How Much Does a Insurance Claims Adjusters Make?
If you're trying to decide whether insurance claims adjusting is the career for you, one of your biggest questions is, "How much does an insurance claims adjuster make?"
The answer is more complicated than you'd think. We’ll help you parse the factors that affect a claims adjuster’s salary in this article and point you toward resources for getting started, including what education and licensing you need to enter the field.
What is an Insurance Claims Adjuster?
Before we dig into details like claims adjuster salary by state, let’s first lay down the basics of what an insurance adjuster does.
Insurance claims adjusters are responsible for assessing the damages when a policyholder submits a claim so that they receive a fair settlement. As they move a claim through steps like damage assessment, cost estimation, and policy coverage, they’re also in charge of detecting and rejecting any fraudulent or baseless insurance claims.
There are many ways to subdivide claims adjusting work, including:
- Licensing category (Life & Health vs. Property & Casualty)
- Employment type (direct vs. independent)
- Work environment (field vs. desk)
- Type of claim (daily vs. catastrophe)
- Type of client (commercial vs. personal)
While the process for becoming a claims adjuster is generally the same for everyone, each of these divisions can have some impact on your expected salary.
What Is the Average Insurance Adjuster Salary?
Both Indeed and ZipRecruiter put the average claims adjuster salary at roughly $65,000 as of May 2025, with roughly half of adjuster salaries falling between $51,000 and $75,000.
Claims Adjuster Salary By State
As they do for every career, salaries will also vary by location.
The five highest-paying jurisdictions for insurance adjusters are Washington State, the District of Columbia, New York, Massachusetts, and Alaska, all of which exceed $80,000 a year on average.
Meanwhile, the lowest-paying states for insurance adjusters are Florida, West Virginia, Arkansas, Georgia, and Louisiana, where average salaries range from the high 50s to the low 60s.
How Much Does a Claims Adjuster Make By Type?
The choices you make in where to focus your claims adjusting career will have an impact on your income.
For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, adjusters in direct health and life insurance average roughly $15,000 a year less than other insurance lines. Commercial claims adjusters make more than those who process individual or personal claims.
Adjusters who work primarily in the field make more than all but the most experienced deskbound claims adjusters. This is, in part, because the average salary for catastrophe claims adjusters is so high. During hurricane or fire season, catastrophe adjusters can exceed a daily staff adjuster's salary in a single month.
But, by far, the biggest determiner of your earning potential will largely be influenced by who you choose to work for: an insurance company, an independent adjusting (IA) firm, or as a public adjuster.
Company or Staff Adjusters’ Salaries
Company claims adjusters, also called staff adjusters, are full-time employees of insurance companies. They get a regular salary as well as benefits like health insurance.
As of 2025, the BLS found that 40% of all claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators work directly for an insurance company. All insurance lines employ staff adjusters, but some lines rely on them more heavily than others. They're the norm in Life & Health, and they're common in auto insurance.
Staff adjusters primarily handle run-of-the-mill daily claims. Some adjusters work in the field, conducting on-the-ground inspections, while others work at a desk, reviewing field reports and using claims software. Field and desk adjusters often work in teams.
Staff adjuster salaries increase with experience. Entry-level positions typically start at $40k. Senior-level staff adjusters can earn $85k, and if they handle catastrophe claims, they can earn more.
Independent Adjusters Salaries
Independent adjusters work for IA firms, which are then contracted by insurance companies. According to 2025 BLS data, 29% of adjusters fall into this category, especially those in insurance lines like property, personal injury, and auto insurance.
IA adjusters also handle the bulk of catastrophic claims, though staff adjusters still have some opportunity for it. This kind of work involves traveling to recently hard-hit areas after hurricanes, wildfires, or similar disasters and working long hours under difficult conditions, processing the unusually high volume of claims.
Independent property adjuster salaries average $82,500 a year, which is $20k a year above the total industry average. When making independent vs. staff adjuster salary comparisons on a state-by-state basis, IA adjuster salaries are consistently $9k higher according to ZipRecruiter.
That said, earnings depend on your availability for catastrophe work and how many hours in general you’re willing to put in. Income can vary a lot from year to year, and independent adjusters have traditionally been employed as 1099 contractors. That means they're financially responsible for a lot of things that are normally paid by an employer, like income tax, health insurance, equipment, and operating expenses.
The life (and income) of an independent adjuster may be changing due to a number of factors. These include:
- Independent adjusting was historically exclusive to field adjusters, but insurance companies are outsourcing more daily claims, increasing the demand for desk adjusters.
- Insurance companies increasingly expect IA firms to hire adjusters as W-2 employees, which could lower income but reduce expenses. It’s hard to say whether it’s a net loss or gain.
- Insurance companies may be moving toward non-adjuster consultants and AI to reduce adjusting costs.
It's unclear how much these changes might limit the earnings potential of independent adjusters in the future, but for the moment, it's still the most lucrative gig in the industry. You'll have to decide for yourself if the travel, unpredictability, and lack of stable income are worth the cash.
Public Adjusters’ Salaries
Public adjusters are hired by policyholders – whether individuals or businesses – to secure them the largest possible settlement from an insurance company. They may work as freelancers, or they may join a public adjusting firm.
Most public adjusters deal with either personal property or "real" property (land or buildings) claims. Some public adjusters work in other sectors like health insurance or personal injury loss claims.
