Places hard-to-insure risks for retail insurance agents by finding specialty and surplus lines insurers willing to cover them. BLS does not publish separate figures for insurance sales agents; it counts them within insurance sales agent (SOC 41-3021), whose median pay is $62,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 41-3021
- Sales and Related
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Wholesale Insurance Broker in four numbers
- Median pay
- $62,280a year, or $29.94/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $37KTop 10% $138K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.3%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 43,100572,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025572.6K
- Projected 2035591.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 572.6K Projected 2035 591.4K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school14.8%
- Certificate14.5%
- Some college8.1%
- Associate's15.8%
- Bachelor's39.5%
- Post-bacc certificate7.4%
Highest education held by insurance sales agents Segment Value High school 14.8% Certificate 14.5% Some college 8.1% Associate's 15.8% Bachelor's 39.5% Post-bacc certificate 7.4%
Also advertised as: Surplus Lines Broker, Excess and Surplus Lines Broker, Wholesale Broker, Specialty Insurance Broker, E&S Broker.
Pay
How much do Insurance Sales Agents make?
Every wholesale insurance broker in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$62,280
Middle half earn $46,870 to $96,950
- 10th
- $37,330
- 25th
- $46,870
- 75th
- $96,950
- 90th
- $138,140
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $37,330 |
| 25th | $46,870 |
| Median | $62,280 |
| 75th | $96,950 |
| 90th | $138,140 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 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 $73,220, this is 15% below 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 35% of the 1,741 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.
Pay by state
Which states pay Insurance Sales Agents the most?
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.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $84,530 | $76,915 | N/A |
| 2New Jersey | $81,640 | $75,033 | 11,370 |
| 3Rhode Island | $79,930 | $78,148 | 1,700 |
| 4Wisconsin | $79,450 | $84,436 | 7,860 |
| 5Massachusetts | $79,300 | $74,983 | 9,940 |
| 6Minnesota | $78,640 | $79,740 | 10,010 |
| 7New York | $78,110 | $72,377 | 22,420 |
| 8California | $76,120 | $68,750 | 41,160 |
| 9Connecticut | $74,840 | $72,232 | 5,230 |
| 10New Hampshire | $74,370 | $71,396 | 2,320 |
Job outlook
Is Wholesale Insurance Broker a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.3% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Insurance Sales Agents | +3.3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Insurance Sales Agents to change 3.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 18,800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 43,100 openings are projected each year, 7.5% of the 572,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Wholesale Insurance Broker
Many wholesale brokers have a bachelor's degree in business, finance or risk management, and many start as assistants or account managers at wholesale brokerages. A state insurance producer license is required, and placing coverage with non-admitted insurers requires a surplus lines license.
The Wholesale and Specialty Insurance Association runs education programs and an internship program for students, and The Institutes offer designations such as the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter. Success depends on deep relationships with underwriters and retail agents, sales skill, and knowing coverage details better than anyone in the deal.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
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 degree15.8%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)14.8%
- Post-Secondary Certificate14.5%
- Some College Courses8.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 39.5% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 15.8% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 14.8% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 14.5% |
| Some College Courses | 8.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Wholesale Insurance Broker do?
Most businesses buy insurance through a local retail agent. When a risk is too large, unusual or hazardous for standard insurers, such as a coastal property, a cannabis grower, a nightclub or a demolition contractor, the retail agent turns to a wholesale broker. Wholesale brokers know which specialty and excess and surplus lines insurers will take on difficult risks.
They package the submission, market it to insurers, negotiate price and terms, and present options back to the retail agent. Many wholesalers specialize in a niche such as property, casualty, transportation or professional liability. Surplus lines brokers also handle the state filings and taxes required when coverage is placed with insurers not licensed in that state.
Day-to-day tasks
- Review submissions from retail insurance agents
- Market hard-to-place risks to specialty insurers
- Negotiate premiums, limits and coverage terms
- Present quote options and explain coverage to agents
- Bind coverage and issue policy documentation
- File surplus lines taxes and state compliance reports
- Build relationships with underwriters and retail agencies
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Wholesale brokers work in brokerage offices, often in insurance centers, with heavy phone and email contact with agents and underwriters. Remote work is increasingly common. Some travel to visit agents and attend industry conferences. Work can be fast paced, especially during renewal seasons and hard markets.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Writing3.6
- Mathematics3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Monitoring2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Writing | 3.6 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Persuasion3.6
- Time Management3.5
- Service Orientation3.4
- Negotiation3.3
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Complex Problem Solving2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Persuasion | 3.6 |
| Time Management | 3.5 |
| Service Orientation | 3.4 |
| Negotiation | 3.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
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.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Wholesale Insurance Broker?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ECI) built on O*NET's Insurance Sales Agent profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Wholesale Insurance Broker |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising6.0
- Conventional5.5
- Social3.7
- Investigative3.0
- Artistic1.1
- Realistic1.0
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.
Explore further
Careers related to Wholesale Insurance Broker
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More sales and related careers
Median annual pay, with insurance sales agents highlighted
- Sales Engineer$124,900
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product$104,920
- Real Estate Broker$73,220
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$72,080
- Insurance Sales Agent$62,280
- Wholesale Insurance Broker$62,280
- Real Estate Agent$52,830
- Travel Agent$50,160
- Cashier$32,880
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Sales Engineer | $124,900 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product | $104,920 |
| Real Estate Broker | $73,220 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $72,080 |
| Insurance Sales Agent | $62,280 |
| Wholesale Insurance Broker | $62,280 |
| Real Estate Agent | $52,830 |
| Travel Agent | $50,160 |
| Cashier | $32,880 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Wholesale Insurance Broker appears on
Questions
Wholesale Insurance Broker: frequently asked questions
How much do Insurance Sales Agents make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for insurance sales agents. It counts them within insurance sales agent, whose median pay is $62,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $46,870 and $96,950, and the top 10% earn $138,140 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Wholesale Insurance Broker?
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 Wholesale Insurance Broker a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.3% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 43,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Wholesale Insurance Broker do?
Most businesses buy insurance through a local retail agent. A typical task: review submissions from retail insurance agents. 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 a Wholesale Insurance Broker?
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 ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.