Workers’ Compensation Costs by State: Top 50 by 2024 Premium Index Rate
Workers' Compensation Premium Index Rates Across the 50 States
Hawaii has the highest published workers' compensation premium index rate among the 50 states at $2.52 per $100 of payroll. New Jersey follows at $2.16 and New York at $1.98. North Dakota has the lowest published state value at $0.50.
This ranking uses the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services 2024 Workers' Compensation Premium Rate Ranking, which remained the latest nationwide DCBS ranking available when checked on September 23, 2026. The full 2024 report was published in June 2025 and analyzes premium rates effective through Jan. 1, 2024.
The numeric ranking uses one official source: Oregon DCBS. U.S. Census Bureau regions are added only as supplemental geographic labels for filtering and do not affect values or ranks. All 50 state values are official_value; no forecasts, modeled projections or reconstructed state index rates are used.
Hawaii, per $100 of payroll.
North Dakota, per $100 of payroll.
Washington, D.C. is excluded because this page ranks states only.
Official DCBS values from the 2024 nationwide study.
What the Workers' Compensation Premium Index Rate Measures
Oregon DCBS compares workers' compensation premium rates across jurisdictions using a common industry mix rather than simple statewide averages. The study weights comparable class rates using Oregon payroll by class, producing a standardized premium index rate expressed in dollars per $100 of payroll.
The purpose is relative comparison. DCBS states that the index is not intended to represent the actual average premium paid by employers in each state. Individual employer premiums can vary because of industry classification, payroll, experience modification, carrier pricing, discounts and other policy-level factors.
The study also does not include self-insured employers in the comparable premium-rate measure. DCBS explains that self-insurers do not pay insurance premiums and their costs are not reported consistently across states, so the study focuses on employers purchasing workers' compensation insurance.
How to read this page: a higher index rate means a higher standardized workers' compensation insurance rate for the common study industry mix. It does not mean every employer in that state pays that amount.
States With the Highest Workers' Compensation Premium Index Rates
Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and California form the highest-rate group. Five of the first ten displayed states are in the Census Northeast region, three are in the West, one is in the Midwest and one is in the South.
First 10 displayed states · published 2024 DCBS index rate · dollars per $100 of payroll
| Rank | State | Index rate | Source / method note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $2.52 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 1. |
| 2 | New Jersey | $2.16 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 2. |
| 3 | New York | $1.98 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 3. |
| 4 | California | $1.86 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 4. |
| 5 | Vermont | $1.60 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 5. |
| 6 | Connecticut | $1.48 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 6. |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $1.42 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 7. |
| 8 | Louisiana | $1.41 | official_value · published-value tie · source jurisdiction rank 9. |
| 8 | Wyoming | $1.41 | official_value · published-value tie · source jurisdiction rank 8. |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $1.38 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source jurisdiction rank 10. |
StatRanker ranks the 50 states from the published two-decimal index rates. Equal published values share a rank using standard competition ranking; alphabetical order is used only for display within a tied group. DCBS source jurisdiction rank is retained in the note because the official study may rank using values before rounding and also includes Washington, D.C.
Chart: First 20 States by Published Index Rate
The chart uses the same published rates as the ranking table. Hawaii is the highest state at $2.52 per $100 of payroll, followed by New Jersey at $2.16 and New York at $1.98.
Methodology
State index rates come directly from the Oregon DCBS 2024 Workers' Compensation Premium Rate Ranking. U.S. Census regions are supplemental labels only. The index values are official published observations; StatRanker does not reconstruct the underlying unrounded DCBS calculations.
Metric and unit
Workers' compensation premium index rate, expressed in dollars per $100 of payroll. Higher published values rank higher.
Data period
The source is the 2024 study. DCBS states that this edition analyzes premium rates effective through Jan. 1, 2024. The full report was published in June 2025.
2026 snapshot status
The Oregon DCBS report-resources page was checked on September 23, 2026 and still listed the 2024 premium-rate ranking as the latest nationwide study.
Coverage
The DCBS source covers 51 jurisdictions: all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. This page excludes D.C. because the ranking is specifically limited to states.
Data status
All 50 state index rates are official_value. There are no calculated state values, official forecasts or modeled projections in the ranking.
Industry normalization
The 2024 study uses 53 NCCI class codes representing 71% of 2018-2020 Oregon payroll and 65% of Oregon losses used in the study. Jurisdictions not using the NCCI classification system provide analogous classes.
Ranking ties
This page ranks only from the published two-decimal index values. Equal values share a standard competition rank; the next numerical rank is skipped. Alphabetical order controls only display order within a tie.
Source rank versus page rank
DCBS can rank jurisdictions using values before rounding and includes D.C. Its official jurisdiction rank is therefore preserved in each row note rather than treated as reproducible from the two-decimal public value.
