# Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks

US SOC code 43-9041. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/43-9041

Also called: Claims processor, Claims processing clerk, Insurance claims clerk, Policy processing clerk, Claims data entry clerk.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **214,260** US insurance claims and policy processing clerks, with median pay of **$49,230** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **277,130**, in May 2017. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html) of **50,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for insurance claims and policy processing clerks: Lemonade "AI Jim", 2016 to 2023. Lemonade's architecture demonstrates that for a significant subset of personal-lines property claims, the claims processing clerk role is fully automatable today, not in the future.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 1.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-9041&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **0.98** 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 0.98. BLS counted **236,160** of these jobs in May 2013 and **214,260** in May 2025 (-9%, a change derived by Future History).

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 Claims and Policy Processing Clerks employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1850
- Latest US employment: 214,260 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $49,230 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: -1.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [27]

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 50,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., US Census Bureau [1] |
| 1950 | 150,000 | $2,600 (estimate) | Census (IPUMS) 1950 [2] |
| 1970 | 225,000 | n/a | Census (IPUMS) 1950 [2] |
| 1980 | n/a | $13,400 (estimate) | Est., ESTIMATE [7] |
| 1990 | 280,000 | n/a | BLS CPS [3] |
| 2000 | 266,650 | $28,010 | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2003 | 239,580 | $28,520 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 239,250 | $29,240 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 239,120 | $30,130 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 238,210 | $31,120 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 232,700 | $32,040 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 237,800 | $33,100 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 235,480 | $34,040 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 231,570 | $34,760 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 218,630 | $35,210 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 226,260 | $35,700 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 236,160 | $36,230 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 252,670 | $36,740 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 262,910 | $37,530 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 274,350 | $38,430 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 277,130 | $38,790 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 274,560 | $39,660 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 257,000 | $40,750 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 240,740 | $42,050 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 218,300 | $45,520 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 227,580 | $46,080 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 241,650 | $46,900 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 229,070 | $48,450 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 214,260 | $49,230 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (93)

### Employment series

1. [US Census Bureau — Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census (1904), Table 41 — Insurance industry employment](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html), US Census Bureau
2. [IPUMS USA — OCC1950 variable: 1950 Census Bureau occupational classification applied to decennial census data, including insurance-related clerical occupations](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/occ1950), IPUMS USA / University of Minnesota
3. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (1990-91 edition) — Insurance Claims Clerks and Policy Processing Clerks](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/insurance-claims-and-policy-processing-clerks.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. 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)

### Wage series

6. [ESTIMATE — US average clerical wage 1950 (~$2,500-$2,700/yr per Census earnings data for female clerical workers); IPUMS USA OCC1950 documentation for occupational coding context](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/occ1950), IPUMS USA / US Census Bureau
7. [ESTIMATE — BLS Area Wage Surveys 1980, office clerical occupations in the insurance industry; deflated using BLS CPI-U (1980 base)](https://www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. 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)

### Tool eras

10. [Wikipedia — The Hartford: founded 1810 as Hartford Fire Insurance Company, one of America's oldest insurers; experienced major catastrophes including the 1835 New York fire and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hartford), Wikipedia
11. [Wikipedia — Typewriter history: mass corporate adoption in the 1880s, insurance companies among early users](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter), Wikipedia
12. [Wikipedia — Herman Hollerith: tabulating machine inventor whose machines were leased by major insurance companies from the 1890s onward](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Hollerith), Wikipedia
13. [Wikipedia — Hollerith machine: early adopters including insurance companies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabulating_machine), Wikipedia
14. [Wikipedia — IBM System/360: April 1964 announcement, financial services and insurance industry adoption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/360), Wikipedia
15. [Wikipedia — CICS: IBM transaction processing system widely used in insurance and banking from the 1970s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CICS), Wikipedia
16. [ACORD — History and standards development: EDI for insurance data exchange since 1988](https://www.acord.org/ACORD-about/ACORD-About/history), ACORD
17. [Hyland — Insurance software solutions: document imaging, workflow automation, and claims management for property/casualty, life, and health insurers (550+ global insurance customers)](https://www.hyland.com/en/insurance), Hyland Software
18. [Guidewire Software — ClaimCenter product history: founded 2001, IPO 2012, claims automation platform](https://www.guidewire.com/products/core-products/insurancesuite/claimcenter-claims-management-software), Guidewire Software
19. [Tractable — AI auto damage assessment: founded 2014, deployed by Tokio Marine, Ageas, Admiral Group (2024)](https://tractable.ai/case-studies/autovista-group-testimonial/), Tractable
20. [CCC Intelligent Solutions — AI claims platform: processes \>$100B in P&C claims annually (2025)](https://www.cccis.com/solutions/claims/), CCC Intelligent Solutions
21. [Lemonade Blog — "World Record: Our AI Paid a Claim in 3 Seconds" (December 27, 2016)](https://www.lemonade.com/blog/lemonade-sets-new-world-record/), Lemonade Insurance
22. [Hyperscience — IDP platform: 95%+ accuracy on insurance forms (FNOL, police reports, EOBs) (2025)](https://www.hyperscience.ai/solutions/insurance/), Hyperscience
23. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks: –8% 2023-2033](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/insurance-claims-and-policy-processing-clerks.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Verisk — Launches Generative AI Tool to Support Faster Insurance Claim Processing (February 2024): auto-summary in Discovery Navigator, up to 90% faster than manual review with 95% accuracy for FNOL and claims analytics](https://www.verisk.com/company/newsroom/verisk-launches-generative-ai-tool-to-support-faster-insurance-claim-processing/), Verisk Analytics
25. [Snapsheet — AI-powered virtual claims platform: generative AI for claims correspondence and status Q&A (2024)](https://snapsheet.me/), Snapsheet
26. [WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 — insurance processing clerks among top-10 fastest-declining occupational clusters globally](https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/), World Economic Forum

