Occupation salary profile

Insurance Underwriters

SOC 13-2053 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.

National median · BLS
$81,370
▲ +1.87% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$90,000
▼ -13.46% YoY · 49 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$93,700
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
105,420
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Insurance Underwriters

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 49 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$55,530$61,421
25th$64,620$74,643
Median (50th)$81,370$90,000
75th$110,390$127,000
90th — top pay$145,160$157,560
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $90,000 for Insurance Underwriters — 10.6% above the BLS national median of $81,370.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Insurance Underwriters

BLS projects employment of insurance underwriters to decline 3.8% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 6,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
125,600 → 120,800
-4,800 jobs
Projected change
-3.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
6,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $90,000
Change vs prior year -13.46%
After inflation (CPI-U) -16.09%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 16 32.7% $59,799 $63,388 $71,117
Level II 10 20.4% $80,260 $84,520 $89,584
Level IV 20 40.8% $111,815 $129,500 $158,025
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Insurance Underwriters

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Writing3.8
  • Speaking3.6
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.5
  • Active Learning3.1
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
  • Coordination3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • English Language4.0
  • Customer and Personal Service3.9
  • Mathematics3.3
  • Sales and Marketing3.2
  • Administrative2.9
  • Economics and Accounting2.7
  • Law and Government2.7
  • Computers and Electronics2.7
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointC++Microsoft AccessMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordAnodas Software Limited PhoenixConsilience Software Maven Insurance Automation SuiteCSC nbAcceleratorDatabase softwareDelphi TechnologyFair Isaac Enterprise Decision Management for InsuranceFannie Mae Desktop UnderwriterFiserv Advanced UnderwritingIBM FileNet Content ManagerLabOne NET

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What 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.
  • 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.
Also called
Account UnderwriterLife UnderwriterPersonal Lines UnderwriterUnderwriterAutomobile and Property UnderwriterCommercial Lines UnderwriterHealth UnderwriterUnderwriting Consultant
More job titles for this occupation (30)
Account Manager UnderwriterBond UnderwriterCasualty UnderwriterCommercial Credit UnderwriterCommercial Insurance UnderwriterCommercial UnderwriterCredit UnderwriterDirect Endorsement Underwriter (DE Underwriter)Excess Casualty UnderwriterField UnderwriterGroup Underwriting ConsultantInland Marine UnderwriterInsurance AnalystInsurance UnderwriterInsurance WriterManagement Liability UnderwriterMarine UnderwriterMiddle Market UnderwriterProduction UnderwriterProfessional Liability UnderwriterProperty UnderwriterStop Loss UnderwriterSurety UnderwriterUnderwriting Account RepresentativeUnderwriting AnalystUnderwriting AssociateUnderwriting ExecutiveUnderwriting Service RepresentativeUnderwriting SpecialistWholesale Underwriter

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.