Which BLS numbers describe a benefits broker
The BLS has no occupation called benefits broker. Brokers and producers who place group medical, dental, life and disability coverage are counted as insurance sales agents (SOC 41-3021), a classification that explicitly includes independent brokers. That is the main dataset on this page. People who design and administer benefits inside an employer are usually classed separately, as compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists (SOC 13-1141), covered further down.
Neither category separates group benefits from personal lines. An agent selling auto and home policies and a producer running a book of mid-market group health renewals sit in the same count, so read these as the market brokers are paid in, not as a benefits-only benchmark.
National pay distribution, May 2025
About four in five insurance sales agents (378,790 of 479,100) work in agencies and brokerages rather than for carriers. Pay in that industry tracks the occupation as a whole almost exactly.
| Annual wage | All insurance sales agents | In agencies and brokerages |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,330 | $37,100 |
| 25th percentile | $46,870 | $46,350 |
| Median | $62,280 | $61,620 |
| 75th percentile | $96,950 | $95,120 |
| 90th percentile | $138,140 | $141,560 |
| Mean | $81,480 | $80,530 |
| Employment | 479,100 | 378,790 |
The gap between the mean and the median is the most useful thing in the table. The mean sits about $19,200 above the median because pay is skewed: the middle half of agents earn between $46,870 and $96,950, and a smaller group of established producers earns far more. Inside agencies and brokerages the top tier reaches further, with a 90th percentile of $141,560 against $138,140 for the occupation overall. For a typical wage, use the median.
The 80,630 agents employed directly by insurance carriers show a higher median, $72,350, and a mean of $86,540. The survey does not say why, so treat the difference as a fact about the two industries rather than a reason to change sides.
Do these figures include commission?
Yes. OEWS wages include incentive pay such as commissions and production bonuses, so producers are counted on total pay. They exclude overtime premiums, nonproduction bonuses and the cost of employer-paid benefits. The survey covers employees only: an agency owner paid as a self-employed proprietor is not in these numbers.
In-house benefits specialists
If the role you are pricing sits on the employer side, compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists are the closer match. Their pay is more compressed than a producer's, which is what salaried work looks like next to commission.
| SOC 13-1141, national | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $60,890 |
| Median | $78,210 |
| 75th percentile | $100,400 |
| Mean | $84,330 |
| Employment | 112,380 |
Insurance sales agent pay by state
Sorted by median annual wage. The District of Columbia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Massachusetts lead; New Mexico, West Virginia and Delaware have the lowest medians. The two largest markets by headcount, Florida and Texas, both sit below the national median. None of these figures is adjusted for cost of living.
| State | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $84,530 | $119,380 | Not published |
| New Jersey | $81,640 | $102,460 | 11,370 |
| Rhode Island | $79,930 | $95,270 | 1,700 |
| Wisconsin | $79,450 | $94,630 | 7,860 |
| Massachusetts | $79,300 | $103,070 | 9,940 |
| Minnesota | $78,640 | $100,270 | 10,010 |
| New York | $78,110 | $101,750 | 22,420 |
| California | $76,120 | $93,660 | 41,160 |
| Connecticut | $74,840 | $93,540 | 5,230 |
| New Hampshire | $74,370 | $85,100 | 2,320 |
| Pennsylvania | $73,370 | $88,590 | 19,390 |
| South Dakota | $71,990 | $82,200 | 1,870 |
| Wyoming | $71,830 | $84,690 | 850 |
| North Dakota | $71,220 | $89,710 | 1,460 |
| Vermont | $70,720 | $83,700 | 730 |
| Colorado | $68,730 | $85,540 | 9,530 |
| Alabama | $65,510 | $94,880 | 7,430 |
| Illinois | $64,280 | $84,680 | 16,360 |
| Hawaii | $64,170 | $74,370 | 1,070 |
| Maine | $62,920 | $71,300 | 2,240 |
| Montana | $62,040 | $78,070 | 2,090 |
| Michigan | $61,900 | $77,260 | 12,160 |
| Georgia | $61,850 | $88,140 | 18,030 |
| Oregon | $61,680 | $79,110 | 5,370 |
| Nebraska | $61,590 | $75,040 | 6,160 |
| Arizona | $61,560 | $71,340 | 11,870 |
| Indiana | $61,360 | $80,870 | 10,440 |
| South Carolina | $61,350 | $78,730 | 8,220 |
| Ohio | $61,260 | $77,010 | 16,250 |
| Utah | $61,230 | $76,740 | 4,620 |
| Washington | $61,040 | $77,450 | 10,500 |
| Kentucky | $60,880 | $92,780 | 6,210 |
| Virginia | $60,520 | $74,300 | 9,480 |
| Kansas | $60,370 | $83,920 | 6,360 |
| Iowa | $60,140 | $75,460 | 6,840 |
| Florida | $59,790 | $73,370 | 47,560 |
| Missouri | $58,990 | $72,410 | 10,030 |
| North Carolina | $58,710 | $72,330 | 20,540 |
| Idaho | $58,510 | $73,740 | 3,200 |
| Maryland | $58,300 | $76,220 | 5,700 |
| Tennessee | $57,120 | $71,520 | 7,610 |
| Arkansas | $56,720 | $70,310 | 4,580 |
| Louisiana | $55,440 | $65,570 | 7,100 |
| Texas | $51,180 | $70,390 | 47,060 |
| Alaska | $50,500 | $62,800 | 540 |
| Nevada | $49,100 | $60,800 | 4,200 |
| Mississippi | $47,930 | $67,790 | 3,210 |
| Oklahoma | $47,920 | $65,290 | 5,310 |
| Delaware | $46,710 | $62,100 | 1,220 |
| West Virginia | $45,480 | $59,560 | 1,430 |
| New Mexico | $45,180 | $59,040 | 2,200 |
What this data cannot tell you
- Experience. OEWS does not publish pay by years in the role, so there is no reliable split between a new producer and a twenty-year account executive here.
- Book of business. New-business versus renewal commission, splits with house accounts, and the value of a book at sale are outside the survey.
- Firm size. The estimates here are not split by agency size, so boutique-versus-national comparisons need another source.
- Owners. Self-employed principals are excluded, which can leave out some of the highest earners in independent brokerage.
Common questions
What is the median salary for an insurance or benefits broker?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts brokers who sell group health, life and other coverage as insurance sales agents. Their median annual wage was $62,280 in May 2025, and $61,620 for those working in agencies and brokerages. The mean was higher, $81,480, because a minority of producers with large books pull the average up: the 90th percentile was $138,140.
Do BLS broker salary figures include commission?
Yes. OEWS wages include incentive pay such as commissions and production bonuses, so a commission-based producer is counted on total pay rather than base salary alone. They exclude overtime premiums, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits, and the survey does not cover the self-employed, so owners of independent agencies who pay themselves as proprietors are not in the data.
Which state pays insurance brokers the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the District of Columbia was highest at $84,530, followed by New Jersey ($81,640), Rhode Island ($79,930), Wisconsin ($79,450) and Massachusetts ($79,300). The lowest medians were New Mexico ($45,180) and West Virginia ($45,480). These figures are not adjusted for cost of living.
Source and method
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates for SOC 41-3021 (national, NAICS 5241, NAICS 5242 and all states) and SOC 13-1141 (national). Retrieved from the BLS Public Data API on September 15, 2026 and shown as published, without adjustment. BLS does not publish employment for insurance sales agents in the District of Columbia. Planlined did not survey anyone for this page.