Careers / Insurance Underwriters

Insurance Underwriters — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$81,370

United States, 2025

Employment

105,420

United States, 2025

Typical education

Bachelor's Degree

Job Zone 4

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

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

O*NET code
13-2053.00
Job zone
4
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • 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.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$55,530
10th
$64,620
25th
$81,370
Median
$110,390
75th
$145,160
90th

10th percentile

$55,530

25th percentile

$64,620

75th percentile

$110,390

90th percentile

$145,160

Most important skills

  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Writing3.8
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Speaking3.6
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.5
  • Active Learning3.1
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
  • Social Perceptiveness3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Service Orientation3.0

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 12 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

12

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Active Listening3.84.0Not selected4.0
Critical Thinking3.83.9Not selected3.9
Writing3.83.8Not selected3.8
Reading Comprehension3.83.8Not selected3.8
Speaking3.63.6Not selected3.6
Judgment and Decision Making3.53.5Not selected3.5
Active Learning3.13.4Not selected3.4
Complex Problem Solving3.13.1Not selected3.1
Social Perceptiveness3.03.0Not selected3.0
Monitoring3.03.0Not selected3.0
Service Orientation3.03.0Not selected3.0
Coordination3.02.9Not selected2.9

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Springfield, MA$115,4201302025
Bridgeport, CT$114,9801602025
MA$106,6402,8902025
Milwaukee, WI$106,5709502025
Boston, MA$106,1702,0802025
NH$103,9402702025
Chattanooga, TN$102,4601102025
Waterbury, CT$102,030502025
Denver, CO$101,8401,5402025
NV$101,4404802025
Las Vegas, NV$101,3004002025
Lexington, KY$100,9902902025
CT$100,6902,0102025
Hartford, CT$100,6901,4302025
CO$100,6402,0402025
Seattle, WA$100,1301,2102025
Chicago, IL$99,8404,0602025
WA$99,4001,7402025
New York, NY$98,4106,7402025
San Diego, CA$98,2105202025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Insurance Underwriters to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.