Insurance Sales Agents: Job Description
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.
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What Do Insurance Sales Agents Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of insurance sales agents cover:
- Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks.
- 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.
- Explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans.
- Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals.
- 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.
- Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy.
- 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.
What Insurance Sales Agents Need to Know
Top insurance sales agents combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Account Representative
- Account Specialist
- Auto Insurance Agent (Automotive Insurance Agent)
- Bilingual Insurance Sales Agent
- Bond Writer
- Burial Agent
- Commercial Lines Account Manager
- Compensation Agent
How Many Insurance Sales Agents Are There?
There are roughly 923,960 insurance sales agents working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +8.7% over the projection horizon.
Insurance Sales Agents Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $47,818 |
| Hourly median | $22.99 |
| 10th percentile | $30,924 |
| 25th percentile | $39,371 |
| 75th percentile | $56,264 |
| 90th percentile | $64,711 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Insurance Sales Agents Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | $78,650 |
| New Jersey | $78,080 |
| Massachusetts | $77,660 |
| Connecticut | $77,090 |
| New York | $75,860 |
| District of Columbia | $75,180 |
| Rhode Island | $74,360 |
| Wisconsin | $70,650 |
| Vermont | $70,390 |
| North Dakota | $65,850 |
| California | $64,990 |
| Hawaii | $63,950 |
| Iowa | $63,150 |
| Alabama | $63,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,230 |
| Indiana | $61,710 |
| South Dakota | $61,630 |
| New Hampshire | $61,190 |
| Colorado | $61,020 |
| Kansas | $60,920 |
| Oregon | $60,710 |
| Virgin Islands | $60,680 |
| Maine | $60,630 |
| Maryland | $60,120 |
| Ohio | $59,990 |
| Delaware | $59,910 |
| Florida | $59,790 |
| Missouri | $59,680 |
| Kentucky | $59,590 |
| Virginia | $59,570 |
| Arizona | $59,400 |
| Illinois | $59,340 |
| Michigan | $58,910 |
| Washington | $58,660 |
| Nebraska | $58,480 |
| Montana | $57,360 |
| North Carolina | $57,110 |
| Wyoming | $55,770 |
| Louisiana | $55,590 |
| Alaska | $54,720 |
| Utah | $52,440 |
| South Carolina | $51,550 |
| Arkansas | $51,280 |
| Georgia | $50,210 |
| Tennessee | $49,130 |
| Idaho | $48,140 |
| Mississippi | $47,550 |
| Texas | $47,530 |
| New Mexico | $46,990 |
| Oklahoma | $45,550 |
| Nevada | $44,990 |
| West Virginia | $44,080 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,710 |
| Guam | $35,030 |
Where Insurance Sales Agents Earn the Most
Earnings for insurance sales agents vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $74,070 | 4.7% | 1.00 |
| Middle Atlantic | $70,350 | 11.9% | 0.81 |
| Plains States | $64,941 | 8.6% | 1.27 |
| Far Western US | $62,532 | 12.8% | 0.78 |
| Great Lakes | $61,221 | 14.1% | 1.01 |
| Rocky Mountains | $56,580 | 4.1% | 1.03 |
| Southeast | $56,305 | 30.2% | 1.25 |
| Southwest | $49,245 | 13.1% | 1.04 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Insurance Sales Agents
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $89,030 | 350 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | CT | $86,170 | 360 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $81,890 | 6,610 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | SD | $81,730 | 640 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $80,550 | 430 |
| Rochester, MN | MN | $80,260 | 150 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | CT | $79,860 | 2,680 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | FL | $79,090 | 590 |
Which Industries Hire Insurance Sales Agents
The bulk of insurance sales agents work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Insurance | 451,930 | $60,400 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 6,830 | $46,390 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 3,600 | $80,250 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2,490 | $57,000 |
| Retail Trade | 1,760 | $39,680 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 640 | $46,940 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 230 | $66,820 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 220 | $48,530 |
Insurance Sales Agents work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The work environment for insurance sales agents reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Frequency of Decision Making
Getting Started in This Career
Typical insurance sales agents positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Financial Managers (Supplemental)
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (Supplemental)
- Credit Analysts (Supplemental)
- Financial and Investment Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Personal Financial Advisors (Primary-Short)
- Insurance Underwriters (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Aspiring insurance sales agents commonly pursue programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 41-3021.00 (Insurance Sales Agents).
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