Insurance Underwriters Salary
Insurance Underwriters in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI make a median of $79,560 a year, or about $38.25 an hour. The range runs from $56K at the entry level to $104K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.55), that's roughly $83,265 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,519/month, or 29.1% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $80K actually covers in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood’s Regional Price Parity (95.55). 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood
Insurance underwriters pay in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood tracks closely to the national median, $80K locally vs. $81K nationwide, a 2% difference. Rent runs $1,519/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.9% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.55) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for insurance underwriters in metros near Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $80K | $80K |
| Lansing-East Lansing | $75K | $79K |
| Traverse City | $70K | $74K |
| Ann Arbor | $78K | $77K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
Entry-level insurance underwriters (10th percentile) start around $56K. Mid-career wages sit at $80K. Top earners bring in $104K or more, a $48K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
Yes — at the median salary of $80K, rent takes 29.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,519/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for insurance underwriters in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new insurance underwriters typically earn — is $56K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,335/month. At HUD’s $1,519/month FMR, rent would take 46% 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $80K locally vs. $81K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood compare to the national average for insurance underwriters?
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood pays $80K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.55), the purchasing-power equivalent is $83K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do insurance underwriters make in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI?
The median is $79,560 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $55,580, and experienced insurance underwriters can clear $103,830. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $80K enough to live in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,081/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,519/month, which eats 29.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a insurance underwriters salary go in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood has a Regional Price Parity of 95.55 (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 $83,265 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.