness when it debuted its now-beloved Aflac duck in a commercial in 2000.
#7. USAA
- Positive opinion: 43%
Auto insurance, renters insurance, flood insurance, and life insurance are among the many offerings available at USAA. The company restricts its membership to people who have served in the armed forces, and their families.
#6. Progressive
- Positive opinion: 43%
Progressive insures personal and commercial vehicles, watercraft, motorcycles, and homes. In 1995 the company was among the first major car insurance providers to launch a website.
#5. Allstate
- Positive opinion: 46%
Customers can purchase insurance policies for their homes, cars, rental properties, off-roading vehicles, and their lives from Allstate. The company was founded through Sears, Roebuck & Co. 89 years ago.
#4. GEICO
- Positive opinion: 47%
While GEICO might be best known for its gecko-endorsed car insurance, the company also offers coverage for renters, homes, and businesses. Its name is an acronym for Government Employees Insurance Company.
#3. State Farm
- Positive opinion: 51%
State Farm offers nearly every type of insurance a typical customer may need, including life, home, health, car, disability, and personal liability. It processed about 36,000 fire and auto claims every day in 2018.
#2. Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Positive opinion: 54%
Blue Cross Blue Shield offers health care coverage in all 50 states. It’s responsible for insuring one out of every three Americans.
#1. AAA
- Positive opinion: 66%
While AAA is primarily focused on the needs of drivers, it offers more than just car insurance. It also offers coverage for homes, life, health, and pets. It has grown from less than 1,500 members in 1902 to over 58 million members today.
