Home-health agency coverage guide
Workers’ comp rates for home-health agencies, state by state
Updated 2026-06-11 · by Brokly
Direct answer: workers’ comp is required in nearly every state once home-health agencies have employees — each state sets its own threshold and files its own rates. For NCCI class 8835 they span $0.33 to $4.58 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed) — Hawaii is the most expensive, North Dakota the cheapest, and the median state pays $1.64. Pick your state below for its mandate and modeled dollar costs by business size.
Requirement: NAIC — Small Business Insurance. Thresholds vary by state — your state’s guide below has the statute.
How much is workers’ comp for home-health agencies in each state?
Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 8835 (Home Healthcare), 2024. The study notes rates “may include loss cost multipliers and assessments.” Alphabetical; rank 1 = most expensive of 51. Linked state names open the state’s coverage guide; linked rates open the cost breakdown.
| State | Rate / $100 payroll | Typical home-health agency, modeled $/yr | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $2.18 | — | 15 |
| Alaska | $1.83 | — | 21 |
| Arizona | $0.90 | ≈$940 | 46 |
| Arkansas | $0.86 | — | 48 |
| California | $3.34 | ≈$2.9k | 3 |
| Colorado | $1.62 | — | 27 |
| Connecticut | $2.10 | ≈$1.8k | 16 |
| Delaware | $2.48 | — | 9 |
| District of Columbia | $0.91 | — | 45 |
| Florida | $1.53 | ≈$1.2k | 32 |
| Georgia | $2.27 | ≈$1.8k | 14 |
| Hawaii | $4.58 | — | 1 |
| Idaho | $2.27 | — | 13 |
| Illinois | $1.56 | ≈$1.4k | 30 |
| Indiana | $1.41 | ≈$1.6k | 37 |
| Iowa | $1.71 | — | 23 |
| Kansas | $1.17 | ≈$1.2k | 41 |
| Kentucky | $1.06 | ≈$1.1k | 43 |
| Louisiana | $1.61 | ≈$21k | 28 |
| Maine | $2.58 | — | 7 |
| Maryland | $1.15 | ≈$930 | 42 |
| Massachusetts | $1.45 | — | 35 |
| Michigan | $1.98 | ≈$1.2k | 20 |
| Minnesota | $1.28 | — | 38 |
| Mississippi | $1.65 | ≈$1.8k | 25 |
| Missouri | $2.38 | — | 11 |
| Montana | $2.42 | — | 10 |
| Nebraska | $1.75 | — | 22 |
| Nevada | $0.55 | ≈$640 | 50 |
| New Hampshire | $2.36 | — | 12 |
| New Jersey | $4.30 | ≈$5.8k | 2 |
| New Mexico | $1.48 | — | 34 |
| New York | $2.83 | ≈$2.7k | 5 |
| North Carolina | $1.59 | — | 29 |
| North Dakota † | $0.33 | — | 51 |
| Ohio † | $1.55 | — | 31 |
| Oklahoma | $2.53 | ≈$17k | 8 |
| Oregon | $1.64 | — | 26 |
| Pennsylvania | $2.07 | ≈$2.3k | 17 |
| Rhode Island | $2.71 | — | 6 |
| South Carolina | $2.02 | — | 19 |
| South Dakota | $1.70 | — | 24 |
| Tennessee | $1.43 | ≈$22k | 36 |
| Texas | $1.52 | ≈$1.5k | 33 |
| Utah | $1.05 | ≈$1k | 44 |
| Vermont | $3.05 | — | 4 |
| Virginia | $1.19 | ≈$980 | 39 |
| Washington † | $2.06 | — | 18 |
| West Virginia | $0.79 | — | 49 |
| Wisconsin | $1.17 | ≈$780 | 40 |
| Wyoming † | $0.88 | — | 47 |
† monopolistic state — workers’ comp must be bought from the state fund; a private policy can’t satisfy the requirement there. Other unlinked states lack a published rate or a defensible business-size cohort. Modeled — not quotes: each figure prices that state’s most common home-health agency size band from the state’s own observed payroll (CBP 2023), so dollar order can differ from rate rank.
Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04) · US Census County Business Patterns 2023, state file (Home health care services (NAICS 621610)) (as of 2023, retrieved 2026-06-05)
Frequently asked questions
Why do rates for the same trade differ several-fold between states?
Each state approves its own rates from its own claims experience — benefit levels, medical costs, and litigation environments differ. The rate is per $100 of payroll, so state wage levels move the dollar premium too.
Is the rate what I’ll actually pay?
No — it’s the filed starting point. Your payroll sets the base, your claims history (experience mod) scales it, and insurer schedule credits move it further. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.