Insurance Underwriters
SOC 13-2053 · 2024-2034
Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
Shrinking -6%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $96,919per year
- Projected openings
- 4,030
- Projected change
- -6%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $99,134 | 540 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $96,403 | 280 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $95,839 | 330 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $86,525 | 400 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $85,578 | 450 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $83,928 | 910 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $81,473 | 180 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $78,397 | 50 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | Not reported | 20 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $66,162
- A quarter earn under
- $78,668
- Half earn under
- $96,919
- Three quarters earn under
- $126,751
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $165,369
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Risk Specialists | $131,276 | 4,780 | +6.7% |
| Loan Officers | $83,142 | 16,320 | -2.6% |
| Credit Analysts | $99,502 | 2,580 | -9.4% |
| Insurance Sales Agents | $76,814 | 37,500 | +0.6% |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $93,330 | 14,440 | -7.7% |
| Personal Financial Advisors | $132,516 | 28,210 | +9.4% |