Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks Salary: $48,450 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 229,070 insurance claims and policy processing clerks work nationally, and $48,450 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 2.3% annual decline; much hiring sits in finance and insurance.
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks: what the data shows
Common questions about insurance claims and policy processing clerks careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a insurance claims and policy processing clerks?
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-9041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 229,070 workers.
What does a insurance claims and policy processing clerks do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Processing Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a insurance claims and policy processing clerks make?
BLS national median annual wage: $48,450 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $58,299 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,758 |
| 25th percentile | $47,501 |
| Median (50th) | $55,286 |
| 75th percentile | $64,132 |
| 90th percentile | $78,975 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Time Management, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Writing, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is insurance claims and policy processing clerks in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -10.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -20.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 229,070.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do insurance claims and policy processing clerkss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 229,070 | 17.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 226,400 | 17.5% |
| Finance and Insurance | 179,320 | 13.9% |
| Insurance Carriers and Related Activities | 177,310 | 13.7% |
| Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities | 97,970 | 7.6% |
| Insurance Carriers | 79,340 | 6.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators | 111,930 | $56,530 |
| Data Entry Keyers | 135,280 | $39,850 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
| Security Guards | 1,241,770 | $38,370 |
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks workforce.
Employment Over Time
229,070 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks shrank from 132,720 in 2009 to 92,040 in 2025 (30.7%).
Historical employment for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$48,450 Median pay (BLS national)
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks earn $48,450 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Salary distribution for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
82,092 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -10.8%
73,219 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -20.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 28,160 employees, $53,810 avg wage
- CA: 25,360 employees, $57,070 avg wage
- FL: 17,010 employees, $50,650 avg wage
- OH: 11,680 employees, $51,970 avg wage
- GA: 10,040 employees, $50,330 avg wage
- IL: 9,160 employees, $51,530 avg wage
- TN: 8,810 employees, $45,510 avg wage
- AZ: 8,240 employees, $49,490 avg wage
- NY: 7,480 employees, $59,250 avg wage
- NC: 7,110 employees, $49,940 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 9,400 employees, $59,330 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 7,940 employees, $54,870 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 7,230 employees, $51,460 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 6,910 employees, $61,990 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 6,300 employees, $49,710 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 5,660 employees, $53,870 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 4,070 employees, $50,260 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 3,920 employees, $51,570 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 3,710 employees, $58,490 avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 3,500 employees, $46,740 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Diversity
Demographic information on Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks is about 229,070 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks workers.
Education level distribution for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Skills
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks need many skills, but most especially Time Management, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening.
Required skills for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks include Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks include Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
Daily Activities
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Processing Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks.
About
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks earn $48,450 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
43-9041 - Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks reports an average salary of $58,299.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 229,070 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.