Insurance Underwriters: salary, outlook & degrees
Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.
Middle half $64,620–$110,390. 105,420 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
78% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $76,987.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 6,800 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | 12% | Finance · Insurance |
| Business Management And Administration | 8% | Business Administration |
| General Business | 7% | Business |
| Psychology | 7% | Psychology |
| Economics | 6% | Economics |
| Communications | 5% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Marketing And Marketing Research | 5% | Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations |
| Mathematics | 3% | Mathematics |
| Political Science And Government | 3% | Political Science |
| Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure | 3% | Kinesiology / Exercise Science · Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $106,640 |
| New Hampshire | $103,940 |
| Nevada | $101,440 |
| Connecticut | $100,690 |
| Colorado | $100,640 |
| Washington | $99,400 |
| New York | $97,450 |
| Wisconsin | $97,370 |
| New Jersey | $96,220 |
| Maine | $95,510 |
| California | $95,320 |
| Maryland | $92,120 |
| Illinois | $89,620 |
| Georgia | $85,980 |
| Rhode Island | $84,720 |
| South Dakota | $83,130 |
| Arkansas | $82,130 |
| District of Columbia | $82,070 |
| Virginia | $81,870 |
| Alaska | $81,620 |
| Minnesota | $80,700 |
| Missouri | $80,040 |
| Kentucky | $79,830 |
| South Carolina | $79,570 |
| Ohio | $79,260 |
| Oregon | $79,200 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,950 |
| Texas | $78,890 |
| Tennessee | $78,840 |
| Florida | $78,720 |
| Vermont | $77,990 |
| Arizona | $77,740 |
| Indiana | $77,440 |
| Michigan | $77,380 |
| North Carolina | $77,120 |
| Kansas | $77,070 |
| Louisiana | $76,540 |
| Iowa | $75,160 |
| Nebraska | $75,120 |
| North Dakota | $74,130 |
| Hawaii | $73,260 |
| Utah | $72,730 |
| Oklahoma | $66,770 |
| New Mexico | $64,000 |
| Montana | $63,140 |
| Idaho | $62,530 |
| Wyoming | $62,290 |
| Alabama | $62,220 |
| Mississippi | $59,250 |
| PR | $46,990 |
Florida metro areas
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$78,350
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$79,460
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$74,700
- Jacksonville$81,220
- Tallahassee$62,470
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$77,360
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$79,060
- Gainesville$64,270
Virginia metro areas
- Richmond$81,400
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$90,990
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$77,980
- Roanoke$66,670
- Charlottesville$81,580
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$97,870
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$84,520
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$91,340
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$98,210
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$79,590
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$83,240
- Fresno$95,880
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$95,830
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
Knowledge used
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Sales and Marketing
- Administrative
Work styles
- Cautiousness
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Achievement Orientation
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Enterprising (leading), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Insurance Underwriters: questions
How much do insurance Underwriters make?
Insurance Underwriters earn a U.S. median $81,370 a year; the middle half earn $64,620 to $110,390 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $72,618 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is insurance Underwriters a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 3.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,800 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an insurance Underwriter?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 73% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is finance (12%).
How much do insurance Underwriters make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $78,720 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $81,370 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 13-2053. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Insurance Underwriters: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/insurance-underwriters.