How much do claims adjusters make?

Claims Adjuster salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators (SOC 13-1031) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Claims adjusters in the US earned a median of $78,000 a year ($37.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $61,160 to $98,030.

Median annual pay: $78,000; Mean $80,470
Median hourly pay: $37.50; Mean $38.69
Typical range (10th–90th): $48.9K–$117K; $48,850 to $117,040
US jobs: 324,230; −5.5% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a claims adjuster: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: District of Columbia

Claims Adjuster pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$48,850
25th percentile$61,160
Median$78,000
75th percentile$98,030
90th percentile$117,040

Half of all claims adjusters earned more than $78,000 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $48,850; the top 10% made over $117,040. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $61,160 to $98,030.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$48,850	$23.48	$4,071
25th	$61,160	$29.40	$5,097
Median (50th)	$78,000	$37.50	$6,500
75th	$98,030	$47.13	$8,169
90th	$117,040	$56.27	$9,753
Mean (average)	$80,470	$38.69	$6,706

Claims Adjuster salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for claims adjusters by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. District of Columbia $101,150
2. New Jersey $95,690
3. Maryland $95,560
4. California $91,790
5. Connecticut $88,330

Lowest-paying states

51. Nevada $62,730
50. Montana $63,860
49. Arizona $65,110
48. Louisiana $65,220
47. North Dakota $65,460

Best after cost of living: District of Columbia. Its median of $101,150 is worth about $92,037 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$79,710	14	$89,740	3	$38.32	4,040	1.91
Alaska	$87,670	6	$85,650	9	$42.15	220	0.69
Arizona	$65,110	49	$64,672	50	$31.30	13,830	4.27
Arkansas	$73,920	36	$85,027	11	$35.54	2,660	2.04
California	$91,790	4	$82,903	17	$44.13	24,290	1.33
Colorado	$77,620	23	$75,321	38	$37.32	5,680	1.98
Connecticut	$88,330	5	$85,252	10	$42.47	3,190	1.88
Delaware	$72,370	41	$72,509	46	$34.79	—	—
District of Columbia	$101,150	1	$92,037	1	$48.63	360	0.51
Florida	$76,920	29	$74,381	40	$36.98	28,100	2.83
Georgia	$73,320	39	$76,143	36	$35.25	—	—
Hawaii	$79,080	15	$71,923	47	$38.02	900	1.44
Idaho	$77,340	24	$80,989	24	$37.19	1,320	1.53
Illinois	$77,010	28	$77,042	35	$37.02	14,210	2.33
Indiana	$73,560	38	$78,818	34	$35.36	4,340	1.36
Iowa	$72,640	40	$82,769	18	$34.92	3,930	2.52
Kansas	$77,290	25	$85,813	7	$37.16	4,570	3.18
Kentucky	$73,840	37	$81,900	21	$35.50	3,670	1.83
Louisiana	$65,220	48	$73,940	41	$31.36	3,340	1.73
Maine	$78,590	19	$80,979	25	$37.79	1,650	2.57
Maryland	$95,560	3	$91,045	2	$45.94	—	—
Massachusetts	$83,740	11	$79,182	32	$40.26	5,070	1.39
Michigan	$78,850	17	$81,950	20	$37.91	6,640	1.51
Minnesota	$78,350	20	$79,446	30	$37.67	5,530	1.88
Mississippi	$77,100	27	$88,669	5	$37.07	—	—
Missouri	$75,840	31	$83,509	15	$36.46	6,200	2.11
Montana	$63,860	50	$67,473	49	$30.70	1,230	2.40
Nebraska	$75,830	32	$84,159	14	$36.46	3,160	3.08
Nevada	$62,730	51	$62,743	51	$30.16	—	—
New Hampshire	$83,890	10	$80,536	27	$40.33	880	1.29
New Jersey	$95,690	2	$87,946	6	$46.01	9,650	2.25
New Mexico	$67,930	45	$73,667	42	$32.66	1,280	1.47
New York	$87,130	7	$80,735	26	$41.89	17,330	1.79
North Carolina	$75,310	34	$79,840	29	$36.21	9,880	2.00
North Dakota	$65,460	47	$73,584	43	$31.47	750	1.75
Ohio	$67,990	44	$73,286	45	$32.69	13,650	2.46
Oklahoma	$71,260	42	$81,122	23	$34.26	4,140	2.43
Oregon	$81,640	12	$78,985	33	$39.25	2,950	1.50
Pennsylvania	$77,290	26	$79,213	31	$37.16	13,270	2.19
Rhode Island	$86,520	8	$84,591	13	$41.60	1,150	2.30
South Carolina	$75,370	33	$80,396	28	$36.24	4,130	1.79
South Dakota	$78,900	16	$89,066	4	$37.93	1,030	2.26
Tennessee	$78,010	22	$84,913	12	$37.50	6,390	1.95
Texas	$78,800	18	$81,189	22	$37.89	29,220	2.08
Utah	$69,000	43	$69,793	48	$33.18	2,440	1.40
Vermont	$83,970	9	$85,720	8	$40.37	280	0.92
Virginia	$74,240	35	$73,429	44	$35.69	7,860	1.91
Washington	$80,700	13	$75,411	37	$38.80	6,180	1.74
West Virginia	$67,290	46	$75,187	39	$32.35	1,340	1.92
Wisconsin	$78,160	21	$83,065	16	$37.58	8,760	2.98
Wyoming	$76,400	30	$82,424	19	$36.73	180	0.63

