Insurance companies in Washington state: where they are, who's based here and how to check one

This page is for Washington residents and businesses checking an insurer or agent, for people looking for insurance jobs in the state, and for sellers targeting Washington insurers and agencies. It covers the market's size and shape and the official records. It doesn't recommend carriers.

Washington's insurance count

County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 524, Washington:

In bands, 3,089 establishments have fewer than 20 employees, 204 have 20 to 99 and 74 have 100 or more. County Business Patterns counts establishments with paid employees, not companies, and doesn't include the self-employed. NAICS 524 and subcodes, 2017 basis.

Where in Washington

From the same Census files, metro and county level:

The Seattle metro holds 53% of the establishments and 66% of the jobs, at higher pay than the state average. Outside it, insurance is mostly small offices: Olympia's 111 establishments average about six employees, Kennewick-Richland's about four.

Carriers and agencies

Our tabulation of the state file:

Property and casualty and health insurers employ about the same number of people, 9,122 and 9,005. Title insurance is a bigger niche than the state's size suggests: 133 establishments, ninth in the US. The title employee total is flagged as high-noise (confidentiality noise moved it by 5% or more), so it isn't shown.

Listed insurers headquartered in Washington

From SEC EDGAR, each confirmed in its 10-K for 2025:

Both are small employers next to the state's large carrier operations, which belong to insurers headquartered elsewhere or to companies that aren't publicly listed. For the national leaders, see the largest insurance companies in the US.

Checking a company or agent with the OIC

RCW 48.02.010 provides for an elected insurance commissioner, who runs the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC). Its agent and company lookup tool lets you:

1. Verify a licence: confirm that an agent or company is licensed in Washington, and find its WAOIC, NPN and NAIC numbers.
2. Review the record: see disciplinary actions and complaints against companies and agents, and search the commissioner's orders, including fines.
3. Look at the finances: open a company's financial statements, and check the OIC's list of companies in receivership.
4. Get help: file a complaint online, or call the consumer line at 800-562-6900.

It's worth five minutes before you buy, especially from a company you haven't heard of.

Working in Washington insurance

Carrier jobs paid $112,960 on average in 2023 and agency jobs $90,505. 49 of the state's 74 establishments with 100 or more employees are in the Seattle metro, where pay averages $113,584; Spokane's 345 establishments average $76,340. Agencies across the state hire licensed producers, and you can confirm an agency's licence in the OIC lookup before you apply.

Selling to Washington insurers and agencies

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce covers the region where most of the larger employers are.

Worked example: flood and wildfire hazard reports for agencies

Illustrative example. The service, prices and rates are invented; the counts come from the Census tables above.

Cascade Hazard Data (cascadehazard.example) sells property-level flood and wildfire reports that agents attach to home and commercial quotes.

1. List: 2,598 agency establishments statewide. Start outside the Seattle metro, assuming agencies there write more rural property, and say 800 fit.
2. Arithmetic: an email sequence to 800 principals with a 4% reply rate gives 32 conversations. If a quarter subscribe at $150 a month, 8 agencies bring $14,400 a year before any agency adds seats.
3. Then the carriers: the property and casualty insurers' 170 establishments are a second, larger sale.

At 800 agencies, researching each one is the slow part; Bebop does it for each account and drafts the first message.

Subject: Wildfire and flood answers for [agency]'s quotes

Hi [first name],

Agents in [county] tell us underwriters now ask about wildfire and flood exposure on more home quotes than they used to.

We produce a one-page hazard report for any address in Washington, ready to attach to the submission.

Want three free reports for addresses you're quoting this week?

[Your name]

Next step: for the Seattle employer base, see companies in Seattle.