Insurance Underwriters Salary
Insurance Underwriters in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA make a median of $91,340 a year, or about $43.91 an hour. The range runs from $65K at the entry level to $164K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.67), so that salary is closer to $85,629 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,255/month, about 39.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $91K get you in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom’s Regional Price Parity (106.67). 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom sits well above the national pay line for insurance underwriters, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $81K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,255/month, which is 39.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 7% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.67), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for insurance underwriters in metros near Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, 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 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $98K | $88K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
Entry-level insurance underwriters (10th percentile) start around $65K. Mid-career wages sit at $91K. Top earners bring in $164K or more, a $99K 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom numbers change.
Related careers in Business & Finance
Frequently asked questions
Can a insurance underwriter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $91K, rent takes 39.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,255/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for insurance underwriters in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new insurance underwriters typically earn — is $65K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,886/month. At HUD’s $2,255/month FMR, rent would take 58% 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $91K here vs. $81K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 7% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom compare to the national average for insurance underwriters?
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom pays $91K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.67), the purchasing-power equivalent is $86K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do insurance underwriters make in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA?
The median is $91,340 a year, that works out to about $44 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $64,770, and experienced insurance underwriters can clear $164,200. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $91K enough to live in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,668/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,255/month, which eats 39.8% 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom has a Regional Price Parity of 106.67 (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 $85,629 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.