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for claims adjusters

302 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Merced, CA	$110,910	$112,857	40
Burlington-South Burlington, VT	$108,510	$107,490	70
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$105,340	$91,114	3,390
Boulder, CO	$103,080	$97,983	30
Salinas, CA	$101,900	$93,450	150
Barnstable Town, MA	$100,480	$102,165	40
Kingston, NY	$100,430	$99,723	30
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$99,660	$91,601	100
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$98,700	$94,462	4,280
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$98,230	$88,958	370

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	14,840	$95,980	$85,268
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	13,830	$75,770	$75,726
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	11,350	$64,370	$62,304
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	9,080	$78,640	$75,911
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	8,630	$82,890	$80,405
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	7,540	$89,070	$78,430
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	7,240	$77,990	$77,302
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	6,850	$81,560	$79,529
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	5,210	$78,730	$68,968
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	4,860	$81,830	$86,395

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves claims adjuster pay: employers and settings

Who you work for is one of the clearest pay factors. Federal government claims examiners have the highest median of any major employer group, $93,660 against $76,210 for private employers. Local government pays $81,250. Among private employers, insurance carriers pay a median of $77,780 and agencies, brokerages and claims firms $76,130. State government pays $74,440 and corporate headquarters (management of companies) $65,260.

The type of claims matters too. Adjusters who handle complex commercial, liability or large-loss property claims, or who carry higher settlement authority, earn more than those who handle routine auto claims. Independent catastrophe adjusters are often paid per claim or by the day on a fee schedule, so earnings swing with storm seasons and can be high in heavy years and thin in quiet ones. Designations such as the AIC can help with promotion.

Location adds to the spread. The District of Columbia has the highest median at $101,150, followed by New Jersey at $95,690, Maryland at $95,560, and California. Nevada ($62,730) and Montana are at the bottom. Overall, the 10th percentile is $48,850, and the 90th is $117,040, a spread driven by claim type, employer and location more than by years alone.

Where claims adjusters work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Insurance Carriers	40.8%	$77,780
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities	33.8%	$76,130
Federal Executive Branch	14.4%	$93,660
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	3.1%	$74,440
Management of Companies and Enterprises	2%	$65,260
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	0.8%	$81,250

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	264,400	$76,210
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	46,740	$93,660
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	10,170	$74,290
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	2,920	$81,250

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Claims Adjuster pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$78.0K $63.0K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $62,980 in 2015 to $78,000 in 2025, up 24% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $85,136 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 8% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What claims adjusters do

A claims adjuster decides what an insurance company owes when a policyholder files a claim. After a car crash, kitchen fire, hailstorm, workplace injury or theft, the insurance adjuster checks what the policy covers, gathers evidence, works out the value of the loss, and negotiates a settlement or explains a denial. Claims examiners do related work, usually inside the insurer: they review adjusters' files, approve larger payments and make sure settlements follow company rules and the law. Some examiners handle health, life or disability claims.

