Nationwide vs State Farm

Verdict

Nationwide and State Farm are both policyholder-owned mutuals, but they reach a homeowner differently. State Farm sells only through exclusive agents who represent no other company (more than 19,000 of them), plus online and by phone. Nationwide converted its exclusive agency force to independent agents between 2018 and 2020, so today an agent can quote Nationwide beside other carriers. You can start a Nationwide quote online or by phone, but changes to a homeowners policy go through the agent on your declarations page. By 2025 NAIC homeowners premiums, State Farm ranked #1 ($35.27 billion, 18.67% of the market) and Nationwide #11 ($3.49 billion, 1.85%).

The policies read differently. Nationwide's optional list is built around replacement cost: Brand New Belongings pays to replace belongings at today's price, Better Roof Replacement rebuilds a damaged roof with stronger materials, and Dwelling Replacement Cost can pay up to twice the dwelling limit. Ask the agent which roof settlement applies in your state, because carriers increasingly pay older roofs on a schedule or at actual cash value. State Farm writes on its own forms, not ISO's HO 00 03, builds inflation coverage into the limit, and sells sewer or drain backup and earthquake as endorsements. Neither company's pages we reviewed spell out a roof payment schedule, so ask both.

Availability and ratings matter next. Nationwide's homeowners site has no state pages for Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey or New Mexico, and it retired its high-net-worth Private Client homes business at the end of 2024. State Farm writes in nearly every state but has taken no new California homeowners applications since May 27, 2023. AM Best affirmed Nationwide at A (Excellent) on November 7, 2025, after a December 2023 cut from A+; S&P has it at A+. State Farm's main companies are A+ (Superior) from AM Best, cut from A++ in November 2025, but State Farm General, which writes California, is B (Fair).

Choose Nationwide if

• You want an independent agent to compare Nationwide with other carriers.
• You like the replacement cost endorsements: Brand New Belongings, Better Roof Replacement and Dwelling Replacement Cost.
• You live in the Mid-Atlantic, the Carolinas, Ohio or the Plains, where its share is strongest (fifth in Delaware and Iowa).
• You want free Ting and LeakBot devices, which can earn a smart home discount if activated within 55 days.

Choose State Farm if

• You want a local agent who sells only State Farm and a single company for home, auto and umbrella.
• You live in Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey or New Mexico, where Nationwide has no homeowners quote pages.
• You want credits for Class 4 impact-resistant roofing (26 states), wind mitigation or wildfire mitigation in California, Colorado and Oregon.
• You prefer the larger company with an A+ (Superior) AM Best group rating.

Key differences

Before you decide

Quote the same Coverage A, deductibles and endorsements from both, add contents replacement cost to each, and ask whether the roof is paid at replacement cost or on a schedule. Confirm each is writing new business at your address. captive agents, independent agents and direct insurers explains the trade-off between the two sales models, how to compare homeowners insurance quotes shows how to line up offers, Financial strength ratings: AM Best, S&P, Moody's and Demotech covers the ratings, and extended and guaranteed replacement cost coverage explains how limits above Coverage A work.