$ PaycheckDecoded

Insurance Underwriter Salary

Insurance Underwriters earn a median $81,370 a year nationally. Business and Financial Operations Occupations

U.S. median
$81,370
$39.12 per hour
Range
$55,530 – $145,160
10th to 90th percentile
Employed
105,420
across the U.S.

Insurance Underwriter take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Insurance Underwriter
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$66,074
per year · effective tax rate 18.8%
$5,506Monthly
$2,753Twice a month
$2,541Every 2 weeks
$31.77Hourly
  • Federal income tax$9,071
  • Social Security (6.2%)$5,045
  • Medicare (1.45%)$1,180
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$66,074

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)$55,530$26.70$46,798
25th percentile$64,620$31.07$54,102
Median (50th)$81,370$39.12$66,074
75th percentile$110,390$53.07$86,489
90th percentile (top earners)$145,160$69.79$110,483

Best cities for insurance underwriters (after tax & cost of living)

#Metro areaMedianTake-homeReal value*Jobs
1Milwaukee, WI$106,570$79,534$82,047950
2Madison, WI$95,130$72,093$74,103480
3Hartford, CT$100,690$75,702$73,6791,430
4Denver, CO$101,840$76,702$72,5091,540
5Boston, MA$106,170$78,432$72,4442,080
6Chicago, IL$99,840$74,270$71,6934,060
7Atlanta, GA$95,430$71,635$71,5935,090
8Seattle, WA$100,130$79,271$71,3301,210
9Kansas City, MO$84,800$65,439$70,711970
10Cincinnati, OH$82,110$65,119$68,2801,690
11Des Moines, IA$79,230$62,209$67,839790
12Baltimore, MD$93,510$70,536$67,507770
13Nashville, TN$79,870$65,019$67,490620
14St. Louis, MO$82,270$63,778$67,072990
15Cleveland, OH$78,610$62,753$66,813640
16Jacksonville, FL$81,220$65,968$66,310530
17Columbus, OH$79,370$63,266$66,2691,170
18San Antonio, TX$75,750$62,120$65,5861,070
19New York, NY$98,410$73,295$65,1156,740
20Indianapolis, IN$79,280$62,294$65,0961,150
21Pittsburgh, PA$77,760$61,147$64,589500
22Houston, TX$77,770$63,541$64,4241,520
23Charlotte, NC$80,080$62,480$64,1821,140
24San Diego, CA$98,210$71,740$64,118520
25Philadelphia, PA$84,580$65,735$64,0982,590

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

Insurance Underwriter salary by state

StateMedianTake-homeRangeJobs
Massachusetts $106,640$78,739 $70,590 – $167,5902,890
New Hampshire $103,940$81,952 $70,490 – $165,380270
Nevada $101,440$80,193 $60,780 – $157,470480
Connecticut $100,690$75,702 $66,450 – $158,8902,010
Colorado $100,640$75,910 $67,390 – $167,6802,040
Washington $99,400$78,758 $64,130 – $164,7301,740
New York $97,450$72,677 $65,160 – $168,7906,900
Wisconsin $97,370$73,550 $61,410 – $134,0903,110
New Jersey $96,220$72,582 $66,290 – $144,2303,150
Maine $95,510$70,688 $62,730 – $133,390520
California $95,320$70,013 $65,070 – $162,6406,580
Maryland $92,120$69,624 $59,520 – $152,6901,310
Illinois $89,620$67,586 $59,730 – $161,410—
Georgia $85,980$65,477 $61,160 – $165,9107,160
Rhode Island $84,720$65,870 $50,240 – $138,930250
South Dakota $83,130$67,312 $58,980 – $152,720210
Arkansas $82,130$63,618 $41,450 – $158,530290
District of Columbia $82,070$62,559 $64,800 – $173,060—
Virginia $81,870$62,532 $61,940 – $130,1202,470
Alaska $81,620$66,250 $47,120 – $106,990100
Minnesota $80,700$61,638 $60,350 – $138,7102,550
Missouri $80,040$62,314 $56,720 – $124,2502,130
Kentucky $79,830$62,314 $46,550 – $138,670900
South Carolina $79,570$61,190 $51,020 – $134,950910
Ohio $79,260$63,192 $52,080 – $128,3205,110
Oregon $79,200$58,447 $61,620 – $124,760570
Pennsylvania $78,950$61,948 $50,310 – $135,6005,160
Texas $78,890$64,329 $51,440 – $135,4109,980
Tennessee $78,840$64,294 $50,200 – $123,1501,250
Florida $78,720$64,210 $49,880 – $134,8507,300
Vermont $77,990$61,009 $62,100 – $101,440210
Arizona $77,740$61,785 $57,770 – $127,4503,360
Indiana $77,440$61,054 $48,160 – $104,5802,170
Michigan $77,380$60,229 $50,960 – $123,4402,590
North Carolina $77,120$60,516 $48,560 – $129,9803,460
Kansas $77,070$59,548 $49,900 – $162,2101,230
Louisiana $76,540$60,766 $46,540 – $126,1901,050
Iowa $75,160$59,501 $51,800 – $128,0801,490
Nebraska $75,120$59,139 $49,150 – $105,7601,410
North Dakota $74,130$60,794 $54,790 – $99,490210
Hawaii $73,260$56,331 $46,470 – $105,970230
Utah $72,730$57,689 $40,780 – $119,990490
Oklahoma $66,770$53,344 $45,280 – $107,900600
New Mexico $64,000$51,762 $47,170 – $106,680100
Montana $63,140$50,702 $50,280 – $130,880140
Idaho $62,530$50,217 $47,680 – $120,890360
Wyoming $62,290$52,230 $47,520 – $104,89050
Alabama $62,220$49,328 $43,540 – $129,6001,540
Mississippi $59,250$48,149 $38,520 – $100,710600

Frequently asked questions

How much does a insurance underwriter make?

The national median salary for insurance underwriters is $81,370 a year ($39.12 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $55,530 and the top 10% earn over $145,160. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays insurance underwriters the most?

Massachusetts has the highest median pay at $106,640. After taxes and local prices, Milwaukee, WI offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many insurance underwriters are there in the U.S.?

About 105,420 people work as insurance underwriters nationwide.

All 43 cities