Business and Financial Operations

Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage

Appraise 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.

MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES

A wage reference for United States.

Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.

Source wage group: Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage

This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.

May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.

Median annual wage$78,240USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$37.61USD per hour · Published 50th percentile

Annual wage thresholds

USD per year

Hourly wage thresholds

USD per hour

Published occupational wage percentiles · United States · May 2025
PercentileAnnual wage (USD/year)Hourly wage (USD/hour)
10th$58,360$28.06
25th$65,050$31.28
50th · Median$78,240$37.61
75th$91,880$44.17
90th$101,590$48.84

“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.

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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE

What this career involves.

Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.

Selected title examples

Appraisal SpecialistAppraiserAuto Body AppraiserAuto Body Repair EstimatorAuto Collision EstimatorAuto Damage Insurance AppraiserAutomobile Appraiser (Auto Appraiser)Automobile Body Estimator (Auto Body Estimator)Automobile Damage Appraiser (Auto Damage Appraiser)Automobile Damage Estimator (Auto Damage Estimator)Automobile Damage Field Appraiser (Auto Damage Field Appraiser)Automotive Body Shop Estimator (Auto Body Shop Estimator)
Expand more title examples (29)
Automotive Claims Adjuster (Auto Claims Adjuster)Automotive Estimatics Inspector (Auto Estimatics Inspector)Automotive Estimator (Auto Estimator)Body Shop EstimatorCatastrophe AdjusterClaims AppraiserCollision AppraiserCollision Center EstimatorCollision EstimatorCollision Repair EstimatorCommercial Field InspectorDamage AppraiserEstimatorField AppraiserField Auto Damage AdjusterField Automobile Adjuster (Field Auto Adjuster)Field Automobile Damage Appraiser (Field Auto Damage Appraiser)Field InspectorField Property Loss SpecialistInsurance AppraiserMaterial Damage AdjusterMaterial Damage AppraiserOutside Physical Damage AppraiserPhysical Damage AppraiserProperty Field InspectorReinspectorTotal Loss Claims AdjusterVehicle Condition AssessorVehicle Damage Appraiser

Typical tasks

  • Evaluate practicality of repair as opposed to payment of market value of vehicle before accident.
  • Review repair cost estimates with automobile repair shop to secure agreement on cost of repairs.
  • Examine damaged vehicle to determine extent of structural, body, mechanical, electrical, or interior damage.
  • Prepare insurance forms to indicate repair cost estimates and recommendations.
  • Estimate parts and labor to repair damage, using standard automotive labor and parts cost manuals and knowledge of automotive repair.
  • Determine salvage value on total-loss vehicle.
Expand more tasks (1)
  • Arrange to have damage appraised by another appraiser to resolve disagreement with shop on repair cost.

Skills used in this work

Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Expand more skills (29)
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Management of Financial Resources
Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Management of Material Resources
Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Technology Design
Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
Programming
Writing computer programs for various purposes.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Installation
Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
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Sources and citation.

Cite this page: Wages.fyi, “Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage career and wage guide.” Link to this Wages.fyi page

This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wages.fyi has selected and organized this information and added wage navigation and explanations. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Database license and attribution requirements.

Official occupation profile · Official wage reference . Wage reference: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service. Source data and publication dates can differ from the date this page is accessed.