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 Sales Agent Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Insurance Sales Agents is $62,280 a year ($29.94/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.7% through 2034, with about 47,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 41-3021Sales and RelatedLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $62,280
- Projected growth
- +3.7%
- Openings a year
- 47,000
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Insurance Agent, Insurance Broker, Insurance Sales Agent, Sales Agent, Sales Associate, Sales Representative.
How much do Insurance Sales Agents make?
10th percentile$37,330
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$46,870
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$62,280
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$96,950
Upper quartile
90th percentile$138,140
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $62,280 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $29.94/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $81,480 |
| People employed | 479,100 |
Versus all US occupations
At $62,280, Insurance Sales Agents earn 22% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $11,300 a year.
Versus sales and related occupations
Inside the Sales and Related group, where the middle occupation pays $51,495, this is 21% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $138,140 or more while the bottom 10% earn $37,330, a gap of 3.7×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 45% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($84,530), but once local prices are taken into account Wisconsin leads at $84,436 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Insurance Sales Agents the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $84,530 | $76,915 | N/A |
| New Jersey | $81,640 | $75,033 | 11,370 |
| Rhode Island | $79,930 | $78,148 | 1,700 |
| Wisconsin | $79,450 | $84,436 | 7,860 |
| Massachusetts | $79,300 | $74,983 | 9,940 |
| Minnesota | $78,640 | $79,740 | 10,010 |
| New York | $78,110 | $72,377 | 22,420 |
| California | $76,120 | $68,750 | 41,160 |
| Connecticut | $74,840 | $72,232 | 5,230 |
| New Hampshire | $74,370 | $71,396 | 2,320 |
Is Insurance Sales Agent a growing career?
Insurance Sales Agents3.7%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Insurance Sales Agents to change 3.7% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 21,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 47,000 openings are projected each year, 8.3% of the 568,800 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
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.
Because the profitability of insurance companies depends on a steady stream of new customers, the demand for insurance sales agents is expected to continue. Employment growth will likely be strongest for independent sales agents as insurance companies rely more on brokerages and less on captive agents in an effort to control costs.
Many clients do their own research and purchase insurance online, which reduces demand for an insurance sales agent’s services. However, agents will still be needed to help clients understand their options and choose a policy that is right for them. Many customers lack the time or expertise to study the different types of insurance to decide what they need and so they will continue to rely on advice from insurance sales agents.
How to become an Insurance Sales Agent
Insurance sales agents typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation. However, employers may prefer to hire candidates who have a bachelor’s degree. Agents must be licensed in the states where they work.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium 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 sales agents.
- Bachelor's Degree39.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)15.8%
- High School Diploma14.8%
- Post-Secondary Certificate14.5%
- Some College Courses8.1%
What does an Insurance Sales Agent do?
Sell life, property, casualty, health, automotive, or other types of insurance. May refer clients to independent brokers, work as an independent broker, or be employed by an insurance company.
Insurance sales agents contact potential customers and sell one or more types of insurance. These agents explain various insurance policies and help clients choose the plans that suit them.
Day-to-day tasks
- Explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans.
- Attend meetings, seminars, and programs to learn about new products and services, learn new skills, and receive technical assistance in developing new accounts.
- Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients.
- Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries.
- Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage.
- Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals.
- Sell various types of insurance policies to businesses and individuals on behalf of insurance companies, including automobile, fire, life, property, medical and dental insurance, or specialized policies, such as marine, farm/crop, and medical malpractice.
- Calculate premiums and establish payment method.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where insurance sales agents work
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 62% |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 13% |
| Direct insurance (except life, health, and medical) carriers | 8% |
| Direct health and medical insurance carriers | 5% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.8/5
- Writing3.6/5
- Mathematics3.0/5
- Active Learning3.0/5
- Monitoring2.9/5
Transferable skills
- Persuasion3.6/5
- Time Management3.5/5
- Service Orientation3.4/5
- Negotiation3.3/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Video conferencing software · in demand
- Video creation and editing software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Data base user interface and query 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 Sales Agent?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.0
Investigative2.3
Artistic1.1
Socialprimary3.7
Enterprisingprimary6.0
Conventionalprimary5.5
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
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 Sales Agent: frequently asked questions
How much do Insurance Sales Agents make?
Insurance Sales Agents earn a median of $62,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 22% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $29.94/hr. The middle half earn between $46,870 and $96,950. The top 10% earn $138,140 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Insurance Sales Agent?
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 Sales Agents. 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, 39.5% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Insurance Sales Agent a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.7% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 47,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Insurance Sales Agent do?
Insurance sales agents contact potential customers and sell one or more types of insurance. A core O*NET task: explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Insurance Sales Agents the most?
The highest state medians for Insurance Sales Agents are District of Columbia ($84,530), New Jersey ($81,640), Rhode Island ($79,930) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Wisconsin moves to the top at $84,436.
What personality type suits an Insurance Sales Agent?
O*NET scores Insurance Sales Agents highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.