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Role hub · Insurance Underwriters

Underwriter: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of underwriters earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$81,370
Hourly
$39.12
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Underwriters review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications. The median pay is $81,370 a year ($39.12 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (70% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$81,370
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
105,420
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
70% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Insurance Underwriters (O*NET-SOC 13-2053.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

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Every page for Underwriters

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The work

What underwriters do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.
  2. Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.
  3. Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.
  4. Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.
  5. 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.
  6. Authorize reinsurance of policy when risk is high.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreWritingcoreCritical ThinkingSpeakingJudgment and Decision MakingComplex Problem SolvingActive LearningSocial Perceptiveness

Knowledge areas: English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Sales and Marketing.

Tools and technology

Software underwriters use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Delphi TechnologyFinancial analysis software
  • Fannie Mae Desktop UnderwriterFinancial analysis software
  • Fiserv Advanced UnderwritingFinancial analysis software
  • LabOne NETFinancial analysis software
  • LexisNexisInformation retrieval or search software
  • NIIT Technologies WinRiskFinancial analysis software
  • RGA AURAFinancial analysis software
  • RGA Facultative Application ConsoleFinancial analysis software
  • Valen Technologies Risk ManagerFinancial analysis software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareIn demand

Also called: Insurance Underwriter, Account Underwriter, Automobile and Property Underwriter, Commercial Lines Underwriter, Health Underwriter, Life Underwriter, Personal Lines Underwriter.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).