Short answer
California had 17,742 insurance establishments with paid employees in 2023, more than any other state and 10.05% of the US total, employing 236,503 people, according to Census County Business Patterns. 2,680 were carriers (116,481 employees) and 13,919 were agencies and brokerages. Listed insurers headquartered there include Molina Healthcare, First American Financial and Mercury General. The California Department of Insurance licenses companies and agents and publishes a Consumer Complaint Study.
- 17,742 insurance establishments, 236,503 employees and $26.2 billion in payroll in 2023; average pay $110,628.
- Health insurers employ 58,218 Californians, the most of any state; title insurers have 697 establishments, also the most.
- 13,919 agency and brokerage establishments, 10,420 of them with fewer than five employees.
- Molina Healthcare ($45.4 billion in 2025 revenue) is the largest SEC-listed insurer headquartered in California.
- The CDI's Consumer Complaint Study ranks auto, home and life insurers by justified complaints per 100,000 policies.
On this page
Use this page if you're comparing insurance companies in California: as a consumer who wants to know whether a company or agent is licensed and how it treats complaints, as someone looking for an insurance job, as a business buying cover, or as a vendor selling to insurers and agencies. It gives the state's Census counts, shows which businesses underwrite and which sell, lists the listed insurers headquartered in California from their filings and points to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) tools that answer most questions. It doesn't recommend insurers. For the Los Angeles market alone, see the Los Angeles insurance companies report.
The California count
From US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, insurance carriers and related activities (NAICS 524):
| Measure | California, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 17,742 |
| Employees | 236,503 |
| Annual payroll | $26,163,954,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 13.3 |
| Average annual pay | $110,628 |
| Share of US insurance establishments | 10.05% (of 176,459) |
| Rank among states by establishments | 1st |
California is first for establishments but second to Texas for insurance employment (Texas has 270,629), because its offices are smaller: 12,363 of the 17,742 have fewer than five employees. At the other end, 131 have 250 or more and 27 have 1,000 or more.
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 12,363 |
| 5 to 9 | 2,694 |
| 10 to 19 | 1,197 |
| 20 to 49 | 818 |
| 50 to 99 | 336 |
| 100 to 249 | 203 |
| 250 to 499 | 73 |
| 500 to 999 | 31 |
| 1,000 or more | 27 |
Who underwrites and who sells
A carrier writes the policy and pays the claims; an agency or broker sells it and earns commission. Census codes the two as NAICS 5241 and 5242, and in California they split the jobs almost evenly:
| Segment (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carriers (5241) | 2,680 | 116,481 | $121,635 |
| Health and medical insurers (524114) | 530 | 58,218 | $117,666 |
| Property and casualty insurers (524126) | 831 | 34,730 | $110,759 |
| Life insurers (524113) | 524 | 9,159 | $179,278 |
| Title insurers (524127) | 697 | not reported (high-noise figure) | not reported |
| Agencies, brokerages and related (5242) | 15,062 | 120,022 | $99,946 |
| Agencies and brokerages (524210) | 13,919 | 83,259 | $101,833 |
| Third-party administrators (524292) | 548 | 30,280 | $96,993 |
| Claims adjusters (524291) | 297 | 3,433 | $92,972 |
We worked out average pay from CBP payroll and employee counts. The Census Bureau published a title insurance employee count but flagged it high-noise (its confidentiality noise moved the figure by 5% or more), so it's left out.
Three California patterns follow from the table. Health insurers employ more people here than in any other state, ahead of Pennsylvania and Florida. California also has the most title insurer establishments (697) and the most agency and brokerage jobs (83,259) of any state. And life insurer offices are small but pay $179,278 on average, the highest in the table.
Listed insurers headquartered in California
From each company's latest 10-K, with revenue and headcount company-wide:
| Company | Headquarters | Business | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Molina Healthcare | Long Beach | Medicaid, Medicare and Marketplace health plans | $45.43 billion (2025) | about 19,000 |
| First American Financial | Santa Ana | Title insurance and settlement | $7.45 billion (2025) | 19,102 |
| Mercury General | Los Angeles | Auto, home and commercial P&C | $5.99 billion (2025) | about 4,300 |
| Alignment Healthcare | Orange | Medicare Advantage plans | $3.95 billion (2025) | 1,849 full-time |
| Palomar Holdings | La Jolla | Specialty property and casualty | $876.0 million (2025) | 439 |
| NMI Holdings | Emeryville | Private mortgage insurance | $706.4 million (2025) | 225 |
| Hippo Holdings | San Jose | Homeowners insurance | $468.6 million (2025) | 540 |
| Roadzen | Burlingame | Auto insurance technology and brokerage | $55.0 million (year to March 2026) | 458 full-time |
Headquarters isn't the same as where a company is chartered. Palomar's 10-K says Palomar Specialty Insurance Company is domiciled in Oregon and "also commercially domiciled in California," so both states' holding company laws apply. One company in the SEC's insurance agent codes with an Irvine address, Apple iSports Group, is a sports betting business by its own 10-K and is left out. The state's large mutual and reciprocal insurers don't file with the SEC; for national rankings, see the largest insurance companies in the US.
Checking a company or agent with the CDI
- License status. The CDI's license status search covers agents, brokers and companies; its licensing line is 800-967-9331.
- Company profile. The CDI's Company Profile Search shows "a company's location, complaint history, and financial information." Search the legal name on your policy.
- Complaint ranking. The Consumer Complaint Study ranks auto, homeowners and life insurers by justified complaints closed per 100,000 policies or exposures, over three years. A ratio of 0.9 means 0.9 justified complaints per 100,000.
- Help with a problem. Try the company first, then use the CDI's online complaint form or its consumer hotline, 800-927-4357. The NAIC's Consumer Insurance Search gives the same company's record across all states.
Insurance jobs in California
At $110,628, average insurance pay in California is about $18,500 above Ohio's and well above most states'. The largest employers are carriers and administrators: 22 carrier establishments and four third-party administrators have 1,000 or more employees. First American says 12,143 of its 19,102 employees work in the US. Agency jobs are spread across 13,919 small offices; the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of California runs a member directory and publishes a California P&C Marketplace Report.
Prospecting California insurers and agencies
| Segment | Establishments | Where the buying decision sits |
|---|---|---|
| Agencies with 1 to 4 employees | 10,420 | The owner |
| Agencies with 5 to 49 | 3,283 | Principal and office or operations manager |
| Agencies with 50 or more | 216 | COO, IT and producer leadership |
| Health insurers and administrators | 1,078 | Operations, compliance and member services leaders |
| Title insurers | 697 | Branch and regional managers, with central procurement |
The 216 large agencies include one in the 1,000-or-more class, which the Census Bureau doesn't publish; we derived it as the total less the published classes. Title offices are a market of their own: their volume follows home sales, and their branches are numerous. Health insurers and administrators buy for compliance and member service. Agencies buy for quoting, servicing and growth. Bebop builds a list for any of these segments from a plain-language description.
Illustrative example. Coastline Notary Network and its prices are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Coastline Notary Network (coastlinenotary.example) supplies mobile signing agents to title and escrow offices at $150 a signing. If each of California's 697 title insurer establishments uses outside signers for 20 closings a month, that's 167,280 signings a year; a 3% share is 5,018 signings, or about $753,000 in revenue. It prospects branch managers first, because they choose signing vendors locally.
Next step: see which insurers lead nationally in the largest insurance companies list.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Consumer Complaint Study, California Department of Insurance, accessed 30 October 2026
- Company Profile Search, California Department of Insurance, accessed 30 October 2026
- Consumer help and complaints, California Department of Insurance, accessed 30 October 2026
- Molina Healthcare, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 10 February 2026
- First American Financial Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 18 February 2026
- Mercury General Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 17 February 2026
- Alignment Healthcare, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 27 February 2026
- Palomar Holdings, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 24 February 2026
- NMI Holdings, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 12 February 2026
- Hippo Holdings Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 5 March 2026
- Roadzen Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended 31 March 2026, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 29 June 2026
- Apple iSports Group, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 10 April 2026
- Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of California, IIABCal, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many insurance companies are in California?
The Census Bureau counted 17,742 insurance establishments with paid employees in California in 2023, the most of any state, employing 236,503 people. 2,680 were carriers that underwrite policies and 15,062 were agencies, brokerages, adjusters and administrators. The count is of locations, not companies, and leaves out agents who work alone without employees.
How do I check if an insurance company is licensed in California?
Use the California Department of Insurance's license status search, which covers companies as well as agents and brokers, or call its licensing line on 800-967-9331. Search the legal company name shown on the policy or quote, not the brand. The CDI's Company Profile Search adds the company's location, complaint history and financial information.
What is the California Consumer Complaint Study?
It's the California Department of Insurance's ranking of auto, homeowners and life insurers by justified complaints. The CDI counts justified complaints closed in each year and divides by policies or exposures, giving a ratio per 100,000 over three years. A lower ratio means fewer justified complaints relative to the company's size. Health plans are covered separately.
What insurance companies are headquartered in California?
SEC-listed insurers headquartered in California include Molina Healthcare (Long Beach), First American Financial (Santa Ana), Mercury General (Los Angeles), Alignment Healthcare (Orange), Palomar Holdings (La Jolla), NMI Holdings (Emeryville), Hippo Holdings (San Jose) and Roadzen (Burlingame), according to their latest 10-K filings. Molina is the largest by revenue, at $45.43 billion in 2025.
How do I file a complaint against an insurance company in California?
Contact the company first and keep notes of dates, names and what was said. If that doesn't resolve it, file with the California Department of Insurance using its online consumer complaint form, which the CDI recommends over paper forms, or call its consumer hotline on 800-927-4357. Include your policy and claim numbers and copies of letters.