General agent vs insurance agent

The differences between general agents and insurance agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an insurance agent has an average salary of $51,936, which is higher than the $39,307 average annual salary of a general agent.

The top three skills for a general agent include health insurance products, life insurance policies and life insurance. The most important skills for an insurance agent are customer service, insurance sales, and health insurance.

General agent vs insurance agent overview

	General Agent	Insurance Agent
Yearly salary	$39,307	$51,936
Hourly rate	$18.90	$24.97
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	94,740	67,977
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

General agent vs insurance agent salary

General agents and insurance agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Agent	Insurance Agent
Average salary	$39,307	$51,936
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $55,000	Between $30,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Z Capital Group
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between general agent and insurance agent education

There are a few differences between a general agent and an insurance agent in terms of educational background:

	General Agent	Insurance Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General agent vs insurance agent demographics

Here are the differences between general agents' and insurance agents' demographics:

	General Agent	Insurance Agent
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%	Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 4.9% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between general agent and insurance agent duties and responsibilities

General agent example responsibilities.

Increase sales of life, annuities, disability and securities from [] to []
Operate remote telecommunications using applications and secure computer communications to troubleshoot and resolve issues on customer Samsung devices.
Help maintain Primerica as the number one source for insurance needs by directly switching accounts over to the company.

Insurance agent example responsibilities.

Used consultative upselling techniques to provide leads
Maintain personal and confidential Medicare & Medicaid customer information following all HIPAA.
Follow all applicable HIPPA and privacy regulations.
Explain medical plans to Medicare / Medicaid eligible clients to ensure best fit.
Identify and solicit sales prospects in agency database and in the general marketplace.
Develop productive business relationships with key marketplace players by identifying the right products and services.

General agent vs insurance agent skills

Common general agent skills

Health Insurance Products, 11%
Life Insurance Policies, 10%
Life Insurance, 8%
Life Insurance Products, 7%
Long-Term Care, 7%
Disability Insurance, 6%

Common insurance agent skills

Customer Service, 25%
Insurance Sales, 8%
Health Insurance, 6%
Life Insurance Products, 6%
Financial Resources, 6%
Auto Insurance, 5%

General Agent vs. similar jobs

General Agent related careers

General Agent related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
General Agent
General Agent vs Insurance Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs