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Boston Career Explorer

Business and Financial Operations

Insurance Underwriters

Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.

Also called: Account Underwriter, Automobile and Property Underwriter, Commercial Lines Underwriter, Health Underwriter, Life Underwriter, Personal Lines Underwriter

Median pay in Greater Boston
$106,170
$51.04/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,080
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−9.4%
200 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$74,230$81,100$106,170$135,360$169,360

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.
  • Decline excessive risks.
  • Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.
  • Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.
  • Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.
  • Decrease value of policy when risk is substandard and specify applicable endorsements or apply rating to ensure safe, profitable distribution of risks, using reference materials.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure85 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 89
  • Language-model AIOE 85
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 80

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, though observed AI use is currently some. Tools can help with examining documents and records to judge risk. Federal projections expect automated underwriting to let computers handle more applications, and Massachusetts jobs are projected to fall 9.4% from 2024 to 2034. Communicating with others and judging unusual risks still rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Reviewing application documents for risk
  • Checking records for insurance already in force

Still relies on people

  • Explaining company policies to field staff
  • Deciding whether to decline unusual risks

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as automated underwriting systems will allow more applications to be handled by computer processing, reducing the needed number of insurance underwriters.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Project Management Specialists

    Gathering information from others and reviewing needs and schedules carry over. This is a bachelor's-level role with higher pay ($114,990) and 2.7% projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$8,820 median
    AI exposure
    Higher
    MA growth
    +2.7%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

  • Construction Managers

    Reviewing projects for compliance and quality builds on risk-review skills. This move offers higher pay ($156,470) and 10.9% projected growth, with on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$50,300 median
    AI exposure
    Higher
    MA growth
    +10.9%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

1 program near Boston (plus 2 graduate)

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

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