Insurance Underwriters Salary
Business and Financial Operations Occupations · 105K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$81,370
Median hourly
$39
Average annual
$93,700
Typical range
$55,530–$145,160
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Insurance Underwriters is $81,370 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $39 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications..
Most earn between $55,530 and $145,160 a year. There are roughly 105K people employed as insurance underwriters in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Insurance Underwriters.
- Hourly
- $39.12
- Daily
- $313
- Weekly
- $1,565
- Bi-weekly
- $3,130
- Monthly
- $6,781
- Annual
- $81,370
$81,370 a year is around the 50th percentile for Insurance Underwriterss. The median is $81,370.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Massachusetts$106,640
- 2New Hampshire$103,940
- 3Nevada$101,440
- 4Connecticut$100,690
- 5Colorado$100,640
- 6Washington$99,400
- 7New York$97,450
- 8Wisconsin$97,370
- 9New Jersey$96,220
- 10Maine$95,510
- 11California$95,320
- 12Maryland$92,120
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Springfield, MA$115,420
- 2Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$114,980
- 3Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI$106,570
- 4Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$106,170
- 5Chattanooga, TN-GA$102,460
- 6Waterbury-Shelton, CT$102,030
- 7Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$101,840
- 8Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV$101,300
- 9Lexington-Fayette, KY$100,990
- 10Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT$100,690
- 11Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$100,130
- 12Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$99,840
Related job titles
Employers advertise Insurance Underwriters roles under these titles.
- Account Manager Underwriter
- Account Underwriter
- Automobile and Property Underwriter
- Bond Underwriter
- Casualty Underwriter
- Commercial Credit Underwriter
- Commercial Insurance Underwriter
- Commercial Lines Underwriter
- Commercial Underwriter
- Direct Endorsement Underwriter (DE Underwriter)
- Field Underwriter
- Health Underwriter
- Insurance Underwriter
- Insurance Writer
- Life Underwriter
- Management Liability Underwriter
Related occupations
What a Insurance Underwriters does
- 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.
- Decrease value of policy when risk is substandard and specify applicable endorsements or apply rating to ensure safe, profitable distribution of risks, using reference materials.
- Authorize reinsurance of policy when risk is high.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Insurance Underwriters make?
- The median annual wage for Insurance Underwriters is $81,370 ($39 per hour). Pay ranges from about $55,530 at the 10th percentile to $145,160 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Insurance Underwriters?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $93,700, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Insurance Underwriterss the most?
- Massachusetts has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $106,640.
- Is Insurance Underwriters a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 105K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Insurance Underwriters do?
- 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..