Insurance Underwriters Salary
Insurance Underwriters in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL make a median of $43,540 a year, or about $20.93 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $101K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.69), which stretches that salary to about $45,982 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,345/month, about 45.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $44K actually covers in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Daphne-Fairhope-Foley’s Regional Price Parity (94.69). 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Pay for insurance underwriters in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley runs about 46% below the U.S. median of $81K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,345/month, which is 46.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.69 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for insurance underwriters.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for insurance underwriters in metros near Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $66K | $72K |
| Montgomery | $57K | $64K |
| Mobile | $57K | $64K |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $95K | $95K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
Entry-level insurance underwriters (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $44K. Top earners bring in $101K or more, a $69K 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $44K, rent takes 46.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,345/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for insurance underwriters in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new insurance underwriters typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,172/month. At HUD’s $1,345/month FMR, rent would take 62% 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley?
Local pay runs 46% below the national median — $44K here vs. $81K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Daphne-Fairhope-Foley compare to the national average for insurance underwriters?
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley pays $44K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s -46%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.69), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — below the national median.
How much do insurance underwriters make in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL?
The median is $43,540 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,670, and experienced insurance underwriters can clear $100,620. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $44K enough to live in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,918/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,345/month, which eats 46.1% 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley?
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley has a Regional Price Parity of 94.69 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median insurance underwriters salary is worth about $45,982 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.