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The Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index, May 2022

Published|2 min read

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Two years of stable life insurance rates, despite historic inflation and COVID-19

Life insurance prices in May 2022 remained mostly unchanged compared to April, with minor decreases in rates across the board. A 55-year-old male smoker buying a $1,000,000 policy saw the biggest improvement, a $2.92 monthly saving compared to April. 

Despite unpredictable COVID-19 developments over the last two years and rising inflation in 2021, life insurance rates have remained extremely stable.

While there have been occasional month-to-month fluctuations, overall changes have been minimal. Rates went up by just 0.03% on average in the months between April 2020 and April 2021. Rates then went down by 0.10% from April 2021 to April 2022. 

Smokers age 45 and 55 saw the biggest rate increases overall in 2020 to 2021 — their rates were an average of $7.70 per month higher in April 2021 than in April 2020. But rates for this same group were lower in April 2022 compared to April 2021, by an average of $9.49 per month.

The stability in rates over the last two years could be explained by the fact that life insurance carriers have historically taken the long view on factors that could impact rates, like COVID-19 infections, and have already built other health risks that could worsen COVID-19 symptoms into policy pricing. Combined with strong interest from new customers, it appears that consumers can count on life insurance rates to stay predictable, even as inflation takes the cost of other goods up by an average of 8.5% — highs not seen since 1981.

U.S. monthly averages as of May 1, 2022

Term life insurance for non-smokers

The chart below shows average monthly premium prices for a 20-year term life insurance policy for non-smokers in a Preferred health classification; quotes are based on the Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index Methodology.

Age / Sex

$250K coverage amount

$500K coverage amount

$1M coverage amount

25 year old female

$14.21

$21.10

$33.54

25 year old male

$17.18

$26.97

$44.79

35 year old female

$16.55

$25.53

$42.76

35 year old male

$18.85

$30.32

$51.87

45 year old female

$28.87

$47.94

$86.87

45 year old male

$35.55

$60.80

$112.94

55 year old female

$61.56

$109.12

$208.38

55 year old male

$84.92

$151.65

$284.76

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U.S. monthly averages as of May 1, 2022

Term life insurance for smokers

The chart below shows average monthly premium prices for a 20-year term life insurance policy for smokers in a Preferred health classification; quotes are based on the Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index Methodology.

Age / Sex

$250K coverage amount

$500K coverage amount

$1M coverage amount

25 year old female

$34.07

$57.24

$105.66

25 year old male

$42.29

$72.27

$134.14

35 year old female

$43.89

$76.96

$141.10

35 year old male

$52.70

$92.53

$174.86

45 year old female

$89.07

$162.66

$311.52

45 year old male

$120.39

$223.36

$429.41

55 year old female

$196.09

$362.38

$702.40

55 year old male

$281.71

$518.83

$1,016.10

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How our index works

Life insurance prices are primarily based on life expectancy; taking into account an applicant’s age, health, hobbies, and medical history. The riskier you are to insure or the shorter your life expectancy, the higher your rates will be.

Prices are also affected by the length of a policy and the amount of coverage someone is looking to purchase. A longer policy term or higher coverage amount might increase monthly or annual premiums. Policygenius generally recommends people buy life insurance 10 to 15 times their individual income with a term long enough to get them to retirement age. Since there are a lot of variables involved, we specialize in helping consumers get the right policy to fit their individual needs.

Policygenius transforms the insurance journey for today’s consumer, providing a one-stop platform where customers can compare options from top insurance carriers, get unbiased expert advice, buy policies, and manage their insurance portfolio, in one seamless, integrated experience. Our proprietary technology platform integrates with the leading life, disability, and home and auto insurance carriers and delivers an exceptional digital experience for both consumers and insurance carriers. Since 2014, our content, digital tools, and experts have served as a resource for millions of people on their insurance journey, and we have sold more than $160 billion in coverage.

Find your best life insurance prices today.

Methodology: The prices displayed above are based on internal actuarial rate tables for 10 life insurance carriers that offer policies through the Policygenius marketplace (AIG, Banner Life, Brighthouse, Lincoln Financial, Mutual of Omaha, Pacific Life, Protective, Prudential, SBLI and TransAmerica). The prices represent the average monthly life insurance premium for each sample customer profile (age, gender) and policy type (term, coverage amount) as of May 1, 2022. Monthly averages are based on 10 products available through Policygenius for the indicated profile; rates for those products may vary by state, and not all 10 products are available in all states. Individual rates may vary, depending on age, gender, state, health profile, and other eligibility criteria. The index is updated each month.

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