# Insurance Sales Agents

US SOC code 41-3021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/41-3021

Also called: Insurance agent, Insurance broker, Life insurance agent, Property and casualty agent, P&C agent.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **479,100** US insurance sales agents, with median pay of **$62,280** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1872/dec/1870a.html) of **7,000** from 1870, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for insurance sales agents: Insurtech and AI comparison platforms, 2010 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3021&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **53%** 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)

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 Sales Agents employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1843
- Latest US employment: 479,100 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Latest US median pay: $62,280 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [15]
- Outlook: +3.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [35]

### 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 63100)
  - Employment, 2020: 77,515. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [10]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 63100 Insurance agents and brokers, 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$60,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [19]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 63100 Insurance agents and brokers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 6112)
  - Employment, 2025: 16,200. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [11]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 6112 Insurance Agents, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$81,068. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [20]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,559 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1870 | 7,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1870 [1] |
| 1900 | 53,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1900 [2] |
| 1930 | 151,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1940 [3] |
| 1960 | 312,000 | $6,500 (estimate) | Decennial Census 1960 (employment) [4]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [12] |
| 1990 | 415,000 | $28,000 | BLS CPS [5] |
| 2000 | 240,830 | $38,750 | BLS OEWS 2000 [6] |
| 2003 | 277,120 | $40,040 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [7] |
| 2004 | 285,390 | $41,720 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [7] |
| 2005 | 299,470 | $42,340 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [7] |
| 2006 | 311,380 | $43,870 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [7] |
| 2007 | 321,920 | $44,110 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [7] |
| 2008 | 327,780 | $45,430 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [7] |
| 2009 | 325,710 | $45,500 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [7] |
| 2010 | 318,800 | $46,770 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [7] |
| 2011 | 321,780 | $47,450 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [7] |
| 2012 | 336,740 | $48,150 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [7] |
| 2013 | 354,460 | $48,210 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [7] |
| 2014 | 374,700 | $47,860 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [7] |
| 2015 | 386,140 | $48,200 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [7] |
| 2016 | 385,700 | $49,990 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [7] |
| 2017 | 386,320 | $49,710 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [7] |
| 2018 | 393,830 | $50,600 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [7] |
| 2019 | 410,050 | $50,940 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [7] |
| 2020 | 409,950 | $52,180 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [7] |
| 2021 | 422,600 | $49,840 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [7] |
| 2022 | 445,540 | $57,860 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [7] |
| 2023 | 457,510 | $59,080 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [7] |
| 2024 | 469,480 | $60,370 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [7] |
| 2025 | 479,100 | $62,280 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [7] |

## Sources (98)

### Employment series

1. [1870 Census (Ninth Census), Vol. I: The Statistics of the Population of the United States — selected occupations table (insurance agents)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1872/dec/1870a.html), U.S. Census Bureau
2. [1900 Census Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census — persons in specified occupations (insurance agents)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html), U.S. Census Bureau
3. [US Census Bureau — 1940 Census Comparative Occupation Statistics 1870-1940: insurance agents category across census years](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1943/dec/population-occupation.html), US Census Bureau
4. [1960 Census of Population, Subject Reports: Occupational Characteristics (PC(2)-7A) — insurance agents, brokers, and underwriters](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1963/dec/population-pc-2-7a.html), U.S. Census Bureau
5. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Insurance Sales Agents (historical employment context and profession overview)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. 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)
8. [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
9. [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
10. [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
11. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), latest release](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

12. [University of Missouri Libraries — "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1960-1969" (BLS occupational wage surveys, insurance and financial services)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1960-1969), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
13. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Insurance Sales Agents (earnings and compensation history)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
14. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
15. 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)
16. [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
17. [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
18. [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
19. [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
20. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Insurance Agents (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/6112-insurance-agents), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

