What Affects Life Insurance Rates?
Your age, health, hobbies and sex affect your life insurance rates. Because rates vary widely from each life insurance company, where you choose to purchase your policy can also affect your rate. One company may offer the same policy benefits for a higher price. Learning how to compare policies and understanding how your age, health, hobbies and sex affect your life insurance rates can help you get the lowest rate possible.
- Written by Lindsey Crossmier
Lindsey Crossmier
Financial Writer
Lindsey Crossmier is an accomplished writer with experience working for The Florida Review and Bookstar PR. As a financial writer, she covers Medicare, life insurance and dental insurance topics for RetireGuide. Research-based data drives her work.
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Savannah Pittle
Savannah Pittle
Senior Financial Editor
Savannah Pittle is a professional writer and content editor with over 16 years of professional experience across multiple industries. She has ghostwritten for entrepreneurs and industry leaders and been published in mediums such as The Huffington Post, Southern Living and Interior Appeal Magazine.
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Eric Estevez
Eric Estevez
Owner of HLC Insurance Broker, LLC
Eric Estevez is a duly licensed independent insurance broker and a former financial institution auditor with more than a decade of professional experience. He has specialized in federal, state and local compliance for both large and small businesses.
Read More- Published: November 18, 2022
- Updated: November 22, 2022
- 7 min read time
- This page features 10 Cited Research Articles
- Edited By
How Does Age Affect Your Life Insurance Rate?
According to the Farm Bureau Financial Services, your age is the most influential factor that can raise your life insurance rate. Generally speaking, the younger you are, the more affordable your premium rates will be.
Premium rates can become costly the longer you wait to purchase. With Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, for example, a 10-year term policy with $250,000 coverage costs $12.40 monthly for a healthy 30-year-old woman. For the same policy purchased at 50 years old, the premium rate has practically tripled and costs $29.36 monthly.
| Age | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| 20 | $12.17 |
| 30 | $12.40 |
| 40 | $15.22 |
| 50 | $29.36 |
| 60 | $56.98 |
*Quoted rates are for a 10-year term policy with $250,000 of coverage for a healthy woman.
How Sex Impacts Your Rate
Men typically pay higher life insurance rates because they historically do not live as long as women.
According to a study from the National Library of Medicine, the worldwide average life expectancy of a woman was nearly 75 years old, while the worldwide average life expectancy of a man was close to 71 years old. The study was conducted with World Bank data, with countries grouped by income level.
Be sure to ask your agent or broker how the policy affects your goals. There are many features to a life insurance policy that can be included, which may or may not make sense for your life. Those features will add to your premium, therefore, it is smart to understand your policy to that level.
How Does Health Affect Your Rate?
Healthy individuals pay less for life insurance than their unhealthy counterparts. Serious medical conditions, such as heart disease and cancer, make you a high-risk applicant — and if you’re considered high-risk, your premium rates will increase.
Insurance companies may request access to your health records before issuing you a policy. If this is the case, a HIPAA-compliant consent form will be included in your life insurance application.
Insurers also use third-party companies to check your prescription drug history and you may be required to undergo a medical exam.
Insurers will consider your height-to-weight ratio, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other metrics that could indicate future medical issues.
And the health of your immediate family matters, too.
Your family’s history of certain diseases — such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular problems — can directly impact your ability to get a lower rate.
Once your medical exam results have returned, your life insurance company will place you in a rate class based on your health. Four common rate classes are Preferred Best, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard.
- Preferred Best
- If you’re in the Preferred Best class, you’re considered to be in exceptional health. Those in Preferred Best don’t smoke, are a healthy weight and have no serious health issues. If you are in the Preferred Best class, you will have the most affordable premium rate.
- Preferred
- If you’re in the Preferred class, you generally have good health with a few minor issues. For example, if you’re healthy but slightly overweight or have a family history of diabetes, you may be placed in Preferred. Your premium rate will likely be higher than a Preferred Best class rate.
- Standard Plus
- If you’re in the Standard Plus class, you might have notable health issues that aren’t at risk of killing you. For example, you may be in cancer remission or a regular smoker. Your premium rates will be higher than both Preferred rates.
- Standard
- If you’re in the Standard class, you likely have below-average to high-risk health issues. Examples include those currently undergoing cancer treatment or with type 1 diabetes. If you’re in Standard class, you’ll have the highest premium rate of these four classes.
