Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage
Also called: Appraiser, Automobile Appraiser (Auto Appraiser), Automobile Damage Appraiser (Auto Damage Appraiser), Material Damage AppraiserAppraise automobile or other vehicle damage to determine repair costs for insurance claim settlement. Prepare insurance forms to indicate repair cost or cost estimates and recommendations. May seek agreement with automotive repair shop on repair costs.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 7 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 8.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in finance and insurance, which employs about 97% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $86,030 | $66,800 to $86,030 | 40 |
| Arkansas | $63,960 | $60,080 to $69,800 | not published |
| California | $78,930 | $74,450 to $101,120 | 550 |
| Colorado | $71,600 | $65,840 to $80,720 | 330 |
| Connecticut | $89,740 | $75,630 to $94,710 | 210 |
| Florida | $61,320 | $59,720 to $78,980 | not published |
| Georgia | $81,470 | $67,760 to $103,270 | not published |
| Idaho | $76,110 | $63,160 to $80,030 | not published |
| Illinois | $71,510 | $61,570 to $76,240 | 560 |
| Indiana | $76,750 | $64,810 to $81,900 | 250 |
| Iowa | $79,090 | $46,420 to $81,840 | not published |
| Kansas | $75,080 | $69,000 to $79,410 | not published |
| Kentucky | $97,950 | $92,270 to $101,160 | not published |
| Louisiana | $72,040 | $63,240 to $76,090 | 100 |
| Maine | $79,510 | $57,000 to $82,940 | 50 |
| Maryland | $82,870 | $79,250 to $94,690 | not published |
| Massachusetts | $79,930 | $64,940 to $94,380 | 680 |
| Michigan | $77,060 | $69,030 to $79,130 | 310 |
| Minnesota | $76,460 | $68,500 to $78,240 | not published |
| Mississippi | $71,550 | $61,290 to $83,080 | 120 |
| Missouri | $67,950 | $64,440 to $80,210 | 190 |
| Nebraska | $62,350 | $61,570 to $81,480 | 90 |
| Nevada | $78,510 | $62,950 to $80,430 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $94,280 | $81,730 to $99,670 | not published |
| New Mexico | $78,310 | $73,630 to $79,190 | not published |
| New York | $81,150 | $78,140 to $96,510 | 360 |
| North Carolina | $74,810 | $64,910 to $95,860 | 520 |
| Ohio | $63,470 | $49,810 to $80,300 | 820 |
| Oklahoma | $82,340 | $67,590 to $82,920 | not published |
| Oregon | $83,270 | $81,070 to $88,800 | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $95,720 | $85,970 to $101,060 | 310 |
| Puerto Rico | $46,520 | $43,260 to $47,560 | 300 |
| South Carolina | $86,680 | $80,760 to $94,390 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $67,080 | $62,860 to $91,500 | 420 |
| Texas | $79,200 | $56,680 to $100,220 | 910 |
| Utah | $82,570 | $71,000 to $100,080 | 50 |
| Virginia | $81,470 | $76,800 to $90,140 | not published |
| Washington | $78,450 | $78,430 to $78,450 | 190 |
| Wisconsin | $75,260 | $73,630 to $77,120 | not published |
Nationally: $78,240. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 7 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Review repair cost estimates with automobile repair shop to secure agreement on cost of repairs. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine damaged vehicle to determine extent of structural, body, mechanical, electrical, or interior damage. | Not published |
| AI + software | Estimate parts and labor to repair damage, using standard automotive labor and parts cost manuals and knowledge of automotive repair. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Evaluate practicality of repair as opposed to payment of market value of vehicle before accident. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare insurance forms to indicate repair cost estimates and recommendations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Determine salvage value on total-loss vehicle. | Not published |
See all 7 tasks
| AI + software | Arrange to have damage appraised by another appraiser to resolve disagreement with shop on repair cost. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 7 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 7 tasks fall under 5 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #39 Determine values or prices of goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Examine financial activities, operations, or systems | |||
| Inspect vehicles |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation68%
- An explanation or answer14%
- Data or a spreadsheet5%
- An analysis or summary4%
- An email or message2%
How they worked with Claude
11% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for insurance appraisers, auto damage specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,797 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 2 Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators Very high -5.5% 6%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,059 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 2 Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators Very high -5.5% 4%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 24% high school
- 29% postsecondary certificate
- 31% some college
- 15% associate's
- 1% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 16 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 15% high school
- 24% some college
- 11% associate's
- 38% bachelor's
- 9% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators” · 3,791 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators”
2 programs: Autobody/Collision and Repair Technology/Technician and Insurance.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
95.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 76.1% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Repair Planner). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/13-1032.00