The Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index October 2025

Life insurance rates held steady in October — with one exception

Life insurance rates barely budged this month — up just 0.08% in October, or about 39 cents more on average than in September 2025, according to the Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index (PLIPI).

The biggest increases showed up for smokers, whose premiums rose by an average of 0.36%, or about $1.05 a month. Women who smoke saw slightly higher jumps than men:

$250,000 policy for female smokers: Up 0.64% — about $0.93 more per month
$250,000 policy for male smokers: Up 0.46% — about $1.21 more per month
$500,000 policy for female smokers: Up 0.38% — about $1.16 more per month
$500,000 policy for male smokers: Up 0.27% — about $1.55 more per month
$1 million policy for female smokers: Up 0.24% — about $0.72 more per month
$1 million policy for male smokers: Up 0.12% — about $0.59 more per month

Meanwhile, non-smokers actually saw a small price drop. Average premiums went down 0.18%, or about 24 cents. Men and women saw nearly identical declines — 0.19% for men and 0.18% for women.

The bottom line: life insurance rates have stayed remarkably stable in 2025, even with a few ups and downs month to month. And since they’re still well below inflation, it’s a smart time to lock in coverage — especially if you’re young, healthy, and ready to plan ahead.

US monthly averages as of October 1, 2025

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	Gender	$250,000 coverage amount	$500,000 coverage amount	$1 million coverage amount
25 years old	Female	$14.44	$21.62	$33.69
	Male	$17.59	$28.21	$45.97
30 years old	Female	$15.14	$23.10	$37.02
	Male	$18.22	$29.56	$49.04
35 years old	Female	$16.88	$26.45	$43.55
	Male	$19.59	$32.21	$54.17
40 years old	Female	$21.55	$35.58	$61.03
	Male	$25.50	$43.52	$75.90
45 years old	Female	$29.25	$50.38	$90.09
	Male	$36.66	$64.51	$118.11
50 years old	Female	$43.51	$78.94	$139.67
	Male	$56.27	$103.55	$188.80
55 years old	Female	$60.25	$110.88	$206.77
	Male	$81.75	$152.75	$282.30
60 years old	Female	$103.64	$190.13	$354.91
	Male	$143.18	$264.84	$500.31

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US monthly averages as of October 1, 2025

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	Gender	$250,000 coverage amount	$500,000 coverage amount	$1 million coverage amount
25 years old	Female	$36.02	$62.52	$106.31
	Male	$44.19	$78.04	$133.79
30 years old	Female	$38.74	$67.64	$116.20
	Male	$47.12	$82.78	$143.16
35 years old	Female	$45.47	$81.61	$139.77
	Male	$55.09	$97.57	$174.93
40 years old	Female	$63.49	$115.85	$208.04
	Male	$79.07	$147.27	$268.26
45 years old	Female	$92.37	$171.98	$310.73
	Male	$123.26	$233.01	$428.66
50 years old	Female	$139.31	$263.24	$465.54
	Male	$190.40	$358.53	$663.96
55 years old	Female	$205.44	$386.43	$701.14
	Male	$291.74	$546.40	$1,014.57
60 years old	Female	$328.40	$633.61	$1,129.46
	Male	$467.22	$892.37	$1,630.59

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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 13 life insurance carriers that offer policies through the Policygenius marketplace (Corebridge Financial, Everly, Foresters, Haven Life, Legal & General America, Lincoln, Mutual of Omaha, Pacific Life, Protective, Prudential, SBLI, Symetra, and Transamerica) as of October 1, 2025. The prices represent the average monthly life insurance premium for each sample customer profile (age, gender) and policy type (term, coverage amount) as of October 1, 2025. Monthly averages are based on the products that were available through Policygenius for the indicated profile at the time of writing; rates for those products may vary by state, and not all products are available in all states. Individual rates may vary, depending on age, gender, state, health profile, and other eligibility criteria.

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