Insurance Underwriters Salary
Insurance Underwriters in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA make a median of $79,080 a year, or about $38.02 an hour. The range runs from $63K at the entry level to $129K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 105.42), so that salary is closer to $75,014 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,922/month, about 37.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $79K actually covers in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro’s Regional Price Parity (105.42). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
Insurance underwriters pay in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro tracks closely to the national median, $79K locally vs. $81K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,922/month, which is 40% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 5% above the national average (BEA RPP 105.42), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for insurance underwriters in metros near Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $96K | $87K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $98K | $86K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $85K | $73K |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $100K | $90K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Entry-level insurance underwriters (10th percentile) start around $63K. Mid-career wages sit at $79K. Top earners bring in $129K or more, a $66K 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro numbers change.
Related careers in Business & Finance
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a insurance underwriter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $79K, rent takes 40% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,922/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for insurance underwriters in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new insurance underwriters typically earn — is $63K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,953/month. At HUD’s $1,922/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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $79K locally vs. $81K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro compare to the national average for insurance underwriters?
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro pays $79K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 105.42), the purchasing-power equivalent is $75K — below the national median.
How much do insurance underwriters make in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?
The median is $79,080 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $62,670, and experienced insurance underwriters can clear $128,710. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $79K enough to live in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,802/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,922/month, which eats 40% 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro has a Regional Price Parity of 105.42 (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 $75,014 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.