When a disaster strikes or a car accident happens in Mississippi, insurance claims adjusters are the professionals who step in to investigate insurance claims. They assess damage, determine what the insurance policy coverage, figure out the insurance company’s liability, and calculate the appropriate settlement amount. They serve as the bridge between the policyholder and the insurer, and their goal is to ensure that payouts are fair, accurate, and covered by the policy.
There are three types of claims adjusters: staff adjusters, independent adjusters, and public adjusters. Staff adjusters are employees of insurance companies. Independent adjusters are self-employed contractors hired by insurance companies on a case-by-case basis, while public adjusters are independent contractors hired directly by the policyholder. The previous two advocate for the insurer, while the third one advocates for the policyholder.
While their advocacies might differ, they all perform basically the same responsibilities. These include policy verification, investigation of the scene, evidence collection, fraud prevention, and settlement negotiation. In other words, insurance claims adjusters handle the legwork of processing an insurance claim.
With everything they do, you might already have a figure in your head when it comes to how much they are paid. Let’s see if your guess matches how much claims adjusters actually make in Mississippi.
The Baseline Averages: What is the Typical Salary?
Different sources put out different figures as to what the typical salary of an insurance claims adjuster receives in Mississippi. A primary reason for this might be because they track different types of jobs. Still, these sources are worth looking at to establish a baseline of how much claims adjusters make, on average, in the Magnolia State.
General Job Boards & Employer Surveys
Sites like ZipRecruiter and Indeed often track standard, non-specialized adjuster pay. Here’s a look at what a typical claims adjuster’s salary is in Mississippi according to job boards and surveys.
Average Salary for Claims Adjuster in Mississippi
| Average Yearly | Entry Level | Top Earners | Average Hourly | |
| Indeed | $62,796 | $43,200 | $91,282 | n/a |
| ZipRecruiter | $61,189 | $28,886 | $85,236 | $29 |
| Glassdoor | $56,000 | $45,000 | $71,000 | n/a |
| Talent.com | $55,030 | $47,348 | $86,273 | $27.85 |
| Salary.com | $48,312 | $39,223 | $59,905 | $23 |
The State Government’s View
Referring to the occupational and employment wage estimates from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), an entry level claims adjuster typically receives $55,750 per year ($26.80 per hour), a mid-career claims adjuster receives $81,180 per year ($39.03 per hour), and an experienced claims adjuster receives $93,700 per year ($45.05 per hour).
Entry Level, Mean, and Experienced Claims Adjuster Salary in Mississippi
| Hourly | Annual | |
| Entry Level Wage | $26.80 | $55,750 |
| Mid-Career (Mean) Wage | $39.03 | $81,180 |
| Experience Wage | $45.05 | $93,700 |
Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Hattiesburg Metropolitan Statistical Area report from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES)
The National Average Vs. The Mississippi Average
According to the federal government, more specifically the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators across the country receive a median pay of $76,790 per year (about $36.92 per hour).
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators only earn a mean (average) salary of $68,080 (about $32.73 per hour, with a middle-of-the-pack median rate of $30.23 per hour). The Mississippi rate is lower by around 11.3% compared to the national average.
Claims Adjusters Salary: National Average Vs. the Mississippi Average
| Yearly Median Pay | Rate Per Hour | |
| National Average | $76,790 | $36.92 |
| Mississippi Average | $68,080 | $32.73 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Why is the Mississippi Baseline Slightly Lower?
If you compare the national average with Mississippi’s baseline pay for insurance claims adjuster, you might notice that the latter is a bit lower than the former.
A major reason for this is job density, also known as location quotient. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), location quotient is “the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.”
In Mississippi’s case, its location quotient is 0.73 for claims adjusters. This means there are fewer claims adjusting jobs in the state than the national average. This checks out if you think about where major insurance company headquarters are located. Most are centralized in nearby corporate hubs, such as Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas and Atlanta in Georgia. What’s left in Mississippi are primarily local field adjusters and smaller local agencies.
Highest-Paying Mississippi Cities for Claims Adjusters
In real estate, it’s all about location, location, location, and it’s the same in insurance claims adjusting. Where you are located dictates how much you get paid.
According to data from ZipRecruiter, an insurance claims adjuster working in Pascagoula earns the highest across the state with an hourly rate of $31.14, which is $64,775 per year. This is closely followed by a claims adjuster in Clarksdale who earns $31.10 per hour and $64,685 per year. Rounding out the top 3 is Gulfport, where a claims adjuster can get paid an hourly rate of $30.90 and an annual salary of $64,281.
Also included in the top 10 are the following cities in Mississippi: Long Beach, Hattiesburg, Petal, Meridian, Brandon, Byhalia, and Tupelo. You’ll find details of the top 10 highest paying cities in Mississippi below.
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Claims Adjuster Jobs in Mississippi
| City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
| Pascagoula | $64,775 | $31.14 |
| Clarksdale | $64,685 | $31.10 |
| Gulfport | $64,281 | $30.90 |
| Long Beach | $64,087 | $30.81 |
| Hattiesburg | $64,045 | $30.79 |
| Petal | $64,045 | $30.79 |
| Meridian | $63,375 | $30.47 |
| Brandon | $62,393 | $30.00 |
| Byhalia | $61,919 | $29.77 |
| Tupelo | $61,526 | $29.58 |
Source: ZipRecruiter
Experience Also Plays a Role
Experience also gives your salary a boost. According to data from Salary.com, a claims adjuster with zero to two years of experience receives an annual salary of $48,312. One with some experience receives $63,562, while a claims adjuster with over three-years’ experience can get a salary of $77,441.
Experience Level and Salary
| Job Role | Years of Experience | Average Salary |
| Claims Adjuster I | 0-2 years | $48,312 |
| Claims Adjuster II | 2-4 years | $63,562 |
| Claims Adjuster III | 4-7 years | $77,441 |
Source: Salary.com