How Your Lifestyle Is Tied to Your Rate
If you regularly partake in a dangerous hobby or have a risky career, your life insurance rates will likely be higher than those of less-risky policyholders. In fact, you could be denied life insurance coverage altogether based on lifestyle factors.
Certain professions — such as mining, fishing, logging or transportation — may also cost you more since your chance of getting into a lethal accident at work is greater. Several hobbies that will likely increase your premium rates include skydiving, rock climbing and hunting.
A criminal record can jack up your rate as well — or even get your application denied. This is especially true if you’re a convicted felon. Credit checks might flag you for higher rates as well.
Your driving record is also considered. Small infractions such as speeding tickets likely won’t matter to insurers, but a DUI or other serious offense will.
| Hobby | How Much Your Rate Could Increase Per Year |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle Riding | $1,000 - $1,300 |
| Scuba Diving | $2,500 - $3,200 |
| Skydiving | $2,500 - $3,200 |
| Rock Climbing | $1,500 - $2,000 |
| Hunting | $500 - $700 |
| Hang Gliding | $2,000 - $2,600 |
*This information was updated to reflect inflation rates in 2022.
According to the Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, the five jobs with the most fatalities in America are logging jobs, aircraft pilots, oil operators, roofers and garbage collectors. The study was based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. If your insurer knows you have a life-threatening job, your life insurance premiums rates are likely to rise.
How Your Policy Type and Terms Impact Your Rate
The details of your policy will directly impact your premiums. Term life insurance policies, for example, will typically provide a more affordable rate than a permanent policy.
And when comparing the two main types of permanent policies — universal and whole life — the Insurance Information Institute finds that whole life insurance is commonly the most expensive type of permanent life insurance.
We also know that policies issued for larger coverage amounts over longer terms cost more than policies with smaller coverage amounts over shorter terms. For example, a 10-year term life policy will cost less than a 30-year term life policy. Likewise, a $500,000 policy will be more expensive than a $100,000 policy.
And no matter the type of policy you choose, higher death benefits result in higher rates.
| Type of Policy/Age Issued | 30 Years Old | 40 Years Old | 50 Years Old |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Term | $36.16 | $53.17 | $111.79 |
| 20-Year Term | $52.25 | $82.71 | $179.44 |
| 30-Year Term | $86.54 | $137.88 | $303.14 |
| Universal Life | $390.52 | $578.85 | $921.93 |
| Whole Life | $666.94 | $1,003.06 | $1,615 |
*Premium quotes are for a healthy woman purchasing a policy with $1 million in coverage.
All life insurance companies have different pricing for premium rates. One company might give you a quote for the same policy at half the price of another company’s quote.
Comparing your quotes can help guarantee that you’re getting the best price.
- Special focus on content about life insurance, Social Security, Medicare and certificates of deposits (CDs)
- Research-based data drives her work
- Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Central Florida
10 Cited Research Articles
- Freedman, D. (2022, March 28). Term vs. Permanent Life Insurance. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/insurance/life-insurance/term-vs-permanent
- Farm Bureau Financial Services. (2021, February 5). How Does Age Affect Life Insurance? Retrieved from https://www.fbfs.com/learning-center/age-factor-into-life-insurance
- Baum, F. & et al. (2021, January 14). New Perspective on Why Women Live Longer Than Men: An Exploration of Power, Gender, Social Determinants, and Capitals. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7829786/
- Industrial Safety & Hygiene News. (2020, November 5). Top 25 Most Dangerous Jobs in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.ishn.com/articles/112748-top-25-most-dangerous-jobs-in-the-united-states
- Williams, G. (2013, April 16). How Risky Hobbies Can Raise Your Insurance Rates. Retrieved from https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2013/04/16/how-risky-hobbies-can-raise-your-insurance-rates
- AIG Direct Insurance Services. (n.d.). How Does Age Affect Life Insurance? Retrieved from https://www.aigdirect.com/about-life/planning-for-life-insurance/life-insurance-and-age
- Connecticut State Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Costs & Consequences of Tobacco Use. Retrieved from https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Health-Education-Management--Surveillance/Tobacco/Costs--Consequences
- Pendell, C. (n.d.). Here’s What Each Life Insurance Rate Class Means. Retrieved from https://www.jrcinsurancegroup.com/heres-what-each-life-insurance-rate-class-means/
- Progressive. (n.d.). Types of Life Insurance Explained. Retrieved from https://www.progressive.com/answers/life-insurance-types/
- U.S. Inflation Calculator. (n.d.). Inflation Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
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