Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between claims adjusters and senior claims adjusters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a claims adjuster and a senior claims adjuster. Additionally, a senior claims adjuster has an average salary of $58,688, which is higher than the $51,116 average annual salary of a claims adjuster.
The top three skills for a claims adjuster include insurance carriers, auto claims and customer service. The most important skills for a senior claims adjuster are customer service, litigation, and coverage issues.
| Claims Adjuster | Senior Claims Adjuster | |
| Yearly salary | $51,116 | $58,688 |
| Hourly rate | $24.57 | $28.22 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 13,221 | 11,495 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A claim's adjuster is responsible for the handling of the insurance claims and investigating the extent of property damage and processing the business or a person's liability. Claims adjusters have a broad range of duties such as damage inspection to evaluate incident reports, communicating with property owners and spectators as well as referring to legal documents. They must also have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills to calculate payments and analyze the complexities of multiple sources. Claims adjusters should also provide timely reports for reference and possible disputes.
A senior claims adjuster is in charge of inspecting and analyzing insurance claims to validate and adjust payments. Among their responsibilities include reviewing and verifying claims documents, visiting sites to investigate property damages and personal injuries, gathering evidence such as photos and videos, and conducting interviews with witnesses and clients. Moreover, as a senior claims adjuster, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to fellow claims adjusters while enforcing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
Claims adjusters and senior claims adjusters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Claims Adjuster | Senior Claims Adjuster | |
| Average salary | $51,116 | $58,688 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $64,000 | Between $37,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Roseville, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Merchants Insurance Group | EMC Insurance |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a claims adjuster and a senior claims adjuster in terms of educational background:
| Claims Adjuster | Senior Claims Adjuster | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between claims adjusters' and senior claims adjusters' demographics:
| Claims Adjuster | Senior Claims Adjuster | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9% | Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.2% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |