Short answer
Ohio had 5,623 insurance establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 123,594 people, according to Census County Business Patterns: 891 insurance carriers (80,880 employees) and 4,732 agencies, brokerages and related services. Ohio ranks second among states for property and casualty carrier jobs. The SEC-listed insurers headquartered in Ohio are Progressive, Cincinnati Financial, American Financial Group and Root. The Ohio Department of Insurance licenses companies and agents and takes complaints.
- 5,623 insurance establishments, 123,594 employees and $11.4 billion in payroll in Ohio in 2023; average pay $92,119.
- Carriers are 15.8% of establishments but 65.4% of jobs; nationally they are 55.8% of insurance jobs.
- Ohio's 363 property and casualty carrier establishments employ 48,367 people, second only to Texas.
- Progressive ($87.7 billion in 2025 revenue) is Ohio's largest listed insurer; Cincinnati Financial, American Financial Group and Root follow.
- 3,067 of Ohio's 4,382 agencies and brokerages have fewer than five employees.
On this page
This page is for four kinds of reader: Ohioans shopping for coverage or stuck on a claim, people looking for insurance jobs in the state, businesses buying commercial cover, and companies that sell to insurers and agencies. It separates the companies that underwrite policies from the ones that sell them, names the listed insurers based in Ohio from their filings, and shows how to check any company or agent. It doesn't rank or recommend insurers. For Ohio's two biggest insurance cities, see the Cleveland and Columbus reports.
Ohio insurance in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, insurance carriers and related activities (NAICS 524), State of Ohio:
| Measure | Ohio, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 5,623 |
| Employees | 123,594 |
| Annual payroll | $11,385,353,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 22.0 |
| Average annual pay | $92,119 |
| Share of US insurance establishments | 3.19% (of 176,459) |
| Rank among states by establishments | 8th |
Ohio ranks a place higher for jobs (7th) than for establishments, because its insurance offices are large: 152 have 100 or more employees, and 27 have 1,000 or more.
Underwriters and sellers are different businesses
The Census Bureau splits the industry in two. Carriers (NAICS 5241) underwrite: they take the risk, set the premium and pay the claim. Agencies, brokerages and related services (NAICS 5242) sell policies on a carrier's behalf or handle claims and administration for others.
| Segment (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| All carriers (5241) | 891 | 80,880 | $98,410 |
| Property and casualty carriers (524126) | 363 | 48,367 | $101,539 |
| Health and medical carriers (524114) | 174 | 19,375 | $90,130 |
| Life carriers (524113) | 234 | 11,430 | $100,071 |
| Title insurers (524127) | 101 | not reported (high-noise figure) | not reported |
| Agencies and brokerages (524210) | 4,382 | 27,942 | $83,147 |
| Third-party administrators (524292) | 224 | 13,319 | $74,026 |
| Claims adjusters (524291) | 57 | 626 | $80,181 |
Average pay is our calculation from CBP payroll and employees. The title insurers' employee count is withheld from this table because the Census Bureau flags it as high-noise (the noise it adds for confidentiality moved the figure by 5% or more).
Two things stand out. First, the 48,367 people at Ohio's P&C carriers are more than in any state except Texas (68,326), ahead of Florida, Illinois and California (our ranking of the CBP state file). Second, an Ohio carrier establishment averages 91 employees, while an agency averages 6.4: 3,067 of the 4,382 agencies have fewer than five. When you search for an insurance company near you, the local office is almost always an agency; the carrier is the name on the policy.
Listed insurers headquartered in Ohio
These are the SEC-registered, listed insurers whose principal executive offices are in Ohio, from each company's 10-K for 2025:
| Company | Headquarters | Business | 2025 revenue | Employees, end 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Mayfield Village | Auto, home and commercial P&C | $87.67 billion | about 70,000 |
| Cincinnati Financial | Fairfield | P&C sold through independent agencies, plus life | $12.63 billion | 5,705 |
| American Financial Group | Cincinnati | Specialty commercial P&C (Great American) | $8.17 billion | about 8,500 |
| Root | Columbus | Auto insurance priced through an app | $1.52 billion | 1,256 full-time |
Revenue and headcount are company-wide. Headquarters and domicile are not the same thing, and the filings show why it matters. Progressive's 10-K says its insurance subsidiaries are domiciled in ten states, Ohio among them, and that "an insurance company is subject to a higher degree of regulation and supervision in its jurisdiction of domicile." Cincinnati Financial's are all domiciled in Ohio except one Delaware company. Root Insurance Company is Ohio-domiciled. Mutual insurers and other private carriers based in Ohio don't file with the SEC; the Ohio Insurance Institute's member directory lists property and casualty companies operating in the state. For the national rankings, see the largest insurance companies in the US.
