DP

Depopulate the FAIR Plan
Pacific Palisades California coastline
Photo: Beth Coller / The New York Times

A California Community Resource

Depopulate the FAIR Plan

California's insurance market is broken. The FAIR Plan—meant as a last resort—now insures over 660,000 homes and continues growing. Understand the crisis and its impact on every California homeowner.

Understanding the Crisis

California's FAIR Plan was designed as an insurer of last resort, not a primary insurance solution.

Statewide FAIR Plan policies in force · 2019 → 2026

Statewide FAIR Plan policies in force, 2019 to 2026Statewide FAIR Plan residential policies in force rose from 155,243 on Sep 30, 2019 to 665,862 on Jun 30, 2026.100,000300,000500,000700,0002020202120222023202420252026665,862Jun 30, 2026

Why This Matters

4.3× growth since Sep 30, 2019 — from 155,243 to 665,862 policies. This explosive growth doesn't just affect the families on it — it creates hidden costs for every homeowner in California. Here's how.

FAIR Plan Crisis Map

Explore how FAIR Plan policies are distributed across California's 58 counties. Data current through June 30, 2026.

Policy Distribution by County

Total FAIR Plan Policies in California (Jun 30, 2026): 665,862

Policy Levels

Extreme (>50,000)
High (10,001–50,000)
Moderate (1,001–10,000)
Low (1–1,000)
No Data

This map shows the concentration of FAIR Plan policies across California counties. Darker red areas indicate counties with more properties unable to obtain standard insurance coverage.

Data Source

California FAIR Plan data through June 30, 2026

County-Level Data

FAIR Plan policies by county as of June 30, 2026

Los Angeles County155,369+1.4%+36.2%
San Bernardino County69,840+2.5%+28.0%
Riverside County65,750+4.4%+70.6%
San Diego County63,292+1.9%+57.8%
El Dorado County27,892+0.1%+17.6%
Orange County26,812+3.7%+73.8%
Nevada County23,454+0.5%+17.8%
Placer County19,050-0.1%+20.9%
Ventura County16,348+2.7%+59.1%
Tuolumne County13,970+0.6%+8.6%

Data source: California FAIR Plan through June 30, 2026

Total policies statewide: 665,862

Analysis: The Depopulation Promise

California's 2023 deal with insurers promised to shrink the FAIR Plan, starting with a named list of distressed ZIP codes. Our analysis of the state's own data: enrollment grew in 93% of those very ZIP codes. Read the analysis →

Stay Informed

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