← All careers

Business & Finance

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$78,240

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$58k – $102k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Associate degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$8,500–$25,000

Time to qualify

2.5 yr

Renewal

—

  1. 1

    Associate degree (community college)

    Degree

    Two years at in-district rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $4,050/yr, plus ~$1,200/yr books & supplies.

    $8,000–$22,000 · 2 years source

  2. 2

    Industry certification (optional for many roles)

    Certification

    Role-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.

    $500–$3,000 · 6 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage

    Entry / Junior

    $58,360

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage

    Established

    $78,240

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage

    Senior

    $89,915

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Business & Finance

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.