State Farm Releases List of Top Ten States for Dog Bite Claims

May 11, 2011

Every year, State Farm Insurance Co. shares its list of the top ten states with insurance claims involving dog bites. This year, California has the dubious honor of being at the top of the list, with 369 claims and a total payout of $11.3 million, but Florida actually has the highest cost-per-claim

State Farm Insurance Co. has released its top 10 states for claims involving dog bites, with California on top in number of claims and Florida (which actually ranked seventh in terms of number of claims) recording the highest cost per claim with a total payout of $38,356. Coming in second to California was the state of Illinois, with 317 dog bite claims and a total cost of $9.7 million.

According to State Farm’s representative, homeowners insurance coverage is never refused based on a dog’s breed, but homeowners are required to answer questions about their pets’ history on the application form. There is an exception only in the state of Ohio, where pit bulls are considered to be “vicious dogs” and are excluded from State Farm policies. Even with this exception, however, Ohio has the third-highest number of dog-bite claims (215 in 2010) for a total payout of $5.7 million.

The entire top ten are:
#1 – California
#2 – Illinois
#3 – Ohio
#4 – Texas – 202 claims, $3.7 million in payouts
#5 – Michigan – 166 claims, $5.2 million in payouts
#6 – Pennsylvania – 155 claims, $3.9 million in payouts
#7 – Florida
#8 – Minnesota – 139 claims, $3.4 million in payouts
#9 – New York – 119 claims, $4.3 million in payouts
#10 – Indiana – 114 claims, $1.8 million in payouts