BLS OEWS May 2025
Commercial Lines Underwriter salary, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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For a Commercial Lines Underwriter pay comparison in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, BLS reports a median annual wage of $99,840 for Insurance Underwriters (SOC 13-2053, May 2025). This is the mapped occupation's benchmark, not a separate title-specific survey. That is $18,470 (22.7%) above the U.S. median of $81,370.
Broader occupation
BLS reports Commercial Lines Underwriter within a broader occupation. It does not publish separate wages for this exact title, credentials, seniority or industry. Compare the listed SOC duties with your actual role before using this range.
| Percentile | Wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $64,360 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th | $76,660 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $99,840 | Half earned less and half earned more. |
| 75th | $130,050 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th | $164,440 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $106,450 | Average wage across all workers. |
| Percentile | Wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $55,530 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th | $64,620 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $81,370 | Half earned less and half earned more. |
| 75th | $110,390 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th | $145,160 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $93,700 | Average wage across all workers. |
What BLS wages include and exclude
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
- Employment, area
- 4,060
- Location quotient
- 1.33
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, released 2026-05-15. SOC 13-2053 Insurance Underwriters, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, IL. BLS source tables and downloads; release notes. Select this SOC and area in the source files; the tables index is not an exact-row link.
What changed since May 2024
| Release | Median |
|---|---|
| BLS OEWS May 2024 | $98,860 |
| BLS OEWS May 2025 | $99,840 |
The published medians differ by $980. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2024 and May 2025. This is not an annualized growth claim. Area definitions and the workers represented can change.
What belongs in the pay comparison
OEWS includes straight-time gross wages, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits. It is neither pure base salary nor total compensation. A discretionary annual, retention or sign-on bonus is not the same as a production bonus. Ask what earns each payment before comparing the offer with this table. Equity is separate from the cash wage shown here. State those terms alongside base pay; the BLS percentile does not price them for you.
Pay up and down the role ladder
BLS uses a different occupation for these related jobs. A higher percentile is not a promotion level. Compare the duties and the SOC before comparing the wages.
- Insurance Controller: SOC 11-3031 Financial Managers
- Insurance CFO: SOC 11-3031 Financial Managers
Recruiter's read
Qualitative view from our desk. Not BLS data.
For Commercial Lines Underwriter, discuss the work behind these requirements: Line expertise (GL, property, auto, workers comp, umbrella) and authority level; rating and policy systems (Guidewire, Duck Creek); CPCU or AU. Ask what the person completed themselves and what a manager or specialist reviewed. A system name on a resume does not establish depth in that workflow. The BLS figure describes the listed occupation, not a separately measured rate for this exact opening.
Common questions
Which median is used when comparing pay for Commercial Lines Underwriter?
$99,840 is the annual median for Insurance Underwriters (SOC 13-2053) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, IL, based on BLS May 2025. It is an occupation benchmark, not a separate compensation survey for this hiring title.
What does the middle half of workers earn?
The 25th percentile is $76,660 and the 75th percentile is $130,050 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, IL. That is where the middle half of workers in this occupation fall.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimates 4,060 workers in Insurance Underwriters in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, IL.
What does the upper percentile show?
The 90th percentile for Insurance Underwriters is $164,440. 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned more.
Does BLS publish this exact title?
BLS reports Commercial Lines Underwriter within a broader occupation. It does not publish separate wages for this exact title, credentials, seniority or industry. Compare the listed SOC duties with your actual role before using this range.
Related areas and roles
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Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from BLS data.
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BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. These are published occupation estimates, not a quote for an exact niche title. Tool calculations use BLS values or your inputs, not predictions.
Reading this page's BLS evidence
What do the released numbers measure?
For Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, use the May 2025 Insurance Underwriters occupation benchmark (SOC 13-2053): a annual median of $99,840. This is a broader occupation, not a separately measured wage for the hiring title. BLS reports 4,060 jobs for the occupation here. Employment is not a count of available candidates.
How much room is inside the published band?
The middle half of Insurance Underwriters wages in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN runs from $76,660 at P25 to $130,050 at P75, a width of $53,390. The distance from P25 to the median is $23,180; from the median to P75 it is $30,210. The upper part is wider. Compare an offer against those published points, but do not assign an exact percentile between them or label them junior, senior and manager pay.
How does this estimate compare with the national figure?
The Insurance Underwriters median in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $18,470 above the national occupation median of $81,370. Both rows use the same SOC, release and annual basis, not a local title survey paired with a national occupation total. The location quotient is 1.33. It measures employment concentration, not the cause of a wage gap or a cost-of-living adjustment.
Which other metro estimates can you compare?
For comparison with Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, the two nearest published metropolitan internal points are Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI ($106,570 annual median for Insurance Underwriters); Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN ($95,130 annual median for Insurance Underwriters). Only metros with a published median for this SOC qualify, so suppression can change the comparison set. Geography uses Census Gazetteer internal points where available, not commuting time or a claim about recruiting reach.
What can the industry rows tell you?
Among the loaded national industry rows for Insurance Underwriters, the highest numeric annual medians are Other Ambulatory Health Care Services (NAICS 621900), $101,700; All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services (NAICS 621990), $101,700. This ranking excludes suppressed and top-coded medians and covers only the industries loaded for this brand. There is no industry-by-Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage cut in this dataset. These figures cannot establish a local industry premium.
What changed in the published median?
For Insurance Underwriters in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, the median was $98,860 in 2024-05 and $99,840 in 2025-05. The difference is $980 upward. This subtracts two published estimates; it is not a growth forecast or a same-worker raise. The SOC and area codes match, but the surveyed employment mix can change.
What belongs outside the wage budget?
The Insurance Underwriters benchmark is neither pure base salary nor total compensation. Guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses are included in OEWS, so adding all commission again would double-count pay already covered. Overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer benefits are excluded. Budget those separately where relevant; this Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN row provides no amounts for them, equity or relocation.
Questions about this estimate
Which occupation benchmark applies to Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$99,840 is the May 2025 annual median for Insurance Underwriters, SOC 13-2053, in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. A broader mapping does not establish a separate salary survey for this hiring title.
How wide is the published offer band for Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
For Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, P75 minus P25 is $53,390. The Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN endpoints are $76,660 and $130,050, not experience-level labels or an interpolated candidate percentile.
Can the industry figures be treated as Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN's local rates?
The loaded Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN industry rows describe national Insurance Underwriters wages. The Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN rows are not an industry-by-Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN breakdown, so no local industry premium is calculated.
What changed between releases for Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN annual medians were $98,860 in 2024-05 and $99,840 in 2025-05. The Commercial Lines Underwriter in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN difference is $980; this is not a forecast or a same-worker raise.