Friday, October 2nd, 2026 — Greenville, South Carolina recorded the largest annual increase in homeowners insurance costs among U.S. metropolitan areas in the second quarter of 2026, according to ICE Mortgage Monitor data. Premiums in the Greenville market rose 15.8% from a year earlier, compared with an 8.7% increase nationally.
The increase is notable because Greenville is an inland market, far removed from the coastal hurricane exposure that often drives insurance costs in places such as Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Instead, the Upstate has been dealing with a different mix of pressures, including hail and severe thunderstorm losses, higher construction costs and more expensive roof replacements. Local estimates cited in the report put the cost of replacing a roof on a 2,000-square-foot home at roughly $12,000 to $16,000 in 2026, up from about $8,000 five years earlier.
Higher replacement costs are also affecting policy limits. ICE reported that rising coverage amounts accounted for about two-thirds of annual premium increases nationally as insurers adjusted insured values to reflect more expensive rebuilding costs. For claims professionals, those same pressures can increase the severity of property losses, particularly for roofing, labor and building materials.
Roof age is adding another layer of pressure in the Greenville market. Some insurers have reportedly tightened eligibility for homes with roofs older than 15 years, potentially pushing affected homeowners into the excess and surplus lines market at substantially higher premiums. The source reports increases of 30% to 50% above standard-market pricing for some homeowners making that transition.
Insurance is also taking up a larger share of the monthly mortgage payment. Nationwide, homeowners insurance now accounts for an average of 9.6% of a single-family mortgage payment, according to ICE. Homeowners who stayed with the same carrier saw premiums rise an average of 10.4%, while those who switched insurers reduced costs by an average of 6.6%.
Greenville’s experience shows that sharp homeowners insurance increases are not limited to coastal catastrophe markets. For claims organizations, rising roof values, severe convective storm losses and higher repair costs can translate directly into greater claim severity and more scrutiny of estimates, replacement costs and coverage limits.
