Homeowners insurance isnt just something youre glad to have in a disaster. Its a prerequisite for a mortgage, and getting one of those is the only way most of us can afford a home. So, if your insurance carrier cancels your coverage, youre stuck. Most people wouldnt want toor be able tobuy your house, which sinks your property value. When this happens to whole communities, the entire area declines. Thats the scary predicament a Senate budget committee staff report warned of last month when it sounded the alarm on the sharp increase in non-renewals by insurance carriers over the past several years.This is happening now, and not just in the coastal or wildfire-prone areas you might expect. Landlocked counties in North Carolina, Oklahoma, and New Mexico have taken a surprisingly hard hit. Read on to learn more about the hardest places to get homeowners insurance right now. Related Stories 1. FloridaThe Sunshine State at number one isnt a surprise, given the destruction hurricane season inflicts on both coasts each year. But the report noted that the situation is getting worse: Floridians experienced a 280 percent increase in non-renewals from 2018 to 2023. In fact, the situation in Florida is a big part of what prompted the congressional investigation in the first place. The letter the committee sent to 41 insurance carriers to request data noted three areas of growing concern specific to Florida: the acceleration of the insurance industry exodus from Florida due in part to increased losses from hurricanes; projections that premiums in Florida could increase by 40 percent or more in 2023; and increased premiums and decreased availability beginning to disrupt the Florida real estate market. 2. LouisianaLouisiana ranks just behind Florida in the total number of non-renewals, with a 267 percent increase between 2018 and 2023. The report also cited an investigation by the nonprofit news agency Grist that found nearly 20 companies pulled out of the states market in the past two years.3. North CarolinaGiven that it has such a long coastline, it makes sense that hurricanes would contribute to high non-renewal rates in North Carolina. And yet, the report says, in 2023, 13 inland North Carolina counties ranked in the top 100 nationwide for highest non-renewal rates among counties with at least 10,000 policies in force. They are Cumberland, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Union, Alamance, Nash, Bladen, Lenoir, Duplin, Columbus, Robeson, Sampson, and Martin counties. These high rates of non-renewals for inland North Carolina counties demonstrate that landfalling hurricanes do damage beyond the immediate coast and can destabilize insurance markets even hundreds of miles inland, the report continues. Keep in mind that 2023 data couldnt have anticipated the damage Hurricane Helene would do. With the experience of Hurricane Helene, non-renewal rates in these inland counties will likely continue to rise, the report predicts.Related Story4. CaliforniaThe rates of non-renewals in 2023 were highest in the inland counties where wildfire risk is the highest. But as the devastating wildfires of early 2025 showed, many more areasincluding those previously considered saferare at risk of damage. Related Story5. MassachusettsAs you might expect, the coastal counties of Massachusetts experienced a higher number of non-renewals than those further inland. The report didnt note any unusual findings here.6. MississippiLouisianas neighbor to the east shares a prime Gulf Coast location and annual hurricane risk. The 2023 data reflects the damage Hurricane Ian did to both states in 2021, including major flooding.7. OklahomaThis one is a bit of a surprise. Land-locked Oklahoma has not typically been on the radar of most analyses as a state at high risk of insurance collapsebut it ranked 7 of 10 by non-renewal rate in 2023 and 5th among states with the highest growth in non-renewal rate from 2018 through 2023, the report says. Thats because Oklahoma is in tornado alley. The report blames the sharp increase in non-renewals on convective storms and damage from their wind and hail. It also notes that Oklahoma is experiencing a growing number of high wildfire-risk days each year. Related Story8. Rhode Island This little state has 400 miles of coastline. The report cites coastal Newport County as the prime example of an area where insurance unavailability has skyrocketed rapidly and recently.9. ConnecticutRhode Islands neighbor to the south, with more than 600 miles of coastline, ranks just below it in the number of non-renewals.10. HawaiiPeople say everything is more expensive in Hawaii. That is just as true of homeowners insurance. Now, more people are struggling to find coverage.11. New MexicoNew Mexico is, to put it bluntly, nowhere near any coast. But just like inland states North Carolina and Oklahoma, its seeing an increase in non-renewals driven by wildfires. The report notes that Utah, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Virginia, and South Carolina have experienced a similar uptick in unprecedented wildfire damage and consequently non-renewals.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.