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Hiring an insurance underwriter in Washington, DC

Employers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area pay insurance underwriters a median of $90,990, with the middle half of the market between $74,670 and $117,330. Washington residents working in business and financial operations occupations report a median of $106,093, which is 17% above 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$74,670
Median$90,990
75th percentile$117,330

Half of insurance underwriters in this area earn between $74,670 and $117,330. A band set below $74,670 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Washington residents earn

$106,093

Median earnings of Washington residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 47,727 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 17% 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.

Residents here already earn more than this role pays, so your offer is competing with whatever they currently commute to.

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 Washington?

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 63.6% of Washington adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Washington commute runs 30.3 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 29.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In District of Columbia, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 5,340 and turns over 8.7% a quarter, with 705 hires against 702 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $13,392 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 $18,198 to $27,297 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 Washington

Related

Washington is the largest of 1 District of Columbia cities in this dataset.