21. [EH.net — "Life Insurance in the United States through World War I" (soliciting agent methods and compensation structure)](https://eh.net/encyclopedia/life-insurance-in-the-united-states-through-world-war-i/), EH.net / Economic History Association
22. [Cambridge University Press — "Selecting Risks in an Anonymous World: The Agency System for Life Insurance in Antebellum America" (Business History Review)](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/business-history-review/article/abs/selecting-risks-in-an-anonymous-world-the-agency-system-for-life-insurance-in-antebellum-america/395D2106C83C78521E131EFEC27739B3), Cambridge University Press / Business History Review
23. [Wikipedia — Armstrong Investigation (1905-06 New York life insurance reform)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Investigation), Wikipedia
24. [AgencyEquity — "The History and Evolution of Insurance Agencies in the USA" (telephone era and agency formalization)](https://www.agencyequity.com/agency-management/the-history-evolution-of-insurance-agencies-in-the-usa), AgencyEquity
25. [ASI Insurance — "A Whirlwind History of Insurance Technology" (mainframe era, 1960s-1970s)](https://www.asiwi.com/insurance-technology-history/), ASI Insurance / insurance technology history
26. [AV8 Ventures — "A Timeline of the Last 100+ Years in Insurance in the U.S." (carrier technology adoption)](https://av8.vc/post/a-timeline-of-the-last-100-years-in-insurance-in-the-u-s-part-i/), AV8 Ventures
27. [Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America — Wikipedia (IIABA history, membership 300,000+ agents)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Insurance_Agents_%26_Brokers_of_America), Wikipedia / IIABA
28. [ReadWriteInvest — "Why is it hard for other auto insurance companies to copy GEICO's low-cost model?" (GEICO market share growth)](https://www.readwriteinvest.com/p/why-is-it-hard-for-other-auto-insurance), ReadWriteInvest
29. [Insurance Journal — "AI Multi-Quote Platforms Reshape Personal Lines Distribution" (Insurify, The Zebra, comparative rater platforms)](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2025/04/03/818203.htm), Insurance Journal
30. [LIMRA — U.S. Individual Life Insurance Sales Trends 2025: captive agent count declining approximately 3% annually](https://www.limra.com/en/research/research-abstracts-public/2025/u.s.-individual-life-insurance-sales-trends-2025/), LIMRA
31. [OpenAI: "Introducing ChatGPT" (November 30, 2022)](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt/), OpenAI
32. [Anthropic: "Introducing Claude" (March 14, 2023)](https://www.anthropic.com/news/introducing-claude), Anthropic
33. [Salesforce: Financial Services Cloud, a CRM with industry-specific AI that unifies data from banking, wealth, and insurance platforms](https://www.salesforce.com/financial-services/cloud/), Salesforce
34. [Gong: Conversation Intelligence, automatic call recording and transcription used for sales coaching](https://www.gong.io/conversation-intelligence), Gong

### Forecasts and exposure studies

35. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 41-3021 Insurance sales agents (2025: 572.6 thousand; 2035: 591.4 thousand; +3.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
36. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 41-3021.00, human-rated β 0.53)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

37. [EH.net Encyclopedia — "Life Insurance in the United States through World War I" (mutual company soliciting agents, 1840s)](https://eh.net/encyclopedia/life-insurance-in-the-united-states-through-world-war-i/), EH.net / Economic History Association
38. [AgencyEquity — "The History and Evolution of Insurance Agencies in the USA" (1871 Great Chicago Fire and industry reform)](https://www.agencyequity.com/agency-management/the-history-evolution-of-insurance-agencies-in-the-usa), AgencyEquity
39. [Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America — Wikipedia (IIABA founding 1896)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Insurance_Agents_%26_Brokers_of_America), Wikipedia / IIABA
40. [Wikipedia — Armstrong Investigation (1905-06 New York life insurance reform and agent commission changes)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Investigation), Wikipedia
41. [AV8 Ventures — "A Timeline of the Last 100+ Years in Insurance in the U.S." (1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act)](https://av8.vc/post/a-timeline-of-the-last-100-years-in-insurance-in-the-u-s-part-i/), AV8 Ventures
42. [ASI Insurance — "A Whirlwind History of Insurance Technology" (Applied Systems and AMS emergence, early 1980s)](https://www.asiwi.com/insurance-technology-history/), ASI Insurance
43. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Insurance Sales Agents: ACA impact on health insurance agent employment (2024)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
44. [NAIC — Model Bulletin on the Use of Artificial Intelligence by Insurance Companies, adopted December 2023: AI governance expectations and compliance obligations for insurers and producers](https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/2023-12-4%20Model%20Bulletin_Adopted_0.pdf), National Association of Insurance Commissioners

### Predecessors & successors

45. [AgencyEquity — "A History of Insurance Agencies: How it All Started" (1795 first US insurance agency)](https://www.agencyequity.com/agency-management/a-history-of-insurance-agencies-how-it-all-started), AgencyEquity

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Insurance Sales Agents (41-3021.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/41-3021.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Insurance Sales Agents: 6% growth 2023–2033](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [LIMRA — U.S. Individual Life Insurance Sales Trends 2025: captive agent count declining ~3%/yr](https://www.limra.com/en/research/research-abstracts-public/2025/u.s.-individual-life-insurance-sales-trends-2025/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Deloitte — 2025 Insurance Industry Outlook: carriers shifting personal lines to digital channels](https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/financial-services/financial-services-industry-outlooks/insurance-industry-outlook.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Insurance Journal — AI multi-quote platforms reshape personal lines distribution; independent agent adaptation (Apr 2025)](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2025/04/03/818203.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NAIC — Artificial Intelligence in Insurance: state-by-state oversight, fairness requirements, and model bulletin tracker (2024–2025)](https://content.naic.org/insurance-topics/artificial-intelligence), accessed 2026-06-21
- [HawkSoft — Agency Management System: policy records, COI issuance, endorsement processing, and AI-assisted reporting for P&C agencies (2025)](https://hawksoft.com/agency-management-system/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [EZLynx / Applied Systems — Comparative Rater: multi-carrier P&C quoting in seconds across 40+ carriers (2025)](https://www.ezlynx.com/solutions/comparative-rater/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AgencyZoom — Automate Engagement: renewal follow-up, onboarding, policy reviews, and winbacks for P&C agencies (2025)](https://agencyzoom.com/info/info-engage), accessed 2026-06-21

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