# Insurance Underwriters

US SOC code 13-2053. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/13-2053

Also called: Underwriter, Commercial underwriter, Personal lines underwriter, Property and casualty underwriter, P&C underwriter.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **105,420** US insurance underwriters, with median pay of **$81,370** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **107,820**, in May 2024, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/2D4FA320E49C99DA0B6569EA21E12A49/S0007680500026155a.pdf/origins_of_the_national_association_of_life_underwriters.pdf) of **8,500** from 1890, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for insurance underwriters: Straight-through processing + predictive analytics + insurtech platforms, 2010 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 3.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-2053&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **50%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.99** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.99. BLS counted **92,540** of these jobs in May 2013 and **105,420** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Insurance Underwriters employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1700
- Latest US employment: 105,420 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $81,370 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [13]
- Outlook: -3.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [27]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 12202)
  - Employment, 2020: 16,835. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 12202 Insurance underwriters, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$70,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [17]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 12202 Insurance underwriters, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1890 | 8,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Cambridge Core [1] |
| 1920 | 35,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., RGA Knowledge Center [2] |
| 1943 | 55,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia / The Institutes [3] |
| 1961 | n/a | $5,500 | BLS historical bulletin 1961 [10] |
| 1990 | 162,000 (estimate) | $28,000 (estimate) | Est., Future History (derived estimate) [4] |
| 2000 | 96,070 | $43,150 | BLS OEWS 2000 [5] |
| 2003 | 96,890 | $47,330 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 96,110 | $48,550 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 98,970 | $51,270 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 99,430 | $52,350 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 98,920 | $54,530 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 98,690 | $56,790 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 98,430 | $57,820 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 95,350 | $59,290 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 92,840 | $60,830 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 91,810 | $62,870 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 92,540 | $63,780 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 91,720 | $64,220 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 89,960 | $65,040 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 91,650 | $67,680 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 89,910 | $69,760 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 96,040 | $69,380 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 100,050 | $70,020 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 101,790 | $71,790 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 107,690 | $76,390 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 105,900 | $76,230 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 101,310 | $77,860 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 107,820 | $79,880 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 105,420 | $81,370 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (92)

### Employment series

1. [Cambridge Core -- "The Origins of the National Association of Life Underwriters" (Business History Review)](https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/2D4FA320E49C99DA0B6569EA21E12A49/S0007680500026155a.pdf/origins_of_the_national_association_of_life_underwriters.pdf), Business History Review / Cambridge University Press
2. [RGA Knowledge Center -- "Past, Present and Future of Risk Factors: The History of Life Insurance Risk Assessment"](https://www.rgare.com/knowledge-center/article/past-present-and-future-of-risk-factors), Reinsurance Group of America (RGA)
3. [Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) -- History: designation founded 1942, first exams June 1943](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartered_Property_Casualty_Underwriter), Wikipedia / The Institutes
4. [Editorial estimate of insurance underwriter employment, circa 1990 (anchored to BLS-era occupational data)](https://web.archive.org/web/20191221172830/https://www.iii.org/presentation/insurance-industry-employment-trends-1990-2018-january-2019-031119), Future History (derived estimate)
5. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

10. [FRASER / BLS Women's Bureau Bulletin 279 -- "Life Insurance Selling: Careers for Women as Life Underwriters" (1961)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/women/b0279_dolwb_1961.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics / Women's Bureau
11. [Editorial estimate of insurance underwriter median annual wage, circa 1990 (anchored to BLS CPS-era earnings)](https://web.archive.org/web/20191221172830/https://www.iii.org/presentation/insurance-industry-employment-trends-1990-2018-january-2019-031119), Future History (derived estimate)
12. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
13. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
14. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
15. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
16. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
17. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