How Oregon DCBS builds the index
DCBS surveys insurance regulators and workers' compensation rating bureaus for contemporary rate information, expense-load factors, assessments, surcharges and market characteristics. Comparable industry classes are then weighted using Oregon payroll by class.
DCBS then applies a residual-market adjustment to the initial index rate to obtain the final index rate used in its official ranking. The formulas shown here describe the source methodology; they are not used to generate replacement state values on this page.
Important limitations
The index does not represent the actual average premium paid in a state. Discounts, experience modifications and other employer-specific factors are not consistently available for a nationwide comparison. The study also excludes self-insured employer costs because self-insurers do not pay premiums and their costs are not reported consistently across jurisdictions.
The class mix and payroll weights can change between study editions, so DCBS cautions that an individual jurisdiction's index rate is not strictly comparable across studies in the same way as a fixed historical series. Small differences can also produce substantial rank movements when states are closely grouped.
DCBS says study findings are generally released in the fall of even-numbered years, with the detailed report published several months later. Because this page was verified during fall 2026, the source should be checked again when a 2026 nationwide ranking is released.
All 50 States Ranked by Published Premium Index Rate
Search for a state, filter by Census region or status, change sort order, or limit the display to the first 10 or 20 entries.
50 states · 2024 Oregon DCBS premium index rate · dollars per $100 of payroll
| Rank | State | Index rate | Source / method note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $2.52 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 1 · effective Jan. 1, 2023 · West. |
| 2 | New Jersey | $2.16 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 2 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Northeast. |
| 3 | New York | $1.98 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 3 · effective Oct. 1, 2023 · Northeast. |
| 4 | California | $1.86 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 4 · effective Sept. 1, 2023 · West. |
| 5 | Vermont | $1.60 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 5 · effective April 1, 2023 · Northeast. |
| 6 | Connecticut | $1.48 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 6 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Northeast. |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $1.42 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 7 · effective Oct. 1, 2023 · Midwest. |
| 8 | Louisiana | $1.41 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 9 · effective May 1, 2023 · South. |
| 8 | Wyoming | $1.41 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 8 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $1.38 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 10 · effective Aug. 1, 2023 · Northeast. |
| 11 | Maine | $1.37 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 11 · effective April 1, 2023 · Northeast. |
| 12 | Washington | $1.35 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 12 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 13 | Illinois | $1.34 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 13 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Midwest. |
| 13 | Montana | $1.34 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 14 · effective July 1, 2023 · West. |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $1.33 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 15 · effective Jan. 1, 2023 · South. |
| 16 | Missouri | $1.31 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 16 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Midwest. |
| 17 | Minnesota | $1.25 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 17 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Midwest. |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $1.22 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 18 · effective Jan. 1, 2023 · Northeast. |
| 19 | Iowa | $1.21 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 19 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Midwest. |
| 20 | Alaska | $1.16 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 20 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $1.14 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 21 · effective April 1, 2023 · Northeast. |
| 22 | South Dakota | $1.13 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 22 · effective July 1, 2023 · Midwest. |
| 23 | Nebraska | $1.12 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 23 · effective Feb. 1, 2023 · Midwest. |
| 24 | Alabama | $1.11 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 24 · effective March 1, 2023 · South. |
| 25 | Idaho | $1.10 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 25 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 26 | Georgia | $1.09 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 26 · effective March 1, 2023 · South. |
| 27 | Colorado | $1.05 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 28 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 27 | New Mexico | $1.05 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 27 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 29 | South Carolina | $1.03 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 29 · effective April 1, 2023 · South. |
| 30 | Florida | $1.00 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 30 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · South. |
| 31 | Delaware | $0.97 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 32 · effective Dec. 1, 2023 · South. |
| 31 | Massachusetts | $0.97 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 31 · effective July 1, 2023 · Northeast. |
| 33 | North Carolina | $0.95 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 33 · effective April 1, 2023 · South. |
| 34 | Mississippi | $0.94 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 34 · effective March 1, 2023 · South. |
| 35 | Kansas | $0.91 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 35 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Midwest. |
| 36 | Michigan | $0.90 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 36 · effective Jan. 1, 2023 · Midwest. |
| 37 | Maryland | $0.89 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 37 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · South. |
| 37 | Oregon | $0.89 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 38 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 39 | Tennessee | $0.80 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 39 · effective March 1, 2023 · South. |
| 40 | Texas | $0.78 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 40 · effective July 1, 2023 · South. |
| 41 | Kentucky | $0.76 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 41 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · South. |
| 42 | Nevada | $0.73 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 42 · effective Sept. 1, 2023 · West. |
| 42 | Virginia | $0.73 | official_value · published-value tie · source rank 44 · effective April 1, 2023 · South. |
| 44 | Indiana | $0.71 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 45 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · Midwest. |
| 45 | Arizona | $0.70 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 46 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 46 | Ohio | $0.68 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 47 · effective July 1, 2023 · Midwest. |
| 47 | Utah | $0.63 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 48 · effective Jan. 1, 2024 · West. |
| 48 | West Virginia | $0.54 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 49 · effective Nov. 1, 2023 · South. |
| 49 | Arkansas | $0.53 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 50 · effective July 1, 2023 · South. |
| 50 | North Dakota | $0.50 | official_value · DCBS 2024 · source rank 51 · effective July 1, 2023 · Midwest. |
Washington, D.C. is not included. DCBS reports D.C. separately as jurisdiction rank 43 with a published $0.73 index rate. Page ranks shown above are recalculated only from the 50 published state values, so equal two-decimal values share rank.
