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How Much Does an Insurance Underwriter Make?

An insurance underwriter in the US earns a median salary of $81,370 a year, or $39.12 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The average is $93,700, and the middle half earn between $64,620 and $110,390.

Median a year $81,370
Median an hour $39.12
Median a month $6,781
Average a year $93,700

Insurance underwriter pay range

What insurance underwriters earn at each point of the pay scale. The 10th percentile is a rough guide to starting pay.

Percentile A year An hour
10th (lowest 10%) $55,530 $26.70
25th $64,620 $31.07
Median (50th) $81,370 $39.12
75th $110,390 $53.07
90th (top 10%) $145,160 $69.79

The median is 60% more than the $50,980 median for all US jobs. About 105,420 people work as insurance underwriters in the US.

After tax and by period

A week
$1,565
Every two weeks
$3,130
Twice a month
$3,390
A month
$6,781

At the median salary, before tax.

Insurance underwriter salary by state

Sorted by average pay. Massachusetts pays insurance underwriters the most, at $114,510 a year on average.

State Average Median Jobs After tax
Massachusetts $114,510 $106,640 2,890 After tax
Colorado $111,330 $100,640 2,040 After tax
New York $110,210 $97,450 6,900 After tax
New Hampshire $109,760 $103,940 270 After tax
Washington $108,920 $99,400 1,740 After tax
District of Columbia $108,350 $82,070 – After tax
Connecticut $106,140 $100,690 2,010 After tax
Nevada $103,000 $101,440 480 After tax
California $102,850 $95,320 6,580 After tax
Georgia $100,720 $85,980 7,160 After tax
New Jersey $99,990 $96,220 3,150 After tax
South Dakota $99,910 $83,130 210 After tax
Illinois $99,120 $89,620 – After tax
Maryland $96,540 $92,120 1,310 After tax
Minnesota $95,750 $80,700 2,550 After tax
Kansas $95,660 $77,070 1,230 After tax
Wisconsin $95,410 $97,370 3,110 After tax
Maine $94,640 $95,510 520 After tax
Virginia $92,270 $81,870 2,470 After tax
Rhode Island $91,620 $84,720 250 After tax
Pennsylvania $90,490 $78,950 5,160 After tax
Florida $89,040 $78,720 7,300 After tax
Texas $88,790 $78,890 9,980 After tax
Oregon $87,660 $79,200 570 After tax
South Carolina $87,610 $79,570 910 After tax
Kentucky $87,430 $79,830 900 After tax
Ohio $86,900 $79,260 5,110 After tax
Arkansas $86,390 $82,130 290 After tax
Arizona $85,770 $77,740 3,360 After tax
Missouri $84,070 $80,040 2,130 After tax
North Carolina $83,920 $77,120 3,460 After tax
Iowa $83,220 $75,160 1,490 After tax
Tennessee $82,570 $78,840 1,250 After tax
Michigan $81,620 $77,380 2,590 After tax
Louisiana $81,450 $76,540 1,050 After tax
Vermont $81,310 $77,990 210 After tax
North Dakota $78,330 $74,130 210 After tax
Indiana $78,280 $77,440 2,170 After tax
Idaho $77,420 $62,530 360 After tax
Montana $76,970 $63,140 140 After tax
Nebraska $76,900 $75,120 1,410 After tax
Alaska $76,560 $81,620 100 After tax
Alabama $76,480 $62,220 1,540 After tax
Utah $76,430 $72,730 490 After tax
Hawaii $76,090 $73,260 230 After tax
Oklahoma $72,490 $66,770 600 After tax
New Mexico $71,970 $64,000 100 After tax
Wyoming $67,760 $62,290 50 After tax
Mississippi $63,890 $59,250 600 After tax
Puerto Rico $48,510 $46,990 870

A dash means BLS did not publish that figure for the state.

Other business and financial jobs

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published 2026), for “Insurance Underwriters” (SOC 13-2053). Wages are before tax and leave out self-employed workers. All job salaries

About the Job Salaries

Job Salaries shows what more than 500 US jobs pay, from nurses and electricians to software developers and truck drivers. Each job has its median and average salary, hourly and monthly pay, the pay range from the lowest-paid 10% to the top 10%, and a table of pay in every state. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, the largest survey of US pay, in its latest release.

How to use it

  1. 1 Search for a job or pick one from the list.
  2. 2 Read the median salary, hourly pay and the pay range.
  3. 3 Check the salary by state to see where the job pays most.
  4. 4 Open the take-home pay calculator to see the salary after tax.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an insurance underwriter make an hour?

The median hourly wage for an insurance underwriter is $39.12, and the average is $45.05. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $26.70 an hour and the top 10% over $69.79.

How much does an insurance underwriter make a month?

At the median salary of $81,370, an insurance underwriter earns about $6,781 a month before tax, or $3,130 every two weeks.

Which state pays insurance underwriters the most?

Massachusetts has the highest average pay for an insurance underwriter, at $114,510 a year. Next are Colorado and New York. Pay is usually higher where living costs are higher, so compare take-home pay too.

What is the starting salary for an insurance underwriter?

The lowest-paid 10% of insurance underwriters earn less than $55,530 a year, and the lowest 25% less than $64,620. That is a fair guide to starting pay, which depends on the state, the employer and your experience.

How much do the highest-paid insurance underwriters make?

The top 10% earn more than $145,160 a year, and the top 25% more than $110,390.