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What J.D. Power's life insurance study measures
J.D. Power's life insurance study scores customer satisfaction out of 1,000. The 2026 results for all 23 ranked brands and what they can and cannot tell you.
The J.D. Power U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study ranks life insurers on customer satisfaction, scored on a 1,000-point scale from surveys of people who already own a policy. In the 2026 edition, released October 8, 2026, Nationwide ranked first with 701 points against an industry average of 649. The score measures how customers feel about their experience, not how financially strong an insurer is or how it handles claims.
What the study measures
According to J.D. Power's 2026 press release, the study is based on responses from 6,145 individual life insurance customers, fielded from July 2025 through July 2026 (the 2025 study surveyed 5,065 customers). It measures the experiences of customers of the largest U.S. individual life insurance companies across eight dimensions, listed in order of importance:
- Trust
- Value for price
- Ease of doing business
- People
- Product offerings
- Ability to get service
- Problem resolution
- Digital channels
Those are customer-experience factors, which is the main limit to keep in mind. The study asks policyholders about their interactions: buying, paying, getting service and resolving problems. It does not audit claim files, solvency or pricing.
The 2026 ranking
J.D. Power reported an industry average of 649, down 1 point from 2025, but the trust dimension fell 9 points. Trust fell 39 points among Gen Z customers and 28 points among customers with poor or fair credit, and J.D. Power found that a single negative experience, such as difficulty reaching a representative or an unexpected fee change, lowered trust satisfaction by 96 points. Satisfaction with policies bought direct from a provider's call center, website, bank or third-party site fell 12 points to 684, while satisfaction with policies sold through an agent, broker or financial advisor rose 6 points to 645. Customers who used advisors, agents, apps and websites reported the highest trust (757); those with no interaction at all, the lowest (581).
The 2026 gap between the highest and lowest-ranked brands was 120 points (701 to 581), and the order moved a lot from 2025: Nationwide rose from third to first, Mutual of Omaha fell from first to third, Prudential, Protective, Primerica and Lincoln each climbed five or more places, while New York Life, Pacific Life, Northwestern Mutual, National Life Group and Brighthouse each fell five or more.
| Rank | Brand | 2026 score | 2025 rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nationwide | 701 | 3 |
| 2 | State Farm | 692 | 2 |
| 3 | Mutual of Omaha | 680 | 1 |
| 4 | Guardian Life | 675 | 4 |
| 5 | Prudential | 672 | 12 |
| 6 (tie) | MassMutual | 671 | 6 |
| 6 (tie) | Principal | 671 | Not ranked |
| 8 | Primerica | 669 | 13 |
| 9 | Lincoln Financial | 661 | 14 |
| 10 | Northwestern Mutual | 659 | 5 |
| 11 | Globe Life | 656 | 9 |
| 12 | National Life Group | 652 | 7 |
| 13 | Penn Mutual | 651 | 11 |
| 14 | Protective Life | 636 | 20 |
| 15 | New York Life | 634 | 8 |
| 16 | John Hancock | 632 | 15 |
| 17 | Pacific Life | 630 | 10 |
| 18 | Securian Financial | 615 | 17 |
| 19 | Midland National | 605 | 21 |
| 20 | Transamerica (AEGON) | 602 | 18 |
| 21 (tie) | Brighthouse Financial | 582 | 16 |
| 21 (tie) | Equitable | 582 | 22 |
| 23 | Corebridge Financial | 581 | 19 |
Ties are shown where J.D. Power's chart gives two brands the same score: MassMutual and Principal (671), and Brighthouse Financial and Equitable (582). Principal was not ranked in 2025. MetLife, which scored 654 in 2025 but was not rank-eligible, does not appear in the 2026 chart. Midland National is part of Sammons Financial Group. The full chart is on J.D. Power's site; the 2025 results had 22 ranked brands, led by Mutual of Omaha (707), State Farm (697) and Nationwide (695), with an average of 650.
How to read the scores
The spread in the middle is small. The brands ranked 10 through 13 sit within a few points of the 649 average (651 to 659). With survey data, a few points often fall inside the margin of error. Focus on the top and bottom of the list and on movement over several years, not on one-place differences.
Rank-eligibility matters. J.D. Power ranks only brands that meet its eligibility requirements; in 2025 MetLife's 654 was reported but not ranked. A missing brand is not a poor one. Many insurers, including smaller mutuals and fraternal societies, are not ranked at all.
It measures current policyholders. The respondents are customers describing their experience buying, paying and getting service. The study is not built to audit how claims are decided, so it is a weak guide to claim treatment (why life insurance claims get denied).
Brand versus channel. A customer who bought through an independent agent or broker may be rating the agent as much as the company. The "people" and "ease of doing business" dimensions can blend the two, as can a captive agent force (captive vs independent life insurance agents).
Different insurers sell different products. A direct-response seller of small policies and a mutual selling large whole life policies serve different customers, so comparing their scores is imperfect.
Where J.D. Power fits in a decision
Think of it as one of three public signals about an insurer:
| Signal | Question it answers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Financial strength | Will it be there in 30 years? | AM Best, S&P, Moody's and Fitch ratings explained |
| Complaints | How often do customers complain to regulators? | The NAIC complaint index and how to use it |
| Satisfaction | How do policyholders rate their experience? | J.D. Power |
A hypothetical example: say you are choosing between two companies whose quotes are within a few dollars a month. One ranks in the top five of the J.D. Power list and the other in the bottom five. If both are rated in a secure financial strength category, the satisfaction gap may be the tie-breaker, since service quality matters when you need a billing fix, a loan or a beneficiary change. But if the lower-ranked company is cheaper by a wide margin or has the only product that fits your need, a lower score is not a reason to walk away.
The most useful follow-up is to ask the agent how the company handles service requests and claims (questions to ask a life insurance agent). how to choose a life insurance company puts all the signals in order.
What J.D. Power cannot tell you
- Whether the company will pay your beneficiaries' claim. Look at the contestability period, exclusions and the policy language.
- Whether the premium is competitive. Compare quotes.
- Whether the company is financially sound.
- Whether a particular agent will serve you well.
Use the life insurer comparison tool to see the companies side by side.
Key takeaways
- The study scores policyholder satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale across eight experience dimensions, with trust and value for price the most important.
- The 2026 industry average was 649; Nationwide (701), State Farm (692) and Mutual of Omaha (680) ranked first through third among 23 ranked brands.
- Small point gaps in the middle of the list are not meaningful, and unranked insurers are not necessarily poorly rated.
- Satisfaction is not solvency or claim behavior; use it with financial strength ratings and complaint data.
- Rankings move from year to year (several brands shifted five or more places between 2025 and 2026), so look at the trend over several studies rather than one year's position.