Material damage adjuster vs claim investigator

The differences between material damage adjusters and claim investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a material damage adjuster and a claim investigator. Additionally, a material damage adjuster has an average salary of $53,724, which is higher than the $49,415 average annual salary of a claim investigator.

The top three skills for a material damage adjuster include insurance claims, policy coverage and repair estimates. The most important skills for a claim investigator are scene investigations, insurance claims, and property damage.

Material damage adjuster vs claim investigator overview

	Material Damage Adjuster	Claim Investigator
Yearly salary	$53,724	$49,415
Hourly rate	$25.83	$23.76
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	28,605	8,738
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Material damage adjuster vs claim investigator salary

Material damage adjusters and claim investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Material Damage Adjuster	Claim Investigator
Average salary	$53,724	$49,415
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $80,000	Between $37,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Florence, KY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Erie Insurance	Health Alliance
Best paying industry	Insurance	Finance

Differences between material damage adjuster and claim investigator education

There are a few differences between a material damage adjuster and a claim investigator in terms of educational background:

	Material Damage Adjuster	Claim Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	California State University - Bakersfield

Material damage adjuster vs claim investigator demographics

Here are the differences between material damage adjusters' and claim investigators' demographics:

	Material Damage Adjuster	Claim Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8%	Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between material damage adjuster and claim investigator duties and responsibilities

Material damage adjuster example responsibilities.

Apply strong customer service, organizational and multitasking skills to efficiently manage auto insurance claims.
Review files for SIU investigations for all fire and theft losses.
Resolve total loss claims using CCC evaluations for market evaluation of vehicles.
Research and resolve total loss claims, while obtaining reports from CCC.
Create summaries explaining repair cost differences for arbitration purposes.
Research and review delinquent mortgage cases, financial scenarios and individual homeowner situations to develop solutions compliant with investor policy.

Claim investigator example responsibilities.

Manage and dispose of claims in litigation by preparing and developing strategy with defense counsel and consensus relative to litigation handling.
Coordinate with SIU investigators in their investigations of the same claimant or insure.
Collaborate with SIU, fire, and police personnel in an effort to resolve investigations.
Conduct extensive field investigations and interact with staff attorneys on litigation matters.
Prepare and/or review property and content estimates for settlement using Xactimate and XactContents software programs.
Conduct complete assessment of interior and exterior damage to create a detail repair estimate within Xactimate software.

Material damage adjuster vs claim investigator skills

Common material damage adjuster skills

Insurance Claims, 21%
Policy Coverage, 19%
Repair Estimates, 7%
ISO, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Police Reports, 5%

Common claim investigator skills

Scene Investigations, 11%
Insurance Claims, 7%
Property Damage, 5%
Fraud Claims, 5%
Background Checks, 5%
Litigation, 4%

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Material Damage Adjuster
Material Damage Adjuster vs Claim Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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