Located in the northern end of the Florida Panhandle, Holmes County is a fairly small municipality that sits directly on the Alabama border. As of 2019, this land-locked county has as few as 19,927 residents and a median household income of $38,608, which is close to 50% lower than the national median household income.
Population Centers in Holmes
Bonifay, the county seat, is among Holmes County’s largest cities, which also include Ponce De Leon and Westville. All three of these cities are located within the southern half of the county, on the border shared with Washington County.
Bonifay is home to the Tri-County Airport, a single-runway public-use airport located on the northern end of the city’s business district. Ponce De Leon features its Springs State Park. All three cities only have a few hundred residents each.
Home Values in Holmes
According to the US Census, Holmes County’s median owner-occupied homes value, from 2014 – 2018, is $93,200, which is fairly inexpensive for Florida overall and for the Florida Panhandle, specifically. The lower property values, as well as the landlocked county’s insulation from the strongest impacts of hurricane season, mean that home insurance premiums are significantly lower in Holmes County on average relative to averages in the rest of the state.
Home Insurance Premiums in Holmes County
Home insurance premiums in Holmes County are fairly low compared to the costs in surrounding counties for two reasons:
- The low home values in the county and
- The moderate protection that the county’s landlocked state offers it from hurricane damage.
Unlike several other counties in Florida, homes in Holmes County with no wind mitigation don’t have the higher average premiums compared to new construction, but that doesn’t mean those features don’t still offer savings in similarly aged homes, as you can see in the following table.
Average Homeowners Premiums in Holmes County
| Construction Type | Home Value | Average Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-2001 (No Wind Mitigation) | $150,000 | $1,775.96 |
| Pre-2001 (With Wind Mitigation) | $150,000 | $1,282.56 |
| New Construction | $300,000 | $2,075.63 |
| Overall Average | $1,711.38 |
The data above provided an overall homeowners insurance average of $1,711 in Holmes. These figures came from Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation. Regardless of how relatively inexpensive the premiums may be in Holmes County, it’s still important to get whatever saving you can no matter where you live. You can make sure you’re getting the best price by starting your comparison shopping with the companies listed below, which have had the lower than average home insurance premiums in recent years.
For $150,000 homes built before 2001 without wind mitigation, the average premium is $1,776.
Below are cheaper home insurance options:
- Citizens – $829
- Universal – $1,040
- Florida Peninsula – $1,228
- First Protective – $1,255
List of Companies & Rates for Home Valued at $150,000, Pre-2001 Construction Without Wind Mitigation Rate in Holmes, FL
| Company | Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| Citizens | $829 |
| Universal | $1,040 |
| Florida Peninsula | $1,228 |
| First Protective | $1,255 |
| Security First | $1,330 |
| Southern Fidelity | $1,377 |
| Stillwater | $1,410 |
| Tower Hill Signature | $1,473 |
| Tower Hill Prime | $1,486 |
| Family Security | $1,505 |
| Florida Farm Bureau | $1,583 |
| American Integrity | $1,629 |
| First Community | $1,665 |
| People's Trust | $1,733 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,813 |
| Tower Hill Preferred | $1,836 |
| Castle Key | $1,918 |
| Tower Hill Select | $1,959 |
| American Traditions | $1,998 |
| ASI | $2,087 |
| FedNat | $2,109 |
| St. Johns | $2,132 |
| Southern Oak | $2,296 |
| Auto Club of Florida | $2,350 |
| State Farm Florida | $2,574 |
| Florida Family | $2,580 |
| Universal | $2,756 |
| Average | $1,775.96 |
For $150,000 homes built before 2001 with wind mitigation, the average premium is $1,283.
Below are cheaper home insurance options:
- Tower Hill Prime – $1,000
- Stillwater – $1,067
- Security First – $1,112
- FedNat – $1,143
List of Companies & Rates for Home Valued at $150,000, Pre-2001 Construction With Wind Mitigation Rate in Holmes, FL
| Company | Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| Universal | $612 |
| Citizens | $619 |
| First Protective | $773 |
| Florida Farm Bureau | $862 |
| Florida Peninsula | $968 |
| Tower Hill Prime | $1,000 |
| Stillwater | $1,067 |
| Southern Fidelity | $1,078 |
| Security First | $1,112 |
| FedNat | $1,143 |
| Tower Hill Signature | $1,186 |
| People's Trust | $1,209 |
| Tower Hill Preferred | $1,223 |
| American Integrity | $1,243 |
| Family Security | $1,250 |
| Tower Hill Select | $1,298 |
| First Community | $1,309 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,372 |
| St. Johns | $1,496 |
| Universal | $1,534 |
| American Traditions | $1,565 |
| Castle Key | $1,575 |
| Southern Oak | $1,629 |
| Auto Club of Florida | $1,650 |
| ASI | $1,768 |
| Florida Family | $1,877 |
| State Farm Florida | $2,211 |
| Average | $1,282.56 |
For $300,000 Homes with new construction, the average premium is $2,076.
Below are cheaper home insurance options:
- Universal – $1,128
- Citizens – $1,222
- American Integrity – $1,765
- People’s Trust – $1,793
List of Companies & Rates for Home Valued at $300,000, New Construction in Holmes, FL
| Company | Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| Universal | $1,128 |
| Citizens | $1,222 |
| Stillwater | $1,362 |
| First Protective | $1,388 |
| Florida Farm Bureau | $1,516 |
| Florida Peninsula | $1,548 |
| Security First | $1,564 |
| Family Security | $1,740 |
| American Integrity | $1,765 |
| People's Trust | $1,793 |
| Tower Hill Prime | $1,888 |
| First Community | $2,038 |
| Tower Hill Select | $2,045 |
| American Traditions | $2,088 |
| Southern Fidelity | $2,100 |
| Tower Hill Signature | $2,136 |
| Tower Hill Preferred | $2,143 |
| Southern Oak | $2,183 |
| FedNat | $2,231 |
| Castle Key | $2,284 |
| St. Johns | $2,312 |
| Auto Club of Florida | $2,381 |
| Universal | $2,577 |
| Liberty Mutual | $2,786 |
| ASI | $2,811 |
| Florida Family | $3,301 |
| State Farm Florida | $3,712 |
| Average | $2,075.63 |
Flood Insurance in Holmes County
While homes in Holmes County might not have an equal level of risk of hurricane and flooding damage compared to counties closer to the Gulf of Mexico, that doesn’t mean that you should forgo flood insurance, which will need to be purchased separately from your home insurance in Florida.
The federal National Flood Insurance Policy has affordably priced flood insurance policies underwritten by First Protective for Holmes County residents, and you’ll need to purchase such a policy to make sure your home is financially protected each hurricane season.
It can be helpful to purchase both your standard home insurance policy and your flood insurance policy from the same company, which can streamline your premium payments each month or year and can also result in discounted rates. That’s likely why First Protective frequently offers some of the most affordable policies in Holmes County.
