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Claims Adjuster

$76,790
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Investigate insurance claims, inspect damage, and decide how much a company should pay.

Where you work

Offices, plus field visits to homes and vehicles.

The hours

Full-time, with travel and occasional surge hours

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$76,790
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~21,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-5%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
356,100
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

License or certification

Most states require a license to adjust claims, earned by exam.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

InvestigationNegotiationReport writingAttention to detail

The honest take

Solid pay you can reach from high school, though automation is thinning the field.

Standard Occupational Classification 13-1031. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.