Material damage adjuster vs total loss specialist

The differences between material damage adjusters and total loss specialists 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 total loss specialist. Additionally, a material damage adjuster has an average salary of $53,724, which is higher than the $51,718 average annual salary of a total loss specialist.

The top three skills for a material damage adjuster include insurance claims, policy coverage and repair estimates. The most important skills for a total loss specialist are customer service, HR, and outbound calls.

Material damage adjuster vs total loss specialist overview

	Material Damage Adjuster	Total Loss Specialist
Yearly salary	$53,724	$51,718
Hourly rate	$25.83	$24.86
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	28,605	33,617
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Material damage adjuster vs total loss specialist salary

Material damage adjusters and total loss specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Material Damage Adjuster	Total Loss Specialist
Average salary	$53,724	$51,718
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $80,000	Between $32,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	Florence, KY	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Erie Insurance	-
Best paying industry	Insurance	-

Differences between material damage adjuster and total loss specialist education

There are a few differences between a material damage adjuster and a total loss specialist in terms of educational background:

	Material Damage Adjuster	Total Loss Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	Stanford University

Material damage adjuster vs total loss specialist demographics

Here are the differences between material damage adjusters' and total loss specialists' demographics:

	Material Damage Adjuster	Total Loss Specialist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8%	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
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, 14.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between material damage adjuster and total loss specialist 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.

Total loss specialist example responsibilities.

Analyze and support development and execution of underwriting, automation and operational strategies to efficiently and effectively manage the portfolio.
Work with SIU to flag fraud and mitigate fraudulent payouts.
Clean, pack and organize the SIU office and files.
Participate in utilizing inter-company arbitration.
Participate in utilizing inter-company arbitration.

Material damage adjuster vs total loss specialist skills

Common material damage adjuster skills

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

Common total loss specialist skills

Customer Service, 22%
HR, 16%
Outbound Calls, 7%
Inbound Calls, 6%
Insurance Claims, 4%
Training Sessions, 4%

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Material Damage Adjuster
Material Damage Adjuster vs Total Loss Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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