Occupations · Business and Financial Operations
Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
Review settled claims to determine that payments and settlements are made in accordance with company practices and procedures. Confer with legal counsel on claims requiring litigation. May also settle insurance claims.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 13-1031.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 74% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $95,190 | 13,930 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $63,000 | 12,360 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $76,760 | 9,730 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $85,780 | 8,920 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $78,950 | 7,620 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $89,730 | 7,470 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $70,430 | 7,340 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $82,670 | 6,550 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $74,990 | 5,820 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $81,150 | 4,820 |
| Cleveland, OH | $60,950 | 4,500 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $77,260 | 4,260 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Examine claims forms and other records to determine insurance coverage.
- Analyze information gathered by investigation and report findings and recommendations.
- Pay and process claims within designated authority level.
- Investigate, evaluate, and settle claims, applying technical knowledge and human relations skills to effect fair and prompt disposal of cases and to contribute to a reduced loss ratio.
- Verify and analyze data used in settling claims to ensure that claims are valid and that settlements are made according to company practices and procedures.
- Review police reports, medical treatment records, medical bills, or physical property damage to determine the extent of liability.
- Investigate and assess damage to property and create or review property damage estimates.
- Interview or correspond with agents and claimants to correct errors or omissions and to investigate questionable claims.
- Interview or correspond with claimants, witnesses, police, physicians, or other relevant parties to determine claim settlement, denial, or review.
- Enter claim payments, reserves and new claims on computer system, inputting concise yet sufficient file documentation.
- Resolve complex, severe exposure claims, using high service oriented file handling.
- Adjust reserves or provide reserve recommendations to ensure that reserve activities are consistent with corporate policies.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 12
No longer listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| loss adjuster | 3315.5 | exact |
| insurance claims handler | 3315.3 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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