Insurance Underwriters Salary
Insurance Underwriters in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX make a median of $79,590 a year, or about $38.27 an hour. The range runs from $57K at the entry level to $159K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.09), that's roughly $77,204 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,931/month, about 34.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $80K actually covers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington’s Regional Price Parity (103.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About insurance underwriters
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What this looks like in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Insurance underwriters pay in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington tracks closely to the national median, $80K locally vs. $81K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,931/month, which is 36% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for insurance underwriters in metros near Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $78K | $79K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $76K | $80K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $76K | $77K |
| Waco | $62K | $67K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Entry-level insurance underwriters (10th percentile) start around $57K. Mid-career wages sit at $80K. Top earners bring in $159K or more, a $103K spread from bottom to top.
Insurance Underwriters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Insurance Underwriters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $107K | +31% | 2,890 |
| New Hampshire | $104K | +28% | 270 |
| Nevada | $101K | +25% | 480 |
| Connecticut | $101K | +24% | 2,010 |
| Colorado | $101K | +24% | 2,040 |
| Washington | $99K | +22% | 1,740 |
| New York | $97K | +20% | 6,900 |
| Wisconsin | $97K | +20% | 3,110 |
| New Jersey | $96K | +18% | 3,150 |
| Maine | $96K | +17% | 520 |
| California | $95K | +17% | 6,580 |
| Maryland | $92K | +13% | 1,310 |
| Illinois | $90K | +10% | N/A |
| Georgia | $86K | +6% | 7,160 |
| Rhode Island | $85K | +4% | 250 |
| South Dakota | $83K | +2% | 210 |
| Arkansas | $82K | +1% | 290 |
| District of Columbia | $82K | +1% | N/A |
| Virginia | $82K | +1% | 2,470 |
| Alaska | $82K | +0% | 100 |
| Minnesota | $81K | -1% | 2,550 |
| Missouri | $80K | -2% | 2,130 |
| Kentucky | $80K | -2% | 900 |
| South Carolina | $80K | -2% | 910 |
| Ohio | $79K | -3% | 5,110 |
| Oregon | $79K | -3% | 570 |
| Pennsylvania | $79K | -3% | 5,160 |
| Texas | $79K | -3% | 9,980 |
| Tennessee | $79K | -3% | 1,250 |
| Florida | $79K | -3% | 7,300 |
| Vermont | $78K | -4% | 210 |
| Arizona | $78K | -4% | 3,360 |
| Indiana | $77K | -5% | 2,170 |
| Michigan | $77K | -5% | 2,590 |
| North Carolina | $77K | -5% | 3,460 |
| Kansas | $77K | -5% | 1,230 |
| Louisiana | $77K | -6% | 1,050 |
| Iowa | $75K | -8% | 1,490 |
| Nebraska | $75K | -8% | 1,410 |
| North Dakota | $74K | -9% | 210 |
| Hawaii | $73K | -10% | 230 |
| Utah | $73K | -11% | 490 |
| Oklahoma | $67K | -18% | 600 |
| New Mexico | $64K | -21% | 100 |
| Montana | $63K | -22% | 140 |
| Idaho | $63K | -23% | 360 |
| Wyoming | $62K | -23% | 50 |
| Alabama | $62K | -24% | 1,540 |
| Mississippi | $59K | -27% | 600 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track insurance underwriters salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a insurance underwriter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $80K, rent takes 36% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,931/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for insurance underwriters in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new insurance underwriters typically earn — is $57K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,976/month. At HUD’s $1,931/month FMR, rent would take 49% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is insurance underwriter a high-paying job in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $80K locally vs. $81K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington compare to the national average for insurance underwriters?
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington pays $80K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $77K — below the national median.
How much do insurance underwriters make in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
The median is $79,590 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $56,840, and experienced insurance underwriters can clear $159,360. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $80K enough to live in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,365/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,931/month, which eats 36% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a insurance underwriters salary go in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington has a Regional Price Parity of 103.09 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median insurance underwriters salary is worth about $77,204 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do insurance underwriters get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.