Many adjusters work from a desk, handling claims by phone, email, photos and estimating software. Field adjusters drive to homes, businesses and body shops to inspect damage, and independent adjusters travel to disaster areas after hurricanes, wildfires and floods, sometimes for weeks at a time. Adjusters work with policyholders, injured third parties, contractors, body shops, doctors, police, lawyers and fraud investigators. About 41% work for insurance carriers and a third for agencies, brokerages and claims-handling firms. Federal and state government agencies also employ claims examiners.

A typical day

Read the policy to see whether a loss is covered and what limits and deductibles apply
Call or meet the policyholder, witnesses and other parties to get their accounts
Inspect damaged cars, homes or businesses and write or review repair estimates
Go through police reports, medical bills and repair invoices
Set reserves: the amount the company expects the claim to cost
Negotiate settlements and issue payments within your authority limit
Flag claims that look fraudulent and refer them to special investigators

Also called: insurance adjuster, claims examiner, adjuster, claims analyst, claims representative, claims specialist, corporate claims examiner, field claims adjuster.

How to become a claims adjuster

Full guide

To become a claims adjuster, you typically need a high school diploma (some employers prefer a bachelor's degree), a state adjuster license in states that require one, which usually means passing a state exam or an approved prelicensing course, and on-the-job training on small claims. Many people are licensed and hired within a few months.

Typical time: 3 months to 1 year to be hired; 1 to 2 years to handle complex claims; Fastest: 1 to 3 months
Minimum education: High school diploma or equivalent; some employers prefer a bachelor's degree
License: Required in many states; requirements vary, some states let company adjusters work under the insurer's license, and public adjusters face separate rules
Typical training cost: $147–$43.3K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a claims adjuster: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 3 months to 1 year to be hired; 1 to 2 years to handle complex claims; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $147–$43.3K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $78,000; $27,020 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 0–56%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($27,020 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year to 1.6 years after training ends (3 months to 1 year to be hired; 1 to 2 years to handle complex claims in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for claims adjusters

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: −5.5%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 376,100; 355,500 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 20,900; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 1.6%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects jobs for claims adjusters, examiners and investigators to fall 5.5% from 2025 to 2035, from 376,100 to 355,500, while jobs overall grow 3.5%. Software and AI can now estimate damage from photos and process simple claims faster, so each adjuster can handle more files and the routine work shrinks. Even so, about 20,900 openings a year are expected as people retire or change jobs. Complex claims and disaster response still need people, and more frequent floods and fires could add field work.

Related careers and their pay

Insurance Agent$62,280
Lawyer$159,670
Private Investigator$51,220
Paralegal$62,890
Accountant$83,680

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Claims Adjuster salary FAQ

How much do claims adjusters make an hour?

The median hourly wage for claims adjusters was $37.50 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $23.48 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $56.27. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays claims adjusters the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay for claims adjusters, $101,150 a year, followed by New Jersey ($95,690) and Maryland ($95,560). After adjusting for each state's price level, District of Columbia comes out ahead at about $92,037 in national-average dollars.

Do claims adjusters make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of claims adjusters earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $78,000, and the top 10% earn more than $117,040. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between a claims adjuster and a claims examiner?

Adjusters investigate the claim: they talk to the people involved, inspect damage and work out what the loss is worth. Examiners review those files, approve or question settlements, and make sure payments follow company rules and the law. In life and health insurance, where there is less to inspect, examiners often handle the whole claim. Many companies use the titles loosely.

What is the difference between staff, independent and public adjusters?

Staff (company) adjusters are employees of an insurance company. Independent adjusters work for adjusting firms or for themselves and are hired by insurers, often to handle surges after disasters. Public adjusters work for the policyholder, not the insurer, and are paid by the policyholder. Public adjusters usually face separate or extra licensing rules.

Do claims adjusters work from home?

Many desk adjusters do, at least part of the week, since most auto and small property claims are handled by phone, email, photos and software. Field adjusters spend much of their day driving to inspections, and catastrophe adjusters travel to disaster areas. Adjusters also sometimes work evenings or weekends to meet claimants or clear a backlog after a storm.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 13-1031
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (13-1031.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Resident All-Lines Adjuster License (6-20), Florida Department of Financial Services · checked October 28, 2026
Fees & Payment Methods, Florida Department of Financial Services · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026
Associate in Claims (AIC), The Institutes · checked October 28, 2026
Designated Home State Adjuster: Frequently Asked Questions, North Carolina Department of Insurance · checked October 28, 2026

Careers and Salaries is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are listed on the editorial policy page.