Postretirement Benefits - Employee Savings Plan (Details) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Employee savings plan
Employer matching contribution paid to the plan	$ 15.8	$ 14.9	$ 13.9
Employer discretionary contribution amount			$ 5.4
Class A common stock held by plan participants (in shares)	0.2	0.2
100% employer matching contribution
Employee savings plan
Percentage of employer matching contribution of employee contributions	100.00%
100% employer matching contribution | Maximum
Employee savings plan
Percentage of eligible employee compensation, matched by employer	3.00%
50% employer matching contribution
Employee savings plan
Percentage of employer matching contribution of employee contributions	50.00%
50% employer matching contribution | Maximum
Employee savings plan
Percentage of eligible employee compensation, matched by employer	5.00%
50% employer matching contribution | Minimum
Employee savings plan
Percentage of eligible employee compensation, matched by employer	3.00%
Erie Insurance Exchange (EIE)
Employee savings plan
Matching contributions reimbursed to Indemnity from the exchange and its subsidiaries	59.00%