How much does an Insurance Underwriter make?
An Insurance Underwriter earns a median annual salary of $81,370 in the United States, which works out to roughly $39.12 per hour for full-time work. Most Insurance Underwriters earn between $55,530 at the entry level and $145,160 at the senior end, with the middle 50% taking home between $64,620 and $110,390 a year.
That is $19,980 more than the median across all occupations in BLS data ($61,390).
Insurance Underwriter salary range by percentile
Half of all Insurance Underwriters earn between $64,620 and $110,390 a year.
| Pay level | Annual salary | Hourly rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $55,530 | $26.70 | |
| 25th percentile (early career) | $64,620 | $31.07 | |
| 50th percentile (median) | $81,370 | $39.12 | |
| 75th percentile (experienced) | $110,390 | $53.07 | |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $145,160 | $69.79 |
Highest-paying states for Insurance Underwriter
Where you work matters more than almost anything else. Massachusetts leads the country for Insurance Underwriter pay at $106,640 a year, followed by New Hampshire ($103,940) and Nevada ($101,440). At the other end, Mississippi posts the lowest median at $59,250 — a gap of $47,390 for the same job, driven by local demand, industry mix, and cost of living.
| # | State | Median salary | Hourly | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $106,640 | $51.27 | +31% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $103,940 | $49.97 | +28% |
| 3 | Nevada | $101,440 | $48.77 | +25% |
| 4 | Connecticut | $100,690 | $48.41 | +24% |
| 5 | Colorado | $100,640 | $48.38 | +24% |
Insurance Underwriter salary in every state
Official BLS state-level figures across 49 states and territories. Click a state for the full local breakdown.
Workforce and education
About 105,000 people work as Insurance Underwriters in the United States. The mean (average) wage is $93,700 — above the median, which means high earners pull the average up. On qualifications: a bachelor's degree (about 4 years of college) is the standard entry requirement, per O*NET occupation data.
Frequently asked questions
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