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Hiring an insurance underwriter in Aurora, CO

Employers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area pay insurance underwriters a median of $101,840, with the middle half of the market between $80,990 and $137,700. Aurora residents working in business and financial operations occupations report a median of $69,910, which is 31% below what the metro pays for this role.

What does an insurance underwriter earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$80,990
Median$101,840
75th percentile$137,700

Half of insurance underwriters in this area earn between $80,990 and $137,700. A band set below $80,990 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Aurora residents earn

$69,910

Median earnings of Aurora residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 11,582 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 31% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Aurora rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • 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.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 13-2053.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, C++, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Windows.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Aurora?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 32.9% of Aurora adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Aurora commute runs 28.9 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 14.8% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Adams County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 1,263 and turns over 9.4% a quarter, with 200 hires against 124 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $5,849 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about insurance underwriters. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $20,368 to $30,552 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring an insurance underwriter somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other business and financial operations roles in Aurora

Related

Aurora is the 3th largest of 3 Colorado cities in this dataset.