State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks earn a median of $49,230 per year ($23.67/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 3.7% through 2034, with about 20,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 43-9041Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $49,230
- Projected growth
- -3.7%
- Openings a year
- 20,300
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Claims Adjudicator, Claims Analyst, Claims Clerk, Claims Customer Service Representative (Claims CSR), Claims Processor, Claims Representative (Claims Rep).
How much do Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks make?
10th percentile$37,560
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$44,270
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$49,230
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$60,490
Upper quartile
90th percentile$73,590
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $49,230 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $23.67/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $52,920 |
| People employed | 214,260 |
Versus all US occupations
At $49,230, Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks earn 3% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $1,750 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
The median is typical for the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $73,590 or more while the bottom 10% earn $37,560, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 27% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
New Hampshire posts the highest raw median ($60,650), but once local prices are taken into account Maine leads at $60,680 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $60,650 | $58,225 | 820 |
| Washington | $60,220 | $56,274 | 3,730 |
| New Jersey | $59,810 | $54,970 | 5,000 |
| Connecticut | $59,760 | $57,678 | 2,430 |
| Maine | $58,890 | $60,680 | 1,710 |
| Colorado | $58,660 | $56,923 | 1,380 |
| Minnesota | $58,030 | $58,841 | 3,580 |
| New York | $57,790 | $53,548 | 8,120 |
| California | $56,800 | $51,301 | 23,470 |
| Massachusetts | $52,910 | $50,030 | 4,820 |
Is Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk a growing career?
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks-3.7%
All US occupations3.1%
-3.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks to change -3.7% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 9,500 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 20,300 openings are projected each year, 7.9% of the 256,700 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of financial clerks is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The availability of online tools, which allow financial customers to perform many tasks themselves, is expected to reduce demand for occupations such as new accounts clerks; procurement clerks; and credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks. Similarly, productivity-enhancing technology is expected to limit demand for other clerks, such as payroll and timekeeping clerks, loan interviewers and clerks, brokerage clerks, and insurance claims and policy processing clerks.
How to become an Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for most financial clerk jobs. These workers typically learn their duties through on-the-job training.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as insurance claims and policy processing clerks.
- High School Diploma54.9%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)21.1%
- Some College Courses9.3%
- Post-Secondary Certificate7.6%
- Bachelor's Degree6.6%
What does an Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk do?
Process new insurance policies, modifications to existing policies, and claims forms. Obtain information from policyholders to verify the accuracy and completeness of information on claims forms, applications and related documents, and company records. Update existing policies and company records to reflect changes requested by policyholders and insurance company representatives.
Financial clerks do administrative work for many types of organizations. They keep records, help customers, and carry out transactions that involve money.
Day-to-day tasks
- Correspond with insured or agent to obtain information or to inform them of account status or changes.
- Contact insured or other involved persons to obtain missing information.
- Organize or work with detailed office or warehouse records, using computers to enter, access, search or retrieve data.
- Post or attach information to claim file.
- Transmit claims for payment or further investigation.
- Examine letters from policyholders or agents, original insurance applications, and other company documents to determine if changes are needed and effects of changes.
- Prepare insurance claim forms or related documents, and review them for completeness.
- Process and record new insurance policies and claims.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension3.5/5
- Speaking3.4/5
- Active Listening3.3/5
- Critical Thinking3.3/5
- Writing3.1/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
- Active Learning2.6/5
- Learning Strategies2.6/5
Transferable skills
- Time Management3.5/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Service Orientation3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Negotiation2.9/5
- Persuasion2.8/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
- Billing and invoicing software
- Document management software
- Financial analysis software
- Instant messaging software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.2
Investigative2.4
Artistic1.0
Social2.6
Enterprisingprimary3.9
Conventionalprimary7.0
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk: frequently asked questions
How much do Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks make?
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks earn a median of $49,230 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 3% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $23.67/hr. The middle half earn between $44,270 and $60,490. The top 10% earn $73,590 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 54.9% hold high school diploma.
Is Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 3.7% over 2024–2034, a loss of 9,500 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 20,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk do?
Financial clerks do administrative work for many types of organizations. A core O*NET task: correspond with insured or agent to obtain information or to inform them of account status or changes. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks the most?
The highest state medians for Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks are New Hampshire ($60,650), Washington ($60,220), New Jersey ($59,810) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Maine moves to the top at $60,680.
What personality type suits an Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk?
O*NET scores Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks highest on the Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.