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Q1 National Comp360 Insights Now Available
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Q1 Agency Compensation Trends | Powered by Catalyit

January 2026

Attracting and retaining top talent starts with knowing where you stand. This is a high-level preview of the Agency Compensation 360 Study. Complete the survey to unlock full insights and benchmarking.

Participating States

Compensation is now transparent.

  • Pay information is more visible and shareable than ever.
  • Employees and candidates compare roles, ranges, and structures.
  • Agencies are expected to explain—not just make—compensation decisions.
  • Guesswork creates risk—data creates confidence.
Eblast Agency Compensation 360

Agency Compensation 360...

Agency Compensation 360 is the first-of-its-kind compensation study for independent insurance agencies, designed exclusively for independent agencies by Big "I" States. The multi-state participation has created credible benchmarks, featuring interactive real-time analytics dashboards that allow for filtering by state, agency size, role, and growth profile.

What The Study Covers:

Salary and commission structures
Benefits and PTO trends
Remote and flexible work practices
Staffing models and outsourcing
Future hiring and compensation planning

Participation Snapshot

National Overview

1,322

Total Respondents

Comp360 Participating States_cropped

Community Type

Comp360-Community Type
64

Agencies operating in multiple states

357

Agencies with multiple offices/branches

3.4

Average number of offices/branches

National Participant Composition

Agency's Total Commissions

Comp360-Total Commissions

Ownership Structure

Comp360-Ownership

Revenue Distribution

Comp360-Revenue Distribution

Why Participation Matters:

Larger Datasets

Larger datasets increase reliability
Larger Datasets

Apples-to-Apples

Enables apples-to-apples comparisons
Apples-to-Apples

Benchmark

Allows agencies to benchmark within similar size and growth profiles
Benchmark

Regional Insights

Improves insight into regional talent markets
Regional Insights

The insurance talent market is tight.

  • Insurance agencies are competing for talent in a tight financial services labor market.
  • The competition isn't just other agencies—it's banks, financial firms, and other employers looking for similar skill sets.
  • Recruiting and retention pressure continues, making compensation decisions more important than ever.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (NAICS 524)

catalyit.comhubfsbusinessman hand working on laptop computer with digital layer business strategy and social media diagram on wooden desk

Good data is essential.

  • The insurance workforce is aging, and fewer experienced professionals are entering the industry.
  • Employment growth is steady but modest, increasing competition for qualified candidates.
  • Compensation is more transparent and easier to compare than ever.

Clear, credible compensation data helps agencies make smarter decisions.

What Is The Data Showing?

Real data. Real agencies. Here's how to use it.

Benchmark, don’t copy. Keep this in mind.

When using Agency Compensation 360 Analytics, remember it’s a benchmark—not a blueprint. Every agency is different. Focus on context, not matching another agency line-by-line. This is a valuable tool, free to participants, that helps you confirm direction, stay current on market trends, and make informed compensation decisions before issues surface.

National Workforce

14.2

Avg # of Full Time W-2 Employees

Median: 6

1.4

Avg # of 1099 Employees

Median: 0

$1,361,301

Avg Annual
Payroll

Median: $400,812

In the next year, we anticipate our agency staff size to...

Comp360-Staffing

Customer Service/Support Model Used

Comp360-Service Model

Average Payroll Expense as a Percent of Total Revenue

Comp360-Payroll Expense

Comp360 Insight:

At 43%, payroll sits in a healthy but tight range. Service businesses typically target 40%–50%.

 

Above that pressures margins, but below that can indicate underinvestment in people or over-reliance on technology.

State Workforce

Want to see these workforce insights for your state? Select your participating state from the dropdown to download workforce insights.

Benefits

Making a difference beyond a paycheck.

Employee benefits vary significantly between agencies and play a crucial role in attracting and retaining top talent. Many agencies now use a single PTO bank for greater flexibility, while core benefits like group health insurance (63.7%), dental insurance (49.9%), and vision insurance (43.4%) remain key differentiators—especially as healthcare costs continue to rise.

To help employees understand their full value, consider providing a total compensation statement that includes base pay, bonuses, employer-paid insurance costs, retirement contributions, and other benefits. When employees see the complete picture of how your agency invests in them, it strengthens engagement and loyalty.

National PTO Benefits

Separate sick time and vacation time

43.3h

Avg # of sick hours an employee starts with

Median: 40h

12.4h

Avg # of sick hours earned with each year of service

Median: 0h

65.4h

Avg # of vacation hours an employee starts with

Median: 72h

22h

Avg # vacation hours earned with each year of service

Median: 8h

Only one set of PTO hours

83.8h

Avg # of PTO hours an employee starts with

Median: 80h

15.5h

Avg # of PTO hours earned with each year of service

Median: 8h

Type of PTO Hours Provided

Comp360-PTO

Comp360 Insight:

Separate sick and vacation time PTO policies typically provide employees with about 25 more hours of total time off annually compared to combined PTO banks.

