As extreme weather has turned increasingly common over the past several years, the need for a reliable insurance carrier has become paramount. Case in point: In 2023, residents of Illinois were plagued by record-breaking storms, flooding and property damage—prompting FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) to declare multiple disasters in the state that year. But Illinoisans with insurance policies through Country Financial—a Bloomington-based insurance company—were in good hands.
Jesse Kohlbecker, vice president of claims and client services at the company, says that in 2023, even during the “three largest claims events in our nearly 100-year history,” the insurance carrier took care of its clients. “Through dedicated efforts by colleagues, we were able to successfully navigate an historic claims year and continue delivering exceptional service experiences.”
This dedication undoubtedly helped Country Financial earn top rankings in homeowners, renters, permanent life and term life insurance on our fourth annual list of America’s Best Insurance Companies.
To create the rankings, Forbes and market research firm Statista surveyed more than 18,000 people across the United States who reported having an insurance policy in at least one of five categories: homeowners, renters, auto, permanent life or term life. Survey respondents were asked whether they were satisfied with their insurance company and if they would recommend it to others. Participants also rated their insurance providers on such criteria as the guidance agents offered, their customer service, cost, company transparency, digital services and claims service. Ratings in each insurance category were combined into a score, and the companies with the highest scores made our rankings. (The list lengths vary for each insurance type, as each list is dependent on the number of evaluations collected, the final score and the size of that insurance market.)
All told, 97 companies were recognized in at least one of the five insurance categories on this year’s list.
Amica, based in Lincoln, Rhode Island, nabbed high marks in all five insurance categories. For this, Ted Shallcross, Amica’s president and CEO, credits the insurance provider’s employees. “The secret to our long-term success and industry-leading customer retention is our people,” he said. “They provide personalized and empathetic service based on the specific needs of the policyholder they’re assisting.”
Employees also recognize that because Amica is a mutual insurer, customers have an extra vested interest in the company. “We’re owned by our policyholders, and we make decisions with their interests in mind.”
Only six other insurers in addition to Amica ranked in all five insurance categories: American Family Insurance, Auto-Owners Insurance, Erie Insurance, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, State Farm, and USAA. The majority of the companies on our list ranked in one or two types of insurance.
According to PwC’s new report, Insurance 2025 and Beyond, the best insurance companies are focused not only on preventing and protecting against risk for their customers; top insurers are also focused on mitigating the risks that climate change poses to the world. The report notes: “Because of their inherent expertise in risk management, insurers and reinsurers have a clear opportunity and societal obligation to lead the way in fighting the global climate crisis.” They can do this, the report suggests, in many ways, including by advising customers to invest in more resilient infrastructure and supply chains, and by developing public–private partnerships wherein insurers and regulators develop catastrophe risk models and collaborate on data collection and climate adaptation research.
Of course, many insurers are also setting themselves apart by embracing technological advances that improve their operations and their customer experience. But at Aflac, which ranked in the permanent and term life insurance categories, even with the company’s evolving digital offerings and increasingly effective AI-powered tools, the insurer “never forgets that we are a people-oriented business,” says Virgil R. Miller, president of Aflac U.S. “Both our agents and our HQ claims staff are trained to provide compassionate care to policyholders who are often experiencing some of the most trying times in their lives.”
Methodology
America’s Best Insurance Companies 2025 was created in partnership with market research firm Statista. The rankings were derived by surveying more than 18,000 people across the United States who reported having an insurance policy in at least one of five categories: homeowners, renters, auto, permanent life or term life. Survey respondents were asked whether they were satisfied with their insurance company and if they would recommend it to others. Participants also rated their insurance providers on such criteria as the guidance agents offered, their customer service, cost, company transparency, digital services and claims service. Ratings in each insurance category were combined into a score, and the companies with the highest scores made our rankings. (The list lengths vary for each insurance type, as each list is dependent on the number of evaluations collected, the final score and the size of that insurance market.)
Ultimately, a total of 97 companies were recognized in at least one of the five insurance categories on Forbes list of America’s Best Insurance Companies 2025.
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