Home › Careers › Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators: pay, training and the programs that lead there

Business & finance · SOC 13-1031

$78,000US median pay, 2025
-5.5%Projected growth, 2025–35
20,900Openings per year
On the jobUsual way in

How you get in

Most people are hired and trained on the job, so school is optional. A program can still help you stand out.

  1. High school diploma or equivalent (a program is optional for this job)
  2. Long-term on-the-job training
  3. Work in: claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

Programs that lead to this job

These are the federal program codes (CIP) that the Department of Education maps to this occupation, and how many US colleges, community colleges or trade schools report awarding credentials in each.

ProgramCodeSchools
InsuranceCIP 52.170170
Health/Medical Claims ExaminerCIP 51.07151

See the 71 schools that offer these programs →

Common questions

How long does the training take?
Typically no schooling after high school, then more than a year of training on the job. That is the usual route rather than a rule — people arrive by other paths all the time.
How much do claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators make?
The US median is $78,000 a year, meaning half earn more and half less. Pay varies widely by state, employer and experience.
Do you need a degree for this work?
No. Most people are hired and trained on the job; a program is optional.
Where can you train for this work?
71 US colleges, community colleges and trade schools award credentials in a matching program. See which ones →

Pay and growth are national figures. What you earn depends on where you work, your employer and your experience, and these are projections rather than promises. Education requirements describe how most people enter the job, not a rule — plenty of people take another route.

Pay, growth, openings and entry requirements: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Program-to-occupation mapping: NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk (2020/2018). School counts: IPEDS completions, 2022–23.

Related careers in Business & finance

Accountants and auditors · Business operations specialists, all other · Management analysts · Market research analysts and marketing specialists · Project management specialists · Human resources specialists · Buyers and purchasing agents · Training and development specialists