A list of state rankings for workers’ compensation premiums shows a slight drop in premiums in the last two years, and that a number of states are close in terms of how much employers are paying.
The list put out by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services once every two years shows the 2014 median value of workers’ comp premiums paid was $1.85 per $100 of payroll, a drop of 2 percent from the $1.88 median in the 2012 study.
National premium rates range from a low of 88 cents in North Dakota to a high of $3.48 in California, the report shows.
The list also shows 21 states within 10 percent of the median and the range from highest and lowest rankings has been shrinking, according to Jay Dotter, who put the report together.
The effect is that it makes the list more “volatile,” Dotter said, adding that it’s important to note that volatility because some states use the list to measure the performance of their workers’ comp system.
“A small change in the index rate can give you a larger change in ranking,” he said.
The study puts states’ workers’ comp rates on a comparable basis using a constant set of risk classifications for each state. This study used classification codes from the National Council on Compensation Insurance.
Following California’s $3.48 per $100 in payroll was Connecticut ($2.87) at No. 2 on the list, coming in it at 155 percent above the national median workers’ comp premium.
North Dakota (88 cents, 47 percent) was at the bottom of the list, at 51, which makes is the cheapest state for employers. The state retained it’s ranking from the 2012 list and also saw a drop in premiums from $1.01.
Indiana, at 50 percent and an index rate of $1.06, is another state where workers’ comp is far below the national median for workers’ comp premiums. It ranked 50 on the list.
Illinois ranked on the high end, at No. 7, with an index rate of $2.35 or 127 percent of median. Illinois did show improvement from the 2012 study, when it landed at No. 4 on the list.
The rest of the Midwest states ranked generally in the middle in terms of workers’ comp costs.
Topics Workers' Compensation
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