Average term life premiums by age, this site's own calculator constants, and named, dated primary sources, with a downloadable dataset.
A healthy 30-year-old typically pays $23 to $29 a month for a 20-year, $500,000 term life policy in 2026, per rate data published by Policygenius (October 1, 2024) and Guardian Life (April 14, 2026). By age 50 the same policy costs $76 to $102 a month, and by age 60 it runs $194 to $298 a month. This site's own calculator, built on separate published constants, prices $1,000,000 of coverage at $45 to $70 a month for a healthy 30-year-old.
Term life premiums are not set by one national rate card. Each insurer prices age, health class, coverage amount, and term length independently, so a published "average" is really a blend of many carriers' quotes at one moment. This reference combines three named, dated rate surveys with this site's own calculator constants so every figure below can be checked against where it came from.
The table below shows 20-year term, $500,000 coverage, non-smoker, preferred health class, sourced from three separate rate surveys. The ranges differ slightly because each source samples a different mix of carriers and pulls rates on a different date, which is itself useful: it shows the real spread a shopper should expect to see across quotes.
| Age | Policygenius (male / female) | Guardian Life (male / female) | NerdWallet (male / female) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | $29 / $23 | $28.00 / $23.50 | $17.75 / $15.25 |
| 40 | $43 / $35 | $34.50 / $35.27 | $26.75 / $23.17 |
| 50 | $102 / $78 | $76.50 / $78.30 | $67.50 / $53.00 |
| 60 | $268 / $194 | $298.50 / $216.00 | $194.25 / $136.67 |
Monthly premiums in US dollars, 20-year term, $500,000 face amount, non-smoker preferred health class. NerdWallet figures are annual rates from LifeStein.com converted to monthly by dividing by 12.
Download the full dataset (CSV)
The tables above are third-party survey data. This site's own coverage calculator on the homepage uses a separate, simpler constant: it prices $1,000,000 of term coverage at $45 to $70 a month for a healthy applicant, then scales that figure linearly with the coverage amount chosen. Reading directly from the calculator's published code:
| Coverage amount | This site's model, monthly |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $11 - $18 |
| $500,000 | $23 - $35 |
| $1,000,000 | $45 - $70 |
| $2,000,000 | $90 - $140 |
That $45-to-$70-per-$1M constant lines up with the $500,000 age-30 row in the survey table above (roughly $23 to $29 a month, which is about half of $45 to $70), so the site's flat multiplier and the age-30 survey rates agree at the age the calculator is built around. The calculator does not vary its output by age; use the age table above to see how much the premium rises for an older applicant.
51% of American adults report owning some life insurance coverage, according to the 2025 Insurance Barometer Study from LIMRA and Life Happens. Ownership splits unevenly: 54% of men report coverage versus 48% of women, and ownership is lowest among Gen Z adults (42%) and Hispanic adults (40%). Separately, 40% of insured and uninsured adults combined say their household would be financially insecure within six months if the primary earner died, which is the coverage gap this site's calculators are built to help close.
Every figure above traces to one of four places, named and dated so each can be checked independently:
One deliberate omission: none of the three rate surveys publish a uniform methodology across every age and gender cell, so small inconsistencies between sources (for example, Guardian's age-40 female rate running slightly above its male rate, against the more typical pattern of women paying less) are left in the table as published rather than smoothed over. Read each row as what that specific source reported on the date shown, not as a single settled number.
A healthy 30-year-old typically pays $23 to $29 a month for a 20-year, $500,000 term policy in 2026. By age 50 the same policy runs about $76 to $102 a month, and by age 60 about $194 to $298 a month, per rate data published by Policygenius and Guardian Life.
The calculator on this site's homepage prices $1,000,000 of term coverage at $45 to $70 a month for a healthy 30-year-old, scaling linearly with the coverage amount. That constant is read directly from the calculator's own published code.
51% of American adults report owning some life insurance coverage, per the 2025 Insurance Barometer Study from LIMRA and Life Happens. Ownership is higher among men (54%) than women (48%), and lowest among Gen Z (42%) and Hispanic adults (40%).
Life Insurance Calculators, "2026 Term Life Insurance Cost Reference," 2026, https://lifeinsurancecalculators.org/term-life-insurance-cost-2026/
Estimates are for general information only and are not insurance or financial advice. Rates vary by carrier, health class, and state. Consult a licensed insurance agent for a binding quote. Last updated 2026-07-02.
Naomi spent seven years underwriting group health plans before she moved to writing about coverage for readers instead of actuaries. She reads the quote assumptions most people skip and flags where a published rate and a real applicant's price tend to part ways.