Checking a company or an agent in Ohio
- Find the legal company name. It's on the declarations page of the policy or quote, and it is often a subsidiary rather than the brand you saw advertised.
- Confirm the license. The Ohio Department of Insurance (50 W. Town Street, Columbus) licenses insurers and agents; its Consumer Services Division is on 800-686-1526, per the NAIC directory of state insurance departments.
- Read the complaint record. The NAIC's Consumer Insurance Search lets you "look up company complaints, licenses, and financial health" for each legal entity, so search the subsidiary, not the group.
- Escalate if needed. The NAIC's advice is to try to resolve a problem with the insurer first, then file with the state department, which forwards the complaint to the company and requires a response.
Working in Ohio insurance
At $92,119, average insurance pay in Ohio is well above what the state's agencies pay ($83,147), because most of the jobs are at carriers. The big employers are carriers' head offices and claims centers: 31 of Ohio's P&C carrier establishments have 250 or more employees, and 14 have 1,000 or more. Job seekers can start with the Ohio Insurance Agents association's job board for agency roles and the Ohio Insurance Institute's Insuring Ohio Futures careers site.
Selling to Ohio insurers and agencies
| Buyer | Ohio establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| Agencies with 1 to 4 employees | 3,067 | The owner |
| Agencies with 5 or more | 1,315 | Owner or principal, with an operations or office manager |
| Third-party administrators | 224 | Operations, compliance and IT leaders |
| Carrier establishments | 891 | Line-of-business, claims, underwriting and procurement leaders at the group |
Carriers buy centrally, at the head office, with long procurement cycles; a regional claims office rarely signs. Agencies buy quickly but need the tool to work with the carriers they already quote. Our guide to finding decision makers covers who to reach at the larger firms.
Illustrative example. Buckeye Renewals and its price are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Buckeye Renewals (buckeyerenewals.example) sells a renewal-tracking add-on to independent agencies at $3,600 a year. Ohio has 1,315 agency establishments with five or more employees. Reaching 40% of them in a year is 526 conversations; closing 8% is 42 agencies, or $151,200 in new annual revenue. It starts with commercial lines agencies in the Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus metros. Bebop builds that agency list from a plain-language description and researches each one.
Next step: compare Ohio's insurers with the national leaders in the largest insurance companies list.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- The Progressive Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 2 March 2026
- Cincinnati Financial Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 23 February 2026
- American Financial Group, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 25 February 2026
- Root, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 25 February 2026
- Insurance Department Directory, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, accessed 30 October 2026
- Consumer resources and Consumer Insurance Search, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, accessed 30 October 2026
- Ohio Insurance Institute and member directory, Ohio Insurance Institute, accessed 30 October 2026
- Ohio Insurance Agents, Ohio Insurance Agents Association, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many insurance companies are there in Ohio?
The Census Bureau counted 5,623 insurance establishments with paid employees in Ohio in 2023, employing 123,594 people. Of those, 891 were carriers that underwrite policies and 4,732 were agencies, brokerages, claims adjusters and administrators. Establishments are locations, not companies, so a carrier with several Ohio offices counts several times, and agents working alone aren't included.
What insurance companies are headquartered in Ohio?
The SEC-listed insurers with headquarters in Ohio are Progressive (Mayfield Village), Cincinnati Financial (Fairfield), American Financial Group (Cincinnati) and Root (Columbus), according to their 2025 10-K filings. Progressive is the largest, with $87.67 billion in 2025 revenue. Ohio is also home to mutual and other private insurers that don't file with the SEC; the Ohio Insurance Institute's member directory lists property and casualty companies in the state.
How do I check if an insurance company is licensed in Ohio?
Take the legal company name from your policy or quote, then confirm it with the Ohio Department of Insurance, whose Consumer Services Division is on 800-686-1526. The NAIC's Consumer Insurance Search shows each company's licenses, complaint reports and financial information. Search the exact subsidiary named on the policy, because one insurance group can have many companies with different records.
What is the difference between an insurance carrier and an insurance agency?
A carrier underwrites the policy: it takes the risk, sets the premium and pays claims. An agency or broker sells policies, either for one carrier (a captive agent) or for several (an independent agent), and is paid commission. In Ohio, carriers had 891 establishments and 80,880 employees in 2023, while agencies and brokerages had 4,382 establishments and 27,942 employees.
Where do I file a complaint against an insurance company in Ohio?
Try the company first and keep a record of every call and letter. If that fails, file with the Ohio Department of Insurance, which forwards your complaint to the insurer and requires it to respond; its Consumer Services Division is on 800-686-1526. The NAIC says state departments investigate complaints for free and that an insurer can't penalize you for filing one.