Higher premiums are straining household budgets in Seagoville, Crandall and Combine, while cheaper coverage can leave families facing expenses they cannot afford.
Texas households are paying substantially more to protect their homes, vehicles and health, creating difficult choices about how much insurance they can maintain alongside housing, groceries, utilities and transportation.
The consequences extend beyond higher monthly bills. Reducing coverage can leave a family without enough money to replace a damaged roof, repair a vehicle or obtain medical care.
Maintaining coverage, meanwhile, can leave less room for savings and other necessities.
For residents of Seagoville, Crandall and Combine, the central question is increasingly whether the protection they can afford would be sufficient when they need it.
State and national data document rising costs and significant coverage gaps. They do not establish how many local residents canceled insurance specifically to pay for groceries or gasoline.
There also is no single statewide count of people carrying inadequate coverage across all insurance products.
The strongest five-year evidence concerns homeowners insurance. Texas Department of Insurance figures show the average annual premium increased from $1,987 in 2020 to $3,489 in 2025, approximately 76%.
| Year | Average Texas homeowners premium |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $1,987 |
| 2021 | $2,124 |
| 2022 | $2,374 |
| 2023 | $2,795 |
| 2024 | $3,291 |
| 2025 | $3,489 |
That increase represents approximately $1,502 annually, or $125 monthly, at the statewide average. Individual bills vary with the property, insurer, coverage and deductible.
Higher premiums partly reflect greater rebuilding costs and larger insured amounts. Texas’ average home coverage amount rose from $294,900 in 2020 to $432,800 in 2025. A homeowner can therefore need additional insurance without adding a room or making other improvements.
For households paying insurance through mortgage escrow, an increase can also raise the monthly housing payment even when the mortgage’s principal and interest remain unchanged.
Texas entered this period with comparatively expensive home insurance. In the Insurance Information Institute’s presentation of 2022 regulatory data, the state had the third-highest average premium for the commonly used HO-3 homeowners policy.
Texas’ average was $2,397, compared with $2,677 in Florida, $2,603 in Louisiana and $2,268 in Oklahoma. The national average was $1,569—about 35% below Texas’ figure.
These historical comparisons reflect different properties and coverage arrangements, rather than identical houses insured in different states. They establish Texas’ relative position in 2022, not a current ranking.
Automobile insurance has added another substantial expense. Regulatory data show Texas’ average annual auto insurance expenditure increased from $1,085.40 in 2020 to $1,428.94 in 2023, approximately 32%.
Texas ranked 13th in average expenditure in 2023, about 11% above the national average of $1,281.92. This measure includes different combinations of coverage and should not be interpreted as a current quote for comprehensive protection.
A driver carrying liability alone may pay less than someone with collision and comprehensive coverage, but the policies provide materially different benefits.
Texas’ minimum automobile liability limits are $30,000 for injuries to one person, $60,000 for injuries per accident and $25,000 for property damage.
Those limits can be exhausted in a serious collision. In a hypothetical crash causing $45,000 in damage to another vehicle, a $25,000 property damage limit would leave a $20,000 gap. Depending on responsibility and the circumstances, the driver could face personal financial exposure.
Liability coverage also does not repair the responsible driver’s own vehicle. For someone commuting from these communities, that loss can threaten both transportation and income.
The Insurance Research Council estimated that 14.5% of Texas drivers were uninsured in 2023, compared with 15.4% nationally. Texas’ estimate was below Florida’s 20.6%, but considerably above Maine’s 5.7%.
These estimates are based on insurance claims patterns, rather than a direct count of every uninsured motorist.
Health insurance presents an even larger coverage gap. According to 2024 American Community Survey findings, approximately 5.1 million Texas residents, or 16.7%, lacked health insurance.
Among people younger than 65, KFF’s analysis placed Texas’ uninsured rate at 19.2%, compared with 9.8% nationally and 3.3% in Massachusetts. Those figures use a different age group from the all-ages Texas estimate.
Affordability is a documented barrier. National findings cited by KFF show 63.2% of uninsured adults ages 18–64 in 2023 said coverage was unaffordable.
However, price is not the only explanation. Access to employer benefits, eligibility for public programs and Texas’ decision not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act also shape coverage.
Even households with employer benefits face substantial costs. KFF’s 2025 survey found average national premiums of $9,325 for individual coverage and $26,993 for family coverage, including employer contributions.
Workers paid an average of $1,440 annually for individual coverage and $6,850 for family coverage—approximately $120 and $571 monthly. Family premiums increased 26% over five years.
Deductibles create another expense. Among covered workers whose plans had a general annual deductible, the average for individual coverage was $1,886.
The Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 national survey found 23% of working-age adults were insured throughout the year but underinsured, based on deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses relative to income.
Among underinsured adults, 57% reported avoiding needed care because of cost, and 44% were paying medical or dental debt over time. Among adults who delayed or skipped care because of cost, 41% said a health problem worsened.
These national findings cannot be applied directly to the three communities, but they demonstrate why having a policy does not necessarily mean having affordable access to care.
Across insurance products, a lower premium can conceal a greater financial obligation after a loss.
Consider a home insured for $300,000. A wind-and-hail deductible equal to 2% of that amount would be $6,000. A 5% deductible would be $15,000. Either could exceed a household’s emergency savings.
Roof coverage also warrants attention. Actual cash value coverage generally subtracts depreciation, potentially leaving the homeowner responsible for a larger portion of replacement costs.
Renters face different risks. TDI estimates an average Texas renters policy costs about $20 monthly. A landlord’s insurance generally does not cover a tenant’s belongings, making cancellation potentially costly after a fire or other covered loss.
Household pressure persists even when inflation slows. USDA figures show average grocery prices increased another 2.3% in 2025. Slower growth does not restore earlier prices, while fluctuating gasoline costs add uncertainty.
The evidence supports a clear conclusion: insurance has become more expensive, and inadequate coverage can transfer substantial risk back to households. It does not support a precise local count of families choosing food or fuel over protection.
Before reducing coverage, residents can compare quotes using identical limits and deductibles. Homeowners should request roof-payment terms and deductibles in dollars. Drivers should identify which losses their policies cover.
Health plan comparisons should include prescriptions, provider networks and out-of-pocket limits.
TDI’s HelpInsure resource provides sample home and auto comparisons, and its consumer Help Line is 800-252-3439.
For local families, meaningful protection depends on both parts of the calculation: the premium they must pay today and the expenses they could face tomorrow.
