Average Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage is $78,240 per year. The middle 50% earn between $65,050 and $91,880, with 11,560 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 38 states and 41 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $58,360
- 25th
- $65,050
- Median
- $78,240
- 75th
- $91,880
- 90th
- $101,590
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Pay is well above the national median for all US workers. This is an upper-income occupation.
Pay is tightly clustered around the median. Most insurance appraisers, auto damage earn within a narrow band, with less variation than many other occupations. That is often a sign of standardized roles or union and public-sector pay scales.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for insurance appraisers, auto damage from 2024 to 2034. This occupation is projected to shrink. Workers may face more competition for fewer openings, and the role may see automation or consolidation pressure.
- Projected growth
- -8.2%
- -800 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 500
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave.
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Postsecondary training beyond high school is typically required, but a full four-year degree is not always necessary.
Where Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where insurance appraisers, auto damage work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Kentucky at $97,950, about 25.2% above the national median. At the metro level, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ leads with a median of $99,670.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $97,950 | N/A |
| Pennsylvania | $95,720 | 310 |
| New Jersey | $94,280 | N/A |
| Connecticut | $89,740 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $86,680 | 220 |
| Arizona | $86,030 | 40 |
| Oregon | $83,270 | 170 |
| Maryland | $82,870 | N/A |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $99,670 | N/A |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $97,910 | 230 |
| Macon-Bibb County, GA | $92,420 | 50 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89,760 | 30 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $89,740 | 130 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $84,370 | 280 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $83,590 | 30 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $82,850 | N/A |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see insurance appraisers, auto damage pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage rose from $63,270 to $78,240, a gain of +23.7% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $63,270 would need to be worth $79,674 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $78,240 is −$1,434 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -1.8% in purchasing power.
Wages have roughly kept pace with inflation. Nominal pay rose by 23.7%, but inflation absorbed most of it.
- Nominal change
- +23.7%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- -1.8%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $78,240
- 2024
- $76,650
- 2023
- $74,520
- 2022
- $69,380
- 2021
- $62,680
- 2020
- $65,550
- 2019
- $63,270
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Cost Estimators
- $78,740
- Buyers And Purchasing Agents
- $77,710
- Human Resources Specialists
- $75,940
- Compliance Officers
- $80,730
- Logisticians
- $82,320
- Labor Relations Specialists
- $95,420
Common salary questions for Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.