Insurance Adjuster (Property/Casualty)
Insurance & Claims
Investigates property damage claims and decides what the insurance company will actually pay to fix it.
What is a Insurance Adjuster (Property/Casualty)?
A Property/Casualty Insurance Adjuster inspects damage from events like fires, storms, and water leaks, then writes a scope of loss, an itemized estimate of repair costs, that determines what the policyholder gets paid. Adjusters sit on the insurer's side of a claim (a separate role, Public Adjuster, represents the property owner instead); construction knowledge is what lets them tell the difference between a reasonable repair estimate and one that's padded or missing damage entirely.
What they do
- Inspect damaged property in person and document the damage with photos and measurements
- Write a detailed scope of loss covering every item that needs repair or replacement
- Interpret the policy to determine what's actually covered and what isn't
- Negotiate the final settlement with the policyholder or their contractor when the two sides disagree on scope or price
- Coordinate with contractors and restoration companies to verify a proposed repair matches the actual damage
- Manage a caseload of claims simultaneously, prioritizing by severity and how long a claim has been open
A typical day
- 8:00 AMReview the day's inspection schedule and prior notes on each claim
- 9:00 AMInspect a storm-damaged roof, photograph the damage, and take measurements
- 11:30 AMWrite the scope of loss for that morning's inspection, itemizing materials and labor
- 1:30 PMCall a policyholder's contractor to reconcile a difference between two competing estimates
- 3:30 PMClose out a finished claim's paperwork and update the file before moving to the next one
Skills
Software
Pay expectations
Pay by experience, nationally
as of May 2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators (SOC 13-1031), national data — shares this code with Public Adjuster, the mirror-image role representing the policyholder instead of the insurer
Reviewed May 2025. Pay reflects the national wage distribution for this occupation, not a promise for any one job: entry level is the lower part of that range, 5 years in sits around the national median, and 10 years in is the upper part, since pay isn't actually tracked by years on the job. Real pay varies a lot by state, metro area, union status, and employer — scale these up or down for your market. These figures are base pay only: overtime, shift differentials, and per-project bonuses are standard across most construction trades and routinely push real earnings above what's shown here.
What this chart doesn't capture
Going independent or CAT doesn't mean steady raises — it means trading a salary for per-claim contract work that can pay enormous sums during an active storm season and very little in a quiet one.
These figures are wage-and-salary pay only — the Bureau of Labor Statistics excludes independent and catastrophe adjusters from this survey when they work as self-employed contractors rather than company employees, which is how most CAT adjusters are actually paid, a fee per claim during a deployment, not a salary. No reliable published figure captures that income specifically, since it swings heavily with how active a given storm season is and how many claims one adjuster can close. Worth researching current CAT deployment rates before counting on a number.
Education
- Required:
- High school diploma or equivalent, plus a state adjuster license (requirements vary by state, and many states have reciprocity agreements with each other)
- Preferred:
- Bachelor's degree in business, construction management, or a related field
- Helpful:
- IICRC certifications for water/fire/mold restoration knowledge
- Not necessary:
- A construction-specific degree; many adjusters come from an insurance or claims background rather than construction, and pick up the technical side on the job
Career progression
- 1.Trainee or Staff Adjuster
- 2.Independent or Catastrophe (CAT) Adjuster (deployed to disaster areas as needed, often higher-paying but less predictable)
- 3.Senior Adjuster or Claims Manager
- 4.Some adjusters instead move to the policyholder's side as a Public Adjuster
Who hires for this role
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