Insurance Underwriters
Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.
What it pays
Insurance Underwriters earn a median of $39.12/hr — about $81,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $26.70/hr; the top 10% earn $69.79/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Insurance Underwriters earn a median of $39.12/hr — about $81,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $26.70/hr; the top 10% earn $69.79/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of insurance underwriters are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, take-charge and analytical.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Financial Specialists, All Other
- Compliance Officers
- Logisticians
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other
- Credit Analysts
- Accountants and Auditors
Quick questions
- How much does a insurance underwriter make?
- The median pay is $39.12 per hour — roughly $81,500 a year, with the real range running from about $26.70/hr (10th percentile) to $69.79/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a insurance underwriter?
- The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a insurance underwriter actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.