Baker County sits along the eastern end of Georgia-Florida border, and with its population of 29,210 as of 2019, it’s one Florida’s less populated counties. Part of the reason for its somewhat low population is because the northern end of the county is occupied by the Okefenokee Swamp and several federally protected areas within it.
Living in Baker
A benefit of becoming a homeowner in Baker County is that incomes are relatively high for the cost-of-living. Owner-occupied homes in Baker County have a median value of $120,900 and the county’s median household income of $61,769, which is on par for the median household income at the national level. We sourced our statistical data from the U.S. Census.
The largest city in Baker County is Macclenny, which has over 6,000 residents, representing roughly 20 percent of the county population. Outside of Macclenny, Baker County’s residents live in significantly smaller unincorporated, rural communities.
Among the natural features of the county, there is the St. Mary’s River, which makes up part of the state border with Georgia, as well as portions of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Osceola National Forest.
Home Insurance Premiums in Baker County
Although Baker County is landlocked, its proximity to Florida’s Atlantic coast means that its homes are still vulnerable to tropical storms coming off the ocean. As a result, average home insurance premiums for different properties in Baker County are relatively high, but these costs can be decreased if homeowners purchase or upgrade properties to have wind mitigation features, as shown below.
Average Homeowners Premiums in Baker County
| Construction Type | Home Value | Average Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-2001 (No Wind Mitigation) | $150,000 | $1,610.19 |
| Pre-2001 (With Wind Mitigation) | $150,000 | $1,202.85 |
| New Construction | $300,000 | $1,940.63 |
| Overall Average | $1,584.56 |
We calculated the overall average for home insurance in the county to be $1,584 based on the data provided by Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation. If you’re interested in owning a home in Baker County, make sure to do your due diligence and comparison shop for a policy that provides you the best value. In comparison to other counties in Florida, Baker County’s average premiums for each type of property are on the low to moderate end, but that doesn’t mean you should accept a similarly priced quote.
By shopping around for various quotes, either online or with the help of an insurance agent, you will be more likely to find quotes hundreds of dollars cheaper than the county average. Here, you can see the companies that have offered the lowest average policy premiums in the county recently.
For $150,000 homes built before 2001 without wind mitigation, the average premium is $1,610.
The companies with below-average rates are listed here:
- Citizens – $1,069
- Stillwater – $1,131
- First Protective – $1,173
- Universal – $1,198
List of Companies & Rates for Home Valued at $150,000, Pre-2001 Construction Without Wind Mitigation Rate in Baker County
| Company Name | Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| Citizens | $1,069 |
| Stillwater | $1,131 |
| First Protective | $1,173 |
| Universal | $1,198 |
| Florida Farm | $1,230 |
| Southern Fidelity | $1,259 |
| Tower Hill Prime | $1,283 |
| Florida Peninsula | $1,291 |
| People's Trust | $1,405 |
| Security First | $1,426 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,448 |
| Florida Family | $1,475 |
| Tower Hill Select | $1,560 |
| First Community | $1,568 |
| American Integrity | $1,583 |
| American Traditions | $1,617 |
| Tower Hill Preferred | $1,618 |
| ASI | $1,672 |
| Tower Hill Signature | $1,726 |
| Southern Oak | $1,836 |
| Family Security | $1,874 |
| St. Johns | $1,894 |
| Castle Key | $1,949 |
| FedNat | $2,148 |
| Auto Club Florida | $2,228 |
| State Farm Florida | $2,307 |
| Universal | $2,507 |
| Average | $1,610.19 |
For $150,000 homes built before 2001 with wind mitigation, the average premium is $1,202.
The companies with below-average rates are listed here:
- Florida Farm – $638
- Universal – $704
- Citizens – $813
- Tower Hill Prime – $926
List of Companies & Rates for Home Valued at $150,000, Pre-2001 Construction With Wind Mitigation Rate in Baker County
| Company Name | Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| Florida Farm | $638 |
| Universal | $704 |
| First Protective | $721 |
| Citizens | $813 |
| Stillwater | $872 |
| Tower Hill Prime | $926 |
| Southern Fidelity | $993 |
| Florida Peninsula | $1,016 |
| St. Johns | $1,071 |
| Florida Family | $1,078 |
| Tower Hill Select | $1,100 |
| People's Trust | $1,110 |
| Tower Hill Preferred | $1,110 |
| FedNat | $1,190 |
| Southern Oak | $1,209 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,236 |
| American Traditions | $1,250 |
| First Community | $1,282 |
| Security First | $1,294 |
| American Integrity | $1,318 |
| Universal | $1,389 |
| ASI | $1,395 |
| Tower Hill Signature | $1,489 |
| Family Security | $1,591 |
| Castle Key | $1,723 |
| Auto Club Florida | $1,951 |
| State Farm Florida | $2,008 |
| Average | $1,202.85 |
For $300,000 Homes with new construction, the average premium is $1,940.
The companies with below-average rates are listed here:
- Stillwater – $1,115
- Florida Farm – $1,171
- First Protective – $1,298
- People’s Trust – $1,554
List of Companies & Rates for Home Valued at $300,000, New Construction in Baker County
| Company Name | Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| Stillwater | $1,115 |
| Florida Farm | $1,171 |
| First Protective | $1,296 |
| Universal | $1,298 |
| People's Trust | $1,554 |
| Southern Oak | $1,587 |
| Citizens | $1,588 |
| Florida Peninsula | $1,628 |
| American Traditions | $1,683 |
| St. Johns | $1,714 |
| Tower Hill Select | $1,748 |
| Tower Hill Prime | $1,760 |
| Security First | $1,771 |
| American Integrity | $1,823 |
| Florida Family | $1,887 |
| Southern Fidelity | $1,931 |
| First Community | $1,964 |
| Tower Hill Preferred | $1,974 |
| FedNat | $2,306 |
| Family Security | $2,330 |
| Universal | $2,338 |
| ASI | $2,394 |
| Castle Key | $2,481 |
| Liberty Mutual | $2,497 |
| Auto Club Florida | $2,540 |
| Tower Hill Signature | $2,649 |
| State Farm Florida | $3,370 |
| Average | $1,940.63 |
Flood Insurance in Baker
Despite Baker County’s relative insulation from the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, many homes in the county are still vulnerable to flooding due to tropical storms each hurricane season. For homeowners, this means that they need to purchase additional flood insurance policies to financially protect their homes and property.
Florida home insurance won’t provide coverage for water damage due to flooding, but affordable flood insurance policies from the federal National Flood Insurance Program can cover your home and personal property. Regional companies like First Protective will underwrite NFIP policies and can help make it easy to pay for your insurance by having both home and flood insurance policies under one company.
