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Insurance Agent

$62,280
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Sell insurance policies, explain coverage options, and help clients file and manage claims.

Where you work

Offices, client visits, or remote; steady contact with people.

The hours

Full-time; evenings and weekends to meet clients.

By the numbers

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

Median pay
$62,280
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~47,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+4%
About average
Working in the U.S.
coming soon

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: State license — companies train new agents.

License or certification

Requires a state license, earned by exam, for each line of insurance sold.

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

Sales abilityCommunicationSelf-motivationCustomer service

The honest take

Commission work with a real earn-while-you-learn setup.

Standard Occupational Classification 41-3021. 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.