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Insurance Underwriter

$81,370
median / year
$55,530 – $145,160
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Evaluate insurance applications, decide what to cover, and set the price of each policy.

You may also see this posted as: Account Underwriter, Life Underwriter, Personal Lines Underwriter, Underwriter, Automobile and Property Underwriter, Commercial Lines Underwriter.

Where you work

Insurance company offices.

The hours

Regular full-time weekday schedule

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.
  • Decline excessive risks.
  • Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.
  • Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.
  • Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.

Good fit if you like…

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

CautiousnessAttention to DetailDependabilityIntegrity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointC++Microsoft Access

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$81,370
per year
Hourly median
$39.12
per hour
What most earn
$55,530–$145,160
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~8,200
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-2.6%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
105,420
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.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Risk analysisUnderwriting softwareJudgmentAttention to detail

The honest take

Declining as software handles routine decisions, but complex risks still need human judgment.

Standard Occupational Classification 13-2053. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.