Insurance sales agents

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Total Workforce

476k

Average Age

45.1

Average Salary

$73,909

Average Male Salary

$93,399

Average Female Salary

$54,541

About

Insurance sales agents are most often employed by the Insurance carriers industry. The average yearly wage for Insurance sales agents was $73,909 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Insurance sales agents by wage are Technical writers, Education administrators, and Railroad conductors & yardmasters.

Insurance sales agents are part of the Sales & related occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of retail sales workers, Firstline supervisors of nonretail sales workers, Cashiers, Counter & rental clerks, Parts salespersons, and 13 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Insurance sales agents are Forest Acres City & Dentsville PUMA, SC, Colorado Springs City (East) & Cimarron Hills PUMA, CO, and Irvine City (Central) PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Insurance sales agents are Deltona & Lake Helen Cities PUMA, FL, Colorado Springs City (East) & Cimarron Hills PUMA, CO, and Grapevine, Southlake & Colleyville Cities PUMA, TX.

Photo by Aleksi Aaltonen

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Insurance sales agents and on wages and locations for those in the field. Insurance carriers is the industry that employs the most Insurance sales agents, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Insurance sales agents, by average wage, is Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities. Insurance sales agents are paid most in Costa Mesa & Fountain Valley Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Deltona & Lake Helen Cities PUMA, FL.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$73,909

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,132

In 2018, Insurance sales agents earned an average of $73,909, $20,021 more than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Technical writers make somewhat more than Insurance sales agents while Railroad conductors & yardmasters make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Insurance sales agents as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.48

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Insurance sales agents had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.48, which is higher than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Insurance sales agents (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Insurance sales agents.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Insurance sales agents

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Insurance sales agents.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Insurance sales agents, by number of employees, are Insurance carriers, Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities, and Banking & related activities.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Insurance sales agents, by average wage, are Car Dealers, Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities, Insurance carriers & related activities, Nondepository credit & related activities, Insurance carriers, and Real estate.

Industries by Share

476k

2018 Workforce

± 16,918

-2.73%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.13%

The number of people employed as Insurance sales agents has been declining at a rate of -2.73%, from 489,749 people in 2017 to 476,357 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Insurance sales agents employed by various industries. Insurance carriers employs the largest share of Insurance sales agents at 53.3%, followed by Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities with 43.4% and Banking & related activities with 0.717%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Insurance sales agents in the US. The average age of male Insurance sales agents in the workforce is 45.9 and of female Insurance sales agents is 44.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Insurance sales agents is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

237k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 11,954

239k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 11,991

50.2% of Insurance sales agents are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Insurance sales agents.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Insurance sales agents

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

72% of Insurance sales agents are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 10.2% of Insurance sales agents, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Insurance sales agents.

Age by Gender

45.9

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.756

44.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.675

The median age of Insurance sales agents is 45.1, and Male employees are generally 1.59 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Insurance sales agents from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Insurance sales agents is Business but a relatively high number of Insurance sales agents hold a major in Business.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degree-majorss. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree-majors obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Insurance sales agents from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Insurance sales agents need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Insurance sales agents need more than the average amount of Persuasion, Negotiation, and Service Orientation.