Millions of American Homeowners Are One Disaster Away From Losing Everything - Insurance Dimes
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Jun 14, 2026
Data, Home Insurance
Millions of American Homeowners Are One Disaster Away From Losing Everything
For most families, a home is the single largest asset they will ever own. It represents decades of mortgage payments, maintenance, and accumulated wealth.
Yet for more than six million American homeowners, that asset sits completely exposed.
A report from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) took a hard look at this problem, drawing on nationally representative data from the 2024 American Housing Survey.
What the researchers found was that roughly one in seven homeowners in the United States, about 14.4 percent of all owner-occupied households, carries no homeowners insurance at all. That translates to approximately 12.2 million of 86.6 million owner-occupied homes are uninsured.
But the national average obscures a far more troubling picture. When the CFA broke the data down by race, income, age, and geography, the inequalities became impossible to ignore.
22% of Native American homeowners lack coverage
Consumer Federation of America · 2024 AHS Data
Homeowners Without Insurance by Race & Ethnicity
Share of owner-occupied households lacking homeowners insurance coverage
AAPI
5%
White
6%
National avg 7.4%
Multiracial
9%
Black
11%
Hispanic
14%
Native American
22%
Source: Consumer Federation of America analysis of 2024 American Housing Survey data. Black, White, AAPI, Native American, and Multiracial categories are non-Hispanic. Hispanic can be of any race.
Across every racial and ethnic group the CFA analyzed, homeowners of color were significantly more likely to be uninsured than the national average.
Among Black homeowners, 11 percent lacked coverage. Among Hispanic homeowners, the figure climbed to 14 percent, nearly twice the national rate. For Native American homeowners, the number reached 22 percent, though the researchers acknowledge that data limitations make this figure harder to interpret with full confidence and call for further research.
By contrast, white homeowners were uninsured at a rate of just 6 percent, and Asian American and Pacific Islander homeowners sat at 5 percent.
15% of Homeowners earning
Consumer Federation of America · 2024 AHS Data
Homeowners Without Insurance by Income & Poverty Status
Share of owner-occupied households lacking homeowners insurance coverage
By Annual Income
Over $149,999
3%
$50,000 – $149,999
4%
Under $50,000
15%
By Federal Poverty Status
Not in poverty
6%
Below poverty line
22%
Source: Consumer Federation of America analysis of 2024 American Housing Survey data. Poverty defined by federal poverty thresholds set by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Race and ethnicity do not operate in isolation. Income is a powerful predictor of whether a homeowner carries insurance, and the data make this clear.
Among homeowners earning under $50,000 per year, 15 percent were uninsured. Among those living below the federal poverty line, the rate jumped to 22 percent. For homeowners earning more than $150,000 annually, the uninsured rate dropped to just 3 percent.
The combination of low income and minority status is particularly stark. Among Hispanic homeowners earning $50,000 or less, 25 percent had no coverage.
Consumer Federation of America · 2024 AHS Data
Uninsured Homeowners: Race & Income Combined
Percentage of homeowners without insurance, by racial group and income bracket
$50K or less
$50K – $150K
Over $150K
AAPI
$50K or less
9%
$50K–$150K
5%
Over $150K
3%
White
$50K or less
12%
$50K–$150K
3%
Over $150K
2%
Black
$50K or less
18%
$50K–$150K
5%
Over $150K
5%
Hispanic
$50K or less
25%
$50K–$150K
9%
Over $150K
4%
Source: Consumer Federation of America analysis of 2024 American Housing Survey data. Black, White, and AAPI categories are non-Hispanic. Hispanic can be of any race.
Among Black homeowners in the same income bracket, the rate was 18 percent. Among white homeowners in that bracket, it was 12 percent.
At higher income levels, the racial gaps narrow considerably, which suggests that while discrimination plays a role, financial constraint is often the immediate barrier preventing lower-income families from purchasing or maintaining a policy.
Older Adults Face Elevated Risk, With One Exception
Age adds another dimension to the uninsurance problem. Older adults, defined in the report as homeowners over 64, were more likely to be uninsured than younger homeowners in most racial groups.
Consumer Federation of America · 2024 AHS Data
Homeowners Without Insurance: Older Adults vs. Other Ages
For most groups, homeowners 65 and older face higher uninsured rates than younger counterparts
Older adults (65+)
Other age groups
White
Older adults (65+)
6%
Other ages
6%
No difference between age groups for white homeowners
AAPI
Older adults...