EXCAVATION INSURANCE GROUP
How Much Does Workers’ Comp Cost for Excavation Crews?
Excavation Insurance Group breaks down real per-employee workers' comp costs for excavation crews across states, from $157/month in Indiana to $701/month in New York.
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Quick answer: Excavation Insurance Group on this: Workers’ comp for excavation crews typically runs $157 to $701 per month per employee depending on the state, according to MoneyGeek’s 2026 excavation insurance cost analysis. Indiana sits at the low end at $157/month, New York at the high end at $701/month, and Texas (where coverage is optional for most private employers) averages $194/month for contractors who carry it anyway.
WHY THE RANGE IS SO WIDE
Workers’ comp is priced state by state, and the states themselves set the benefit levels, medical cost environment, and rating rules that drive premium. A state with higher medical costs, more generous statutory benefits, or a heavier litigation load will simply price higher across the board, independent of anything about your specific crew. Layer on your classification code (excavation carries a higher-risk code than most trades) and your experience mod, and two contractors doing the same work in the same state can still land on noticeably different premiums based on claims history alone.
WHAT ACTUALLY MOVES YOUR NUMBER
Four things set your final per-employee cost: the state you’re operating in, your classification code (and whether payroll is split correctly across duties), your experience mod, and your total payroll, since premium scales with payroll dollars, not headcount alone. A contractor with a clean claims history and correctly coded payroll will consistently land toward the lower end of their state’s range, while a contractor with recent claims and payroll defaulted to the highest applicable code will land toward the top.
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Related: What’s an Experience Mod and Why Does It Matter? · How Do I Lower My Workers’ Comp Premium Over Time?
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