SOC 41-3021.00

    Insurance Sales Agents

    Sell life, property, casualty, health, automotive, or other types of insurance.

    Median pay
    $62,280
    Growth
    +3.3%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    43,100
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $37,330
    Median
    $62,280
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $138,140
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    479,100 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Insurance sales agents sell policies covering life, health, property, automotive, and other needs, working for companies or as independent brokers. They earn a median annual salary of $62,280, with opportunities for steady employment.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What insurance sales agents do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    Sell life, property, casualty, health, automotive, or other types of insurance. May refer clients to independent brokers, work as an independent broker, or be employed by an insurance company.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Insurance sales agents spend their days connecting with the public to sell various types of insurance policies. This enterprising career requires strong skills in persuasion, active listening, and negotiation to help clients select the right coverage. Agents gather information, solve problems, and explain complex policy details. They must establish and maintain solid interpersonal relationships, which makes social orientation, self-confidence, and optimism highly valuable work styles.

    On a daily basis, these professionals use computers to process information, organize their schedules, and develop sales strategies. They evaluate information to ensure all policies comply with industry standards and government laws. Success in this field relies on a strong knowledge of sales, marketing, customer service, and the English language. Agents must also show high integrity and dependability when handling sensitive financial and personal client details.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that a high school diploma is the typical entry-level education. However, the broader O*NET preparation guidelines indicate that many professionals in this role hold a bachelor's degree and have several years of experience in a related field. Students interested in this career path often major in insurance in college.

    Depending on where they plan to work, some states list a license for this occupation. Additionally, agents can earn professional certifications to demonstrate specialized knowledge. Examples of these credentials include the Associate in General Insurance, Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding, Associate in Information Technology, Associate in Insurance Accounting and Finance, Associate in Insurance Services, and Associate in Marine Insurance Management, all offered by The Institutes.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for insurance sales agents was $62,280. Earnings can vary significantly based on experience and commission structures, with the lowest 10% of earners making less than $37,330 and the highest 10% earning more than $138,140.

    With 479,100 people employed in this field, the occupation is projected to grow by 3.3% from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all careers. Job seekers can expect about 43,100 job openings each year during this ten-year period.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    0 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    21 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    2 / 100
    Social (S)
    45 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    83 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    74 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ECS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    81
    Getting Information
    76
    Selling or Influencing Others
    75
    Working with Computers
    72
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    67
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    62
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    62
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    60
    Processing Information
    59
    Developing Objectives and Strategies
    58
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Listening
    • Speaking
    • Critical Thinking
    • Persuasion
    • Writing
    • Time Management
    • Service Orientation
    • Negotiation
    • Social Perceptiveness

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Sales and Marketing
    • English Language
    • Mathematics
    • Law and Government
    • Transportation
    • Administration and Management
    • Education and Training
    • Communications and Media
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Written Comprehension
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Written Expression
    • Near Vision
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Category Flexibility

    Work styles

    • Social Orientation
    • Dependability
    • Perseverance
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Integrity
    • Self-Confidence
    • Attention to Detail
    • Initiative
    • Optimism
    • Self-Control

    Also called

    Account Representative · Account Specialist · Auto Insurance Agent (Automotive Insurance Agent) · Bilingual Insurance Sales Agent · Bond Writer · Burial Agent · Commercial Lines Account Manager · Compensation Agent · Customer Relations Rep (Customer Relations Representative) · Cyber Insurance Policy Specialist

    Career pathway

    From your interests to insurance sales agents

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Insurance Sales Agents$62,280 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1University of Wisconsin-Madison Main Campus logo
      University of Wisconsin-Madison Main Campus

      Madison, WI · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $80,508
      4 yrs after
      $105,992
      Median debt
      $15,000
    2. 2St. John's University-New York logo
      St. John's University-New York

      Queens, NY · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $73,673
      4 yrs after
      $105,688
      Median debt
      $19,500
    3. 3Saint Joseph's University logo
      Saint Joseph's University

      Philadelphia, PA · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,669
      4 yrs after
      $101,930
      Median debt
      $22,375
    4. 4
      Georgia State University

      Atlanta, GA · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,639
      4 yrs after
      $101,040
      Median debt
      $22,875
    5. 5University of Houston-Downtown logo
      University of Houston-Downtown

      Houston, TX · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,256
      4 yrs after
      $98,510
      Median debt
      $24,500
    6. 6
      University of South Carolina-Columbia Main Campus

      Columbia, SC · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $69,288
      4 yrs after
      $96,539
      Median debt
      $21,000
    7. 7
      University of Georgia

      Athens, GA · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $69,528
      4 yrs after
      $94,729
      Median debt
      $16,236
    8. 8Illinois State University logo
      Illinois State University

      Normal, IL · Insurance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $68,692
      4 yrs after
      $94,124
      Median debt
      $19,500

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What insurance sales agents may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work. Showing 12 of 14.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Insurance

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    52 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Federal

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about insurance sales agents

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for insurance sales agents?

    People in this career are also called account specialists, commercial lines account managers, cyber insurance policy specialists, bond writers, and burial agents.

    What are the primary interest areas and work styles for this career?

    The strongest interest area for this work is enterprising. Key work styles include social orientation, dependability, perseverance, achievement orientation, integrity, and initiative.

    What other careers are similar to insurance sales?

    Related occupations include insurance underwriters, personal financial advisors, customer service representatives, insurance claims and policy processing clerks, and securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.