Insurance Underwriters Salary
Insurance Underwriters in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT make a median of $72,730 a year, or about $34.97 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $120K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.87), that's roughly $72,103 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,241/month, or 26% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $73K actually covers in Salt Lake City-Murray, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Salt Lake City-Murray’s Regional Price Parity (100.87). 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 Salt Lake City-Murray
Pay for insurance underwriters in Salt Lake City-Murray runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $81K. Rent runs $1,241/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 26.5% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 100.87) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for insurance underwriters in metros near Salt Lake City-Murray, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Provo-Orem-Lehi | $74K | $76K |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $78K | $75K |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $102K | , |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas | $101K | $101K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
Entry-level insurance underwriters (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $73K. Top earners bring in $120K or more, a $81K 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 Salt Lake City-Murray 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 Salt Lake City-Murray?
Yes — at the median salary of $73K, rent takes 26.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,241/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for insurance underwriters in Salt Lake City-Murray?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new insurance underwriters typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,635/month. At HUD’s $1,241/month FMR, rent would take 47% 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 Salt Lake City-Murray?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $73K here vs. $81K nationally.
How does Salt Lake City-Murray compare to the national average for insurance underwriters?
Salt Lake City-Murray pays $73K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.87), the purchasing-power equivalent is $72K — below the national median.
How much do insurance underwriters make in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT?
The median is $72,730 a year, that works out to about $35 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,080, and experienced insurance underwriters can clear $119,990. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $73K enough to live in Salt Lake City-Murray?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,681/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,241/month, which eats 26.5% 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 Salt Lake City-Murray?
Salt Lake City-Murray has a Regional Price Parity of 100.87 (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 $72,103 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.