### Forecasts and exposure studies

27. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 43-9041 Insurance claims and policy processing clerks (2025: 239.1 thousand; 2035: 234.7 thousand; -1.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-9041&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
28. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 43-9041 Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks: probability 0.98, rank 689 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

### Historical notes

29. [Wikipedia — Herman Hollerith: tabulating machine inventor; major insurance companies were among the first private-sector lessees of his equipment from the 1890s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Hollerith), Wikipedia
30. [Wikipedia — Armstrong Investigation (1905-1906): New York life insurance reform and record-keeping mandates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Investigation), Wikipedia
31. [Wikipedia — IBM System/360: April 1964 announcement and adoption in financial services and insurance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/360), Wikipedia
32. [Frey & Osborne (2013) — "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?" — SOC 43-9041 at p=0.98](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School
33. [Lemonade Blog — "World Record: Our AI Paid a Claim in 3 Seconds" (December 27, 2016)](https://www.lemonade.com/blog/lemonade-sets-new-world-record/), Lemonade Insurance
34. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2023-33 — Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks: –8% employment decline](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/insurance-claims-and-policy-processing-clerks.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
35. [Verisk — Launches Generative AI Tool to Support Faster Insurance Claim Processing (February 2024): up to 90% faster than manual review with 95% accuracy](https://www.verisk.com/company/newsroom/verisk-launches-generative-ai-tool-to-support-faster-insurance-claim-processing/), Verisk Analytics

### Predecessors & successors

36. [IPUMS USA — OCC1950 variable documentation: 1950 Census occupational classification covering general clerical occupations in insurance and other industries across historical census years](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/occ1950), IPUMS USA
37. [BLS OOH — Data Entry Keyers: insurance industry as a major employer of keyers who transitioned to claims processing roles](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/data-entry-and-information-processing-workers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
38. [BLS OOH — Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators (13-1031): internal career path from claims processing clerks](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/claims-adjusters-appraisers-examiners-and-investigators.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks: –8% 2023-2033](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/insurance-claims-and-policy-processing-clerks.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks (43-9041.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-9041.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [McKinsey — Insurance in the age of AI: 70-80% of claims intake tasks automatable (2024)](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/insurance-in-the-age-of-ai-unlocking-the-value-of-a-data-and-ai-transformation), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Accenture — AI in Insurance: straight-through processing eliminates clerical intake (2025)](https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/insurance/ai-transforming-claims-underwriting), accessed 2026-05-23
- [WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 — insurance clerks among top-10 fastest-declining occupational clusters](https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Tractable — AI auto-estimates collision damage from photos; deployed by Tokio Marine, Ageas, Admiral Group (2024)](https://tractable.ai/case-studies/autovista-group-testimonial/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [CCC Intelligent Solutions — AI claims platform processing \>$100B in P&C claims annually (2025)](https://www.cccis.com/solutions/claims/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Hyperscience — IDP platform achieves 95%+ accuracy on insurance forms (FNOL, police reports, EOBs) (2025)](https://www.hyperscience.ai/solutions/insurance/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Guidewire — ClaimCenter AI: automated intake routing, assignment, and coverage verification (2025)](https://www.guidewire.com/products/core-products/insurancesuite/claimcenter-claims-management-software), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Duck Creek Technologies — Straight-Through Processing (STP): auto-adjudicates policy coverage, triggers payment for simple claims (2024-2025)](https://www.duckcreek.com/product/claims/), accessed 2026-05-23

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