18. [Lloyd's of London -- "Coffee and Commerce 1652-1811" (historical narrative of Lloyd's Coffee House origins)](https://www.lloyds.com/about-lloyds/history/coffee-and-commerce), Lloyd's of London
19. [EH.net -- "Fire Insurance in the United States" (Philadelphia Contributionship, Hartford fire underwriting)](https://eh.net/encyclopedia/fire-insurance-in-the-united-states/), Economic History Association
20. [RGA Knowledge Center -- "Past, Present and Future of Risk Factors: History of Life Insurance Risk Assessment"](https://www.rgare.com/knowledge-center/article/past-present-and-future-of-risk-factors), Reinsurance Group of America
21. [ASI -- "A Whirlwind History of Insurance Technology" (Travelers mainframe 1960s, IBM tabulating equipment)](https://www.asiwi.com/insurance-technology-history/), Applied Systems Inc.
22. [RGA Knowledge Center -- "Underwriting 2.0: In an increasingly automated world, what does risk assessment look like?" (expert systems origins 1990s)](https://www.rgare.com/knowledge-center/article/underwriting-2.0.---in-an-increasingly-automated-world-what-does-risk-assessment-look-like), Reinsurance Group of America
23. [Datos Insights -- "Straight-Through Processing in Underwriting and Claims" (STP rates 70-80% in personal lines)](https://datos-insights.com/blog/straight-through-processing-in-underwriting-and-claims), Datos Insights
24. [Data USA -- Insurance Underwriters occupation profile (employment trend)](https://datausa.io/profile/soc/insurance-underwriters), Data USA / BLS
25. [McKinsey -- "The future of AI for the insurance industry" (90% of personal-lines pricing automated by 2030; agentic underwriting pipelines)](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/the-future-of-ai-in-the-insurance-industry), McKinsey and Company
26. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Insurance Underwriters 2024-34 projection (-3%)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/insurance-underwriters.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Forecasts and exposure studies

27. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 13-2053 Insurance underwriters (2025: 125.6 thousand; 2035: 120.8 thousand; -3.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-2053&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
28. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 13-2053 Insurance Underwriters: probability 0.99, rank 698 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
29. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 13-2053.00, human-rated β 0.5)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

30. [Lloyd's of London -- "Coffee and Commerce 1652-1811" (Angerstein's lead-underwriter innovation)](https://www.lloyds.com/about-lloyds/history/coffee-and-commerce), Lloyd's of London
31. [EH.net -- "Fire Insurance in the United States" (Philadelphia Contributionship 1752)](https://eh.net/encyclopedia/fire-insurance-in-the-united-states/), Economic History Association
32. [Business History Review / Cambridge Core -- "The Origins of the National Association of Life Underwriters"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/2D4FA320E49C99DA0B6569EA21E12A49/S0007680500026155a.pdf/origins_of_the_national_association_of_life_underwriters.pdf), Business History Review
33. [Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter -- Wikipedia (founding 1942, first exams 1943)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartered_Property_Casualty_Underwriter), Wikipedia / The Institutes
34. [RGA Knowledge Center -- "Past, Present and Future of Risk Factors" (smoking differentiation post-1964 Surgeon General report)](https://www.rgare.com/knowledge-center/article/past-present-and-future-of-risk-factors), Reinsurance Group of America
35. [ITIF -- "Oops: The Predicted 47 Percent of Job Loss From AI Didn't Happen" (references Frey-Osborne insurance underwriter outcome)](https://itif.org/publications/2022/09/30/oops-the-predicted-47-percent-of-job-loss-from-ai-didnt-happen/), Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
36. [Deloitte -- 2025 Insurance Industry Outlook: COVID-19 acceleration of digital underwriting workflows](https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/financial-services/financial-services-industry-outlooks/insurance-industry-outlook.html), Deloitte

### Predecessors & successors

37. [Lloyd's of London -- "Coffee and Commerce 1652-1811" (origins of underwriting from marine merchant community)](https://www.lloyds.com/about-lloyds/history/coffee-and-commerce), Lloyd's of London
38. [RGA -- "Past, Present and Future of Risk Factors" (clerical underwriting roles created from actuarial expansion)](https://www.rgare.com/knowledge-center/article/past-present-and-future-of-risk-factors), Reinsurance Group of America
39. [BLS OOH -- Insurance Underwriters (background and typical entry paths)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/insurance-underwriters.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
40. [BLS OOH -- Actuaries (2024-34 projection: +20%)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/actuaries.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
41. [McKinsey -- "The future of AI for the insurance industry" (new roles in AI governance and model oversight)](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/the-future-of-ai-in-the-insurance-industry), McKinsey and Company

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Insurance Underwriters (13-2053.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-2053.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Deloitte — 2025 Insurance Industry Outlook: AI transformation + BLS -2% employment projection](https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/financial-services/financial-services-industry-outlooks/insurance-industry-outlook.html), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Insurance Journal — Straight-Through Processing hits 60-80% in personal lines; underwriter headcount pressured (2025)](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2025/01/15/807321.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Insurance Underwriters (2024)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/insurance-underwriters.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Hyperscience — Intelligent Document Processing for Insurance Submissions](https://www.hyperscience.ai/solutions/insurance/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Moody's CAPE Property Intelligence: commercial aerial-imagery risk scoring for underwriters](https://www.moodys.com/web/en/us/solutions/underwriting/property-underwriting.html), accessed 2026-08-30
- [Tractable — AI for Auto Underwriting: photo-based damage assessment and risk scoring](https://tractable.ai/auto/), accessed 2026-06-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.