Pet insurance cost by state / West North Central
Published state averages · checked October 20, 2026
What does pet insurance cost in Iowa?
Pawlicy Advisor's 2026 customer quotes put the median Iowa premium at $41.13 a month across all pets, the 33rd highest of 51 states and DC. Insurify's May 2026 medians are $43 for a dog and $18 for a cat, and Forbes Advisor's Iowa average for a 3-year-old dog is $39 at a $5,000 annual limit.
- 1Pawlicy median, all pets $41.13/mo
- 2Insurify, dogs $43/mo
- 3Insurify, cats $18/mo
- 4Share of US insured pets 0.5%
Every published Iowa figure
| Source | What it measures | Monthly | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawlicy Advisor | Median of customer quotes, all pets; middle half $29.47–$60.44 | $41.13 | October 15, 2026 |
| Insurify | Median of quotes, dogs | $43 | May 31, 2026 |
| Insurify | Median of quotes, cats | $18 | May 31, 2026 |
| Forbes Advisor | Average, dog aged 3, $250 deductible, 80%, $5,000 limit | $39 | October 1, 2026 |
| Forbes Advisor | Same dog, unlimited annual payout | $62 | October 1, 2026 |
The two large quote sets roughly agree on where Iowa stands: Pawlicy ranks it 33rd and Insurify's dog medians rank it 30th of 51. Pawlicy's all-pet median is 6% less than the median state ($43.97); Insurify's dog figure is 4% less than its median state ($45) and its cat figure 18% less than ($22). Forbes Advisor's $5,000-limit dog average is 9% less than the median of the 50 states it publishes ($43), and lifting the limit to unlimited adds 59% in Iowa.
Dogs versus cats in Iowa
A cat costs 42% of a dog's premium in Insurify's Iowa figures ($18 against $43). Nationally, NAPHIA's 2025 averages are $69.67 a month for a dog and $36.25 for a cat on accident-and-illness cover, so Iowa's Insurify dog median is 38% less than the national dog average. Accident-only plans are far cheaper: NAPHIA's 2025 averages work out to $15.83 a month for dogs and $9.33 for cats. Within the Pawlicy quotes for Iowa, the middle half runs from $29.47 to $60.44, a band 75% as wide as the median, because age, breed and coverage choices spread prices within one state.
How many Iowa pets are insured
NAPHIA's 2025 figures place 0.5% of all insured US pets in Iowa (34th of 51) and 0.4% of the premium written. Its share of premium is smaller than its share of pets, so the average Iowa policy brings in less premium than the US average policy. Pet insurance is regulated by each state; the Iowa insurance department is the free route for checking an insurer's licence or filing a complaint, reachable from the NAIC directory.
Premiums against a vet bill in Iowa
Trupanion's published average claim for a torn cruciate ligament is $5,439. At Iowa's Insurify dog median of $43 a month and a policy with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement, the policy pays $4,151, the owner pays $1,288 of the bill plus $516 in premiums: $1,804 for the year against $5,439 uninsured. With no claim the premiums are simply spent. The break-even bill is $895 a year for a dog and $520 for a cat at the Insurify medians. Run other terms in the calculator or read deductible versus reimbursement.
Neighbouring states
North Dakota: $55.88 (Pawlicy), $45 dog and $20 cat (Insurify); Minnesota: $41.68 (Pawlicy), $42 dog and $20 cat (Insurify); Nebraska: $39.46 (Pawlicy), $45 dog and $21 cat (Insurify); Missouri: $38.78 (Pawlicy), $39 dog and $17 cat (Insurify); South Dakota: $38.03 (Pawlicy), $48 dog and $24 cat (Insurify); Kansas: $33.36 (Pawlicy), $49 dog and $22 cat (Insurify). Across all states Pawlicy's highest median is Hawaii ($64.01) and the lowest Alaska ($28.02).
No source publishes breed premiums for individual states, so breed pages show national figures: for example Pekingese, Bichon Frise, the mixed-breed dog and the mixed-breed cat.
Sources: Pawlicy Advisor (updated October 15, 2026), Insurify (Rates current as of May 31, 2026), Forbes Advisor (Audited and verified Oct 1, 2026), NAPHIA State of the Industry 2026, Trupanion claims examples. Last checked October 20, 2026. Method on the methodology page.