Insurance Underwriters Salary
Insurance Underwriters in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI make a median of $106,570 a year, or about $51.24 an hour. The range runs from $64K at the entry level to $134K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.94), that's roughly $109,934 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,338/month, or 19.9% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $107K get you in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Milwaukee-Waukesha’s Regional Price Parity (96.94). 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha
Milwaukee-Waukesha sits well above the national pay line for insurance underwriters, local pay runs about 31% higher than the U.S. median of $81K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,338/month, 20.4% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 96.94) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, Milwaukee-Waukesha offers a genuinely strong financial position for insurance underwriterss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for insurance underwriters in metros near Milwaukee-Waukesha, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | $95K | $98K |
| Appleton | $96K | $103K |
| Wausau | $71K | $77K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $100K | $96K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Entry-level insurance underwriters (10th percentile) start around $64K. Mid-career wages sit at $107K. Top earners bring in $134K or more, a $70K 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a insurance underwriter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Yes — at the median salary of $107K, rent takes 20.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,338/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for insurance underwriters in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new insurance underwriters typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,849/month. At HUD’s $1,338/month FMR, rent would take 35% 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Local pay is 31% above the national median — $107K here vs. $81K nationally.
How does Milwaukee-Waukesha compare to the national average for insurance underwriters?
Milwaukee-Waukesha pays $107K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s +31%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.94), the purchasing-power equivalent is $110K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do insurance underwriters make in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?
The median is $106,570 a year, that works out to about $51 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $64,150, and experienced insurance underwriters can clear $134,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $107K enough to live in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,563/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,338/month, which eats 20.4% 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Milwaukee-Waukesha has a Regional Price Parity of 96.94 (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 $109,934 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.