Public adjusters are paid a percentage of the settlement amount after the case is closed. Their take is typically between 5 and 15%, but they can earn a higher percentage with time and experience.
According to ZipRecruiter, a public adjuster’s average salary as of 2025 is roughly that of a property staff adjuster – between $48k and $100k with a $74k mean.
Start Your Claim Adjusting Career Online
Ready to start your career as a claims adjuster? In most cases, you’ll need to start studying to earn your adjuster’s license. Luckily, the pre-license curriculum is available online and at your own pace in many states. It's cost-effective and convenient.
Some states require licenses, and some don’t. That said, if you live in a state without its own licensing process, employers will still expect you to earn a license in a state with a reciprocal agreement with your state.
We recommend going for a Texas adjuster's license, which has a large claims volume and reciprocal agreements with 28 states. Our online Texas All-Lines Ultimate Success package will provide you with everything you need to pass the All-Lines exam in the state, including special access to our instructors and exam remediation!
Head to our website to get started today!
What is the Average Insurance Adjuster Salary?
The most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data says that the mean annual wage is $68,270 for all insurance examiners, adjusters, and investigators.
The salary range is a pretty big one, though. The BLS finds that "most" (80%) make roughly between $40,000 and $100,000. The bottom 10% make less than that, and the top 10% make more.
When a salary range is that big, it's important to drill down and find out what factors impact insurance claims adjuster salary and what each type of insurance adjuster can expect to make.
How Much Does A Claims Adjuster Make By Type?
In the article we posted about how to become an insurance claims adjuster, we talked about the licensing process and explained that there are four main "lines" of insurance that get bundled into two broad categories: Life & Health versus Property & Casualty.
There are many other "types" within insurance adjusting work – field vs desk, daily vs catastrophe, auto vs property, commercial vs personal. Some of these have an impact on your income, while others don't.
However, the division that ties all of these differences together and defines your earning potential best is the decision of who to work for: an insurance company, an IA (independent adjusting) firm, or the policyholder as a public adjuster.
Company or Staff Adjusters Salaries
Company claims adjusters, also called staff adjusters, are the full-time employees of insurance companies. They get a regular salary as well as benefits like health insurance.
As of 2020, the BLS found that 38% of all claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators work directly for an insurance company. All insurance lines employ staff adjusters, but some lines rely on them more heavily than others. They're the norm in Life & Health, and they're common in auto insurance.
Staff adjusters primarily handle run-of-the-mill daily claims, though there may be an opportunity to handle catastrophe claims as well. Some adjusters work in the field, conducting on-the-ground inspections, while others work at a desk, reviewing field reports and using claims software. Field and desk adjusters often work in teams.
According to BLS data, staff examiners at life, health or medical insurance companies make less than other lines, with an average of $58,740.
In contrast, the average for staff adjusters in other lines is $67,770. That's the ballpark for auto claims adjuster salaries, property adjuster salaries, and more.
Staff adjuster salaries increase with experience. A desk adjuster's salary is roughly the same as a field adjuster's salary. Entry-level positions are typically $38-40k, but once you've gained experience, $50k is typical. Senior-level staff adjusters can earn $70k, and if they handle catastrophe claims, they can earn more.
Independent Adjusters Salaries
Independent adjusters work for IA firms. IA firms are then hired by insurance companies, typically for property, personal injury, and auto insurance claims after a natural disaster or other catastrophes.
Historically, independent adjusting is where you earn the big bucks. During hurricane or fire season, catastrophe adjusters can exceed a staff adjuster's salary in a single month.
Independent property adjuster salaries can easily be more than $100,000 a year, but it's hard to say what's "average" because earnings depend on how much you want to work. Plus, income can vary a lot from year to year. When independent adjusters are employed as 1099 contractors, they're also responsible for a lot of things that are normally paid by an employer, like income tax, health insurance, equipment, and operating expenses.
Things may be changing as insurance companies outsource more and more of their claims to IA firms. Outsourcing of daily claims used to be limited to highly specialized situations or claims where an independent adjuster was required by statute. As a result, there's an increasing demand for desk adjusters, even though independent adjusters used to work almost exclusively in the field.
Insurance companies are also beginning to expect IA firms to hire adjusters as W-2 employees. This changes a lot for independent adjusters, financially.
It's unclear how much these changes might limit the earnings potential of independent adjusters in the future, but for the moment, it's still the most lucrative gig in the industry. You'll have to decide for yourself if the travel, unpredictability, and lack of stable income is worth the cash.
Public Adjusters Salaries
Public adjusters are hired by policyholders – individuals or businesses – to secure them the largest possible settlement. They may work as freelancers, or they may join a public adjusting firm.
Most public adjusters deal with property claims – either personal property or "real" property (land or buildings). Some public adjusters work in other sectors like health insurance or personal injury loss claims.
Public adjusters are paid a percentage of the settlement amount after the case is closed. Their take can is typically between 5 and 15%. They can earn a higher percentage with time and experience.
According to Ziprecruiter, public adjusters' average salary is roughly like that of a staff adjuster – between $39k and $72k with a $50k mean.
Start Your Claim Adjusting Career Online
Ready to start your career as a claims adjuster?
You can complete your pre-licensing courses online and at your own pace in many states. It's cost-effective and convenient.
If you live in a state without its own licensing process, employers will still expect you to become licensed! You'll need to earn your license in a state with a reciprocal agreement with your state. We recommend going for a Texas adjuster's license, which has a large claims volume and reciprocal agreements with 28 states
