Cheapest health insurance counties in the US (2026)
The cheapest silver plan for a 40-year-old varies by more than 10× across the counties in this file. National median cheapest-silver premium: $586 a month. Below are the 50 cheapest and 50 most expensive counties, then every state's range.
The 50 cheapest counties
The 50 most expensive counties
Cheapest silver premium by state
| State | Median cheapest silver | Lowest county | Highest county | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $595 | $595 | $610 | 67 |
| Alaska | $1,025 | $1,010 | $1,025 | 30 |
| Arizona | $492 | $492 | $492 | 15 |
| Arkansas | $753 | $753 | $753 | 75 |
| Delaware | $685 | $685 | $685 | 3 |
| Florida | $572 | $572 | $572 | 67 |
| Hawaii | $533 | $533 | $533 | 5 |
| Indiana | $492 | $492 | $534 | 92 |
| Iowa | $459 | $459 | $459 | 99 |
| Kansas | $571 | $571 | $571 | 105 |
| Louisiana | $542 | $542 | $542 | 64 |
| Michigan | $446 | $446 | $446 | 83 |
| Mississippi | $598 | $598 | $598 | 82 |
| Missouri | $626 | $626 | $626 | 115 |
| Montana | $604 | $551 | $604 | 56 |
| Nebraska | $640 | $640 | $640 | 93 |
| New Hampshire | $388 | $388 | $388 | 10 |
| North Carolina | $702 | $584 | $702 | 100 |
| North Dakota | $439 | $439 | $538 | 53 |
| Ohio | $506 | $506 | $506 | 88 |
| Oklahoma | $570 | $570 | $570 | 77 |
| Oregon | $505 | $505 | $505 | 36 |
| South Carolina | $456 | $456 | $456 | 46 |
| South Dakota | $594 | $512 | $675 | 66 |
| Tennessee | $678 | $654 | $678 | 95 |
| Texas | $586 | $540 | $586 | 254 |
| Utah | $602 | $587 | $608 | 29 |
| West Virginia | $1,056 | $1,056 | $1,056 | 55 |
| Wisconsin | $526 | $526 | $526 | 72 |
| Wyoming | $1,072 | $1,072 | $1,072 | 23 |
Why premiums differ so much
Marketplace premiums depend on the insurers competing in each rating area, the local cost of care, the size of the risk pool and state regulation. Rural counties often have one or two insurers and higher prices; some urban counties have many plans and lower benchmark premiums. The figure shown is the cheapest silver plan — the one used to calculate premium tax credits — for a 40-year-old non-smoker, before any subsidy.
If you qualify for a premium tax credit, what you actually pay is capped as a share of income, so a high-premium county can cost you the same as a cheap one. Check your county page and get an official estimate at HealthCare.gov.
Source: CMS Exchange Public Use Files, 2026 plan year (plan attributes, rates, service areas), public domain, retrieved 2026-10-24. Listed rates before tax credits; single non-smoker aged 40.
Written and maintained by the US Health Insurance Marketplace data team · last reviewed 2026-10-24 · sources and methodology.