Employer family health coverage averages $26,281 in 2025, Bendeen Insurance finds

A new Bendeen Insurance state map shows that employer-sponsored family health coverage averaged $26,281 in 2025, with costs ranging from $30,132 in Alaska to $21,932 in Mississippi. The analysis highlights wide state-to-state gaps in premiums and deductibles, and it includes a public map, rankings and downloadable data for journalists and publishers.

Why it matters: - Employer health costs remain a major budget item for both companies and workers. - The state gap is wide: a family plan in Alaska costs $8,200 more than the same coverage in Mississippi. - The data gives employers, employees and benefits brokers a clearer benchmark for how much geography can affect coverage costs.

What happened: - Bendeen Insurance released a new state-by-state map of employer-sponsored health coverage costs for 2025. - The Los Angeles-based group health insurance brokerage found that average family coverage cost $26,281. - Single coverage averaged $9,025. - The map covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The details: - Employers paid $18,967 of the average family premium, or 72%. - Workers paid $7,314, or 28%. - Alaska had the highest average family premium at $30,132. - New York followed at $29,752. - New Jersey averaged $29,666. - Massachusetts averaged $29,619. - The District of Columbia averaged $29,371. - Mississippi had the lowest average family premium at $21,932. - Montana averaged $21,989. - Arkansas averaged $22,956. - Nevada averaged $23,075. - Arizona averaged $23,143. - Average deductibles were $3,997 for family plans and $2,169 for single plans. - The full rankings, an embeddable map and a downloadable CSV are available in Bendeen Insurance’s state cost map. - Journalists and publishers can use the data and embed the map with credit to Bendeen Insurance.

Between the lines: - The analysis suggests that employer health costs are driven by more than plan design alone. - State pricing differences can materially affect employer renewal budgets and worker out-of-pocket exposure. - The map may help frame local coverage costs against national benchmarks when employers evaluate benefits.

What's next: - Bendeen Insurance is making the map and raw data available for reuse. - Journalists and publishers can embed the map and build local coverage stories from the dataset. - Employers can use the figures as a reference point for upcoming renewals and benefits comparisons.

The bottom line: - Employer family health coverage is expensive everywhere, but where a company is located still changes the bill by thousands of dollars a year.