Why Is Home Insurance So Expensive In South Dakota? 
South Dakota Home Insurance rates are heavily affected by Hail and Wind . In the last four years every major city in the state has been hit by hail storms , some of them multiple times ! The # I have been given is that if you took every dollar of property insurance premium paid in to insurance companies in 2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2011 and 2012 the insurance companies have paid out about $ 1.40 in claims for every $ 1.00 in premium . This has lead to rate increases , tightened underwriting , and some companies have left the state -LRB- stopped selling insurance here -RRB- . As an individual , the best things you can do are : 1 . Watch your credit . Insurance rates are based somewhat on your credit information . The better credit you have the lower your rates will be . 2 . Keep a high deductible . Insurance companies want to be there for you when you have a major claim , but they want you to handle the small stuff . Many people are changing to $ 2,500 deductibles . 3 . Use impact resistant materials . The company I work for -LRB- American Family Insurance -RRB- offers a large discount for impact resistant shingles and certain steel roofs . There are other discounts for cement board siding -LRB- versus vinyl since it does n't hold up well to hail -RRB- . Send me an email if you would like a quote ! 