Support Staff Experience Decreased Salary Growth Yet Enhanced Overall Compensation Satisfaction

By Andrea Wells

The latest Agency Salary Survey results, published annually by Insurance Journal, reveal that insurance producers experienced an increase in earnings in 2025. However, agency owners and support staff reported a decline in total income and salary adjustments over the past year. Despite these changes, overall satisfaction with compensation remained stable.

The survey indicated that while salary and total income for producer/sales positions rose, management, agency owners, and support staff roles saw a decrease in total income from 2024 to 2025. Interestingly, satisfaction with compensation for support staff, CSR, and account executive roles increased, even amid declining salary reports.

This year’s survey recorded an average satisfaction score of 3.37 for compensation, up from 3.27 in 2024. Although this marks an increase from the average satisfaction index of 3.36 in 2023, it still falls short of the higher scores from previous years, such as 3.61 in 2022 and 3.41 in 2021. The Agency Compensation Satisfaction Index operates on a scale of 1 to 5, where “5” signifies the highest level of satisfaction:

• Management/agency owners/agency principals reported a satisfaction score of 3.75 in 2025, slightly down from 3.76 in 2024.
• Producers/sales reported a satisfaction score of 3.20 in 2025, a notable increase from 2.96 in 2024.
• Support staff/CSR/account executives recorded a satisfaction score of 3.15 in 2025, up from 3.08 in 2024.

Agencies that provided employee benefits—both hard benefits (like group health, life/disability, dental, profit sharing, 401(k) plans, ESOPs, IRAs, and flexible savings accounts) and soft benefits (such as child care/day care, education reimbursement, pet insurance, and paid family leave)—saw higher satisfaction scores. The Employee Benefit Satisfaction Index highlighted that satisfaction peaked with additional benefits like:

• Child care/day care: 3.92
• Pensions: 3.81
• Profit sharing and education reimbursement: both 3.79
• Paid family leave: 3.64
• IRAs: 3.61

In most categories, employee satisfaction with overall compensation improved when these benefits were offered. However, there were slight declines in satisfaction for ESOPs, stock options, and pet insurance, possibly due to limited availability among survey respondents.

The survey also revealed an upward trend in total compensation for producers/sales positions, which saw a 5% increase this year. The 2026 Agency Salary Survey, based on nearly 500 responses nationwide, reported the following total income changes:

• Agency owners, principals, and management saw a total income increase of 16.8% for 2025, down from 17.9% in 2024.
• Producers/sales experienced a total income increase of 25.3% in 2025, compared to 20.8% in 2024.
• Agency support staff reported a total income increase of 6.9% for 2025, down from 11.3% in 2024.

When examining salaries alone (excluding bonuses and incentives), the results showed a mixed trend. Salaries for agency owners, principals, and management rose by 15.6% in 2025, slightly down from 15.8% in 2024. Producers/sales reported an average salary increase of 21.0% in 2025, compared to 17.6% in 2024. Conversely, salaries for agency support staff increased by 7.4% in 2025, down from 11.0% in 2024.

Insurance Journal’s Agency Salary Survey gathered approximately 500 responses from agency owners and employees nationwide through an online survey conducted in January 2026. Paul Osbourne, senior analyst at Demotech Inc., contributed to the analysis of this year’s survey results. For further inquiries, please contact Andrea Wells at: awells@insurancejournal.com.

Topics
Trends
Talent

By Andrea Wells

The latest Agency Salary Survey results, published annually by Insurance Journal, reveal that insurance producers experienced an increase in earnings in 2025. However, agency owners and support staff reported a decline in total income and salary adjustments over the past year. Despite these changes, overall satisfaction with compensation remained stable.

The survey indicated that while salary and total income for producer/sales positions rose, management, agency owners, and support staff roles saw a decrease in total income from 2024 to 2025. Interestingly, satisfaction with compensation for support staff, CSR, and account executive roles increased, even amid declining salary reports.

This year’s survey recorded an average satisfaction score of 3.37 for compensation, up from 3.27 in 2024. Although this marks an increase from the average satisfaction index of 3.36 in 2023, it still falls short of the higher scores from previous years, such as 3.61 in 2022 and 3.41 in 2021. The Agency Compensation Satisfaction Index operates on a scale of 1 to 5, where “5” signifies the highest level of satisfaction:

• Management/agency owners/agency principals reported a satisfaction score of 3.75 in 2025, slightly down from 3.76 in 2024.
• Producers/sales reported a satisfaction score of 3.20 in 2025, a notable increase from 2.96 in 2024.
• Support staff/CSR/account executives recorded a satisfaction score of 3.15 in 2025, up from 3.08 in 2024.

Agencies that provided employee benefits—both hard benefits (like group health, life/disability, dental, profit sharing, 401(k) plans, ESOPs, IRAs, and flexible savings accounts) and soft benefits (such as child care/day care, education reimbursement, pet insurance, and paid family leave)—saw higher satisfaction scores. The Employee Benefit Satisfaction Index highlighted that satisfaction peaked with additional benefits like:

• Child care/day care: 3.92
• Pensions: 3.81
• Profit sharing and education reimbursement: both 3.79
• Paid family leave: 3.64
• IRAs: 3.61

In most categories, employee satisfaction with overall compensation improved when these benefits were offered. However, there were slight declines in satisfaction for ESOPs, stock options, and pet insurance, possibly due to limited availability among survey respondents.

The survey also revealed an upward trend in total compensation for producers/sales positions, which saw a 5% increase this year. The 2026 Agency Salary Survey, based on nearly 500 responses nationwide, reported the following total income changes:

• Agency owners, principals, and management saw a total income increase of 16.8% for 2025, down from 17.9% in 2024.
• Producers/sales experienced a total income increase of 25.3% in 2025, compared to 20.8% in 2024.
• Agency support staff reported a total income increase of 6.9% for 2025, down from 11.3% in 2024.

When examining salaries alone (excluding bonuses and incentives), the results showed a mixed trend. Salaries for agency owners, principals, and management rose by 15.6% in 2025, slightly down from 15.8% in 2024. Producers/sales reported an average salary increase of 21.0% in 2025, compared to 17.6% in 2024. Conversely, salaries for agency support staff increased by 7.4% in 2025, down from 11.0% in 2024.

Insurance Journal’s Agency Salary Survey gathered approximately 500 responses from agency owners and employees nationwide through an online survey conducted in January 2026. Paul Osbourne, senior analyst at Demotech Inc., contributed to the analysis of this year’s survey results. For further inquiries, please contact Andrea Wells at: awells@insurancejournal.com.

Topics
Trends
Talent