Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators

Median salary

$78,000

Average salary

$80,470

Employment

324,230

Projected growth

5.1% decline

Annual openings

21,100

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators Do

Review settled claims to determine that payments and settlements are made in accordance with company practices and procedures. Confer with legal counsel on claims requiring litigation. May also settle insurance claims.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 2.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.7/5
English Languageimportance 4.4/5
Administrativeimportance 3.8/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.4/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.1/5
Economics and Accountingimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Telephone Conversations5.0/5
E-Mail5.0/5
Written Letters and Memos4.9/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.9/5
Contact With Others4.7/5
Spend Time Sitting4.6/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Accountants and Auditors98% skill match
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents96% skill match
Neurologists96% skill match
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants96% skill match
Dermatologists96% skill match
Music Directors and Composers96% skill match
Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents95% skill match
Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.5/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
Coordinationimportance 3.3/5
Negotiationimportance 3.1/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Xactware Xactimate

Other Software Used

4n6xprt Systems StiffCalcs
ADP software
ARSoftware WinSMAC
Agency Management Systems AMS 360
AutoClaims Direct DirectLink
Automatic Data Processing Autosource
Automatic Data Processing Claims Manager & Dispatch
Automatic Data Processing Estimating

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Integrity
Cautiousness
Perseverance
Stress Tolerance
Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
EnterprisingMedium
InvestigativeMedium
SocialLow
RealisticLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).