Facts + Statistics: Lightning

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According to the National Weather Service, there were 19 direct lightning fatalities in 2022, compared to 11 in 2021. On average, from 2013 to 2022, 23 people die each year from lightning strikes in the United States.

 
Lightning Fatalities By State, 2022

 

light_fatalities_by_state_2022.gif

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service.

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Homeowners insurance losses

The number of lightning-caused U.S. homeowners insurance claims increased in 2022 over 2021, but is still less than the annual number of claims between 2017-2020.

In 2022, U.S. lightning–caused claims increased by 2.2 percent to 62,189 (from 60,851 in 2021), with numbers from the top ten claim states contributing to about half of the total. National claim value decreased 27.6 percent (from $1.3 billion) to $950 million. While the national average cost per claim was $15,280, the average was $36,319 in California.

 
Homeowners Insurance Claims And Payout for Lightning Losses, 2017-2022

 

Year Value of claims
($ millions)		 Number
of claims		 Average cost
per claim
2017 $917 85,020 $10,781
2018 909 77,898 11,668
2019 920 76,860 11,971
2020 2,067 71,551 28,885
2021 1,313 60,851 21,578
2022 952 62,189 15,280
Percent change       
2022-2021 -27.6% 2.2% -29.2%
2022-2017 3.7% -26.9% 41.7%

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm®.

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Top 10 States For Homeowners Insurance Lightning Losses By Number Of Claims, 2022

 

Rank State Value of claims
($ millions)		 Number
of Claims		 Average cost
per claim
1 Florida $80.20 5,504 $14,562
2 Georgia 56.7 4,474 12,665
3 Texas 103.3 4,085 25,286
4 California 125.3 3,450 36,319
5 North Carolina 29.3 2,780 10,550
6 Alabama 29.5 2,767 10,653
7 New York 38.9 2,315 16,817
8 Louisiana 26.1 2,301 11,336
9 Virginia 30.9 1,988 15,544
10 Pennsylvania 23.8 1,956 12,155
  Top 10 states $543.9 31,620 $16,589
  All other states $407.7 30,569 $14,968
  Total U.S. $951.6 62,189 $15,280

Source: Insurance Information Institute, State Farm®.

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For more information on lightning, please see The Lightning Protection Institute.

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