Key Findings From the 50-State Comparison
Key Insight
The state values span $2.02 per $100 of payroll, from $2.52 in Hawaii to $0.50 in North Dakota.
Notable Pattern
Twenty states have published index rates below $1.00 per $100 of payroll. Florida is exactly $1.00 and is not included in that count.
Regional Concentration
Five of the first ten displayed states are in the Northeast. The West contributes three, while the Midwest and South contribute one each.
Top-End Gap
The $0.36 difference between Hawaii and New Jersey is the largest adjacent-state gap visible in the published state values.
What These Workers' Compensation Rates Mean
The ranking is useful for comparing standardized workers' compensation insurance rate levels across states while controlling for differences in industry mix. It is not a ranking of total premium volume, insurer size, claim frequency or benefit generosity.
Closely spaced states should not be overinterpreted. DCBS notes that nationwide rates have become more tightly grouped, so small changes in index values can move a jurisdiction several places in the source ranking.
For a different workers' compensation question, StatRanker's insurer ranking compares companies by direct premiums written rather than state rate levels: https://statranker.org/economy/largest-workers-compensation-insurers-in-the-u-s-top-100-by-direct-premiums-written-naic-2025-report/
For a workplace-safety comparison rather than an insurance-rate comparison, see: https://statranker.org/economy/u-s-states-by-fatal-workplace-injury-rate-2026-snapshot/
FAQ
Which state has the highest workers' compensation premium index rate?
Hawaii has the highest published state value in the 2024 Oregon DCBS study at $2.52 per $100 of payroll.
Which state has the lowest workers' compensation premium index rate?
North Dakota has the lowest published state value at $0.50 per $100 of payroll.
Are these actual average premiums paid by employers?
No. Oregon DCBS states that the index is designed for interstate comparison and is not intended to reproduce the actual average premium paid in each state.
Are self-insured employers included?
No. DCBS explains that self-insurers do not pay insurance premiums and their costs are not reported consistently across states, so the comparative study focuses on employers purchasing insurance.
Why do some states have the same rate and the same rank here?
The public DCBS table displays index rates to two decimal places. StatRanker ranks only from those published values, so identical published rates receive the same standard competition rank.
Why can the StatRanker rank differ from the official DCBS jurisdiction rank?
DCBS may use values before rounding to order jurisdictions and also includes Washington, D.C. This page does not invent unpublished decimals, excludes D.C., and retains the official DCBS jurisdiction rank separately in each row note.
Are these 2026 premium index values?
No. The values are from the 2024 study. This is a 2026 snapshot because the Oregon DCBS resources page was checked on September 23, 2026 and the 2024 study remained the latest nationwide ranking listed there.
Why should this ranking be checked again later in 2026?
DCBS says its study findings are generally released in the fall of even-numbered years. A new 2026 edition could therefore replace the 2024 study after this page's verification date.
Sources
Oregon DCBS — Premium Rate Ranking by State
Primary official numeric source for state index rates, source ranks and effective dates.
https://www.oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/oregon-vs-nation.aspx
Oregon DCBS — 2024 Full Premium Rate Ranking Report
Primary methodology source for industry weighting, rate construction, residual-market adjustments, study limitations and publication date.
https://www.oregon.gov/DCBS/DCBSPubs/reports/general/prem-rpt/24-2083.pdf
Oregon DCBS — About the Study
Official explanation of release timing, the purpose of the index, actual-premium limitations and exclusion of self-insurer costs.
https://www.oregon.gov/DCBS/reports/cost/Pages/about-the-study.aspx
Oregon DCBS — Report and Resources
Used to verify which nationwide premium-rate ranking was listed as current on September 23, 2026.
https://www.oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/report-and-resources.aspx
U.S. Census Bureau — Regions and Divisions
Supplemental source for Northeast, Midwest, South and West labels only. These labels do not affect the ranking.
https://www.census.gov/data/data-tools/survey-explorer/geo.html
