Insurance Underwriters

Median salary

$81,370

Average salary

$93,700

Employment

105,420

Projected growth

2.6% decline

Annual openings

8,200

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Insurance Underwriters Do

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

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

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.

English Languageimportance 4.0/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
Sales and Marketingimportance 3.2/5
Administrativeimportance 2.9/5
Economics and Accountingimportance 2.7/5
Law and Governmentimportance 2.7/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

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

E-Mail5.0/5
Spend Time Sitting4.9/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.6/5
Time Pressure4.6/5
Contact With Others4.5/5

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.

Geographers98% skill match
Political Scientists98% skill match
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists98% skill match
Epidemiologists97% skill match
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers97% skill match
Loan Officers97% skill match
Public Relations Specialists97% skill match
Sociologists97% 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 3.5/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
Negotiationimportance 2.8/5

Software & Technologies

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

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Anodas Software Limited Phoenix
CSC nbAccelerator
Consilience Software Maven Insurance Automation Suite
Database software
Delphi Technology
Fair Isaac Enterprise Decision Management for Insurance
Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriter
Fiserv Advanced Underwriting

Work Style

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

Cautiousness
Attention to Detail
Dependability
Integrity
Achievement Orientation
Self-Confidence
Intellectual Curiosity

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 insurance underwriters make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Columbia, MO3.72× national avg
2Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT3.51× national avg
3Lansing-East Lansing, MI3.28× national avg
4Utica-Rome, NY2.91× national avg
5Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA2.90× national avg

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.