Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between property 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 property adjuster and a total loss specialist. Additionally, a property adjuster has an average salary of $54,661, which is higher than the $51,718 average annual salary of a total loss specialist.
The top three skills for a property adjuster include customer service, xactimate and claims handling. The most important skills for a total loss specialist are customer service, HR, and outbound calls.
| Property Adjuster | Total Loss Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $54,661 | $51,718 |
| Hourly rate | $26.28 | $24.86 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 12,286 | 33,617 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Typically working for insurance companies, a property adjuster specializes in inspecting property damages to assess and determine a company's financial obligations. Their responsibilities revolve around reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, gathering and verifying data, and traveling to different locations to meet with clients. They may also negotiate settlements and authorize payments in adherence to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, as a property adjuster, it is essential to have a deep understanding of property costs to ensure the accuracy of claims.
As a Total Loss Specialist, your job will involve appraising the damage and determining the salvage value on the total-loss vehicle. You will be tasked with examining the damaged vehicle to ascertain the extent of damage done to its body and structure and other mechanical, electrical, and internal damage. You'd also have to arrange with another appraiser to resolve any disagreement with the shop on the cost of repair after determining the extent of the damage to the vehicle.
Property adjusters and total loss specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Property Adjuster | Total Loss Specialist | |
| Average salary | $54,661 | $51,718 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $76,000 | Between $32,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | The Hanover Insurance Group | - |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | - |
There are a few differences between a property adjuster and a total loss specialist in terms of educational background:
| Property Adjuster | Total Loss Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between property adjusters' and total loss specialists' demographics:
| Property Adjuster | Total Loss Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% | Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.9% 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% |