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Insurance Underwriters

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

Median pay
$81,370

a year

Doing it now
125,600

across the country

By 2035
Down 3.8%

6,800 openings a year

Usually needs
Bachelor's degree

to get in

What the work involves

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.
  • Authorize reinsurance of policy when risk is high.
  • Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.

What to study

The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.

Who it suits

O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.

  • Organised and precise

  • Leading and persuading

  • Analytical and curious

Answer 24 questions and see whether this is a fit for you

Careers like this one

Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $81,370 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.