National Employee Benefits

Benefits offered to eligible employees

(percentage of agencies that offer benefit)

63.7%

Group Health Insurance

49.9%

Dental Insurance

43.4%

Vision Insurance

51.2%

Group Life/Disability

26.9%

HSA

14.5%

FSA

14.5%

Employee Wellness Program

42.1%

Paid Family Leave

51.8%

401(K)

22.8%

IRAs

2.3%

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

23.3%

Profit Sharing

3.6%

Pension Plan

National Health Insurance Benefits

Types of employees eligible for health insurance

Comp360-Health Insurance Eligible

Type of employer contribution to total health insurance cost

Comp360-Health Contribution
84%

Avg % employer pays for employee health insurance

Median: 100%

25%

Avg % employer pays for spouse's health insurance

Median: 0%

26%

Avg % employer pays for children health insurance

Median: 0%

$1,682

Avg $ employer pays for employee health insurance

Median: $600

$413

Avg $ employer pays for spouse's health insurance

Median: $0

$404

Avg $ employer pays for children health insurance

Median: $0

National 401(K) Benefits

Types of employees eligible for 401(K)

Comp360-401k Eligible
9%

Avg % matched by employer

Median: 4%

$623

Avg $ matched by employer

Median: $0

Type of employer match for 401(K)

Comp360-401k Contribution

Compensation and Outsourcing

Individual pay data by role tells an interesting story. Producer compensation shows consistent—and sometimes exponential—growth over time. Account Manager/CSR pay follows a very different pattern. New hires with 0–3 years of industry experience often start at higher salaries, while long-tenured employees may fall behind market rates, creating internal equity challenges. In some states, the gap is even more striking. Parts of the U.S. show a nearly flat pay distribution, with little difference between employees with 0–3 years of experience and those with 20+ years in the industry. Over time, this dynamic may create retention challenges, as employees see limited opportunity for meaningful pay growth.

Compensation

Coverage Across Agency Roles

Depth of Data:

  • 15,000+ individual position data points reported
  • Filter by state, line of business, validation status (producers) and more
  • Provides reliable, role-specific benchmarks across leadership, production, service, and support functions
  • Enables meaningful comparisons at both the state and national level

Roles Included in the Study:

Owner/Principal • Executive Leadership Producers • Account Executives • Account Managers / CSRs • Processors / Technical • Accounting / Finance • Human Resources • Operations • Marketing • Administrative / Reception • IT

National Producer Compensation

Commission Rates (for employees earning commission only)

Personal Lines

Type of Transaction
Bottom Quartile
Median
Average
Top Quartile
New Business
40%
50%
49%
55%
Renewal
30%
35%
39.4%
50%
 

Commercial Lines

Type of Transaction
Bottom Quartile
Median
Average
Top Quartile
New Business
40%
45%
46.9%
50%
Renewal
30%
30%
37.1%
45%

National Account Manager/CSR Compensation

Annual Salary (excludes hourly, no extra compensation)
Years of Industry Experience
Bottom Quartile
Median
Average
Top Quartile
Less than 3 years
$45,000
$55,000
$58,056
$67,990
3-5 years
$47,000
$60,000
$60,267
$70,000
5-10 years
$55,000
$65,000
$67,901
$79,500
10-20 years
$55,000
$67,501
$69,470
$81,175
20+ years
$55,736
$68,827
$70,117
$81,779
All Employees
$50,500
$63,000
$65,340
$77,000

A Key Trend to Watch

New hires are often coming in at higher salaries, while long-tenured employees may lag behind market rates--creating internal equity challenges.

Outsourcing

Does the agency outsource any work related to...?

Comp360-Outsourcing

Comp360 Insight:

Agencies are using outsourcing to offload back-office and specialized support, not to replace client-facing talent. This suggests a deliberate focus on protecting the customer experience while controlling overhead.

Turning Insights Into Decisions

Data is only valuable if you know how to use it.

Data highlights risks and opportunities, but it doesn't tell you what to change.

That's where a clear compensation philosophy matters.

Compensation Philosophy

What factors should you consider?

Agency culture and values

Financial position

Size and growth stage

Business objectives

Local talent availability

What's the importance of defining a compensation philosophy?

It brings context to the data, helps interpret what the numbers mean for your agency, and creates consistency across roles and time. It supports decisions, not reactions.

What does a compensation philosophy do?

  • Aligns pay with business goals
  • Clarifies how performance is rewarded
  • Helps explain pay decisions clearly and confidently
  • Reduces ad-hoc and emotional decisions

Using data through a philosophy lens

  • What are we trying to reward—growth, retention, efficiency?
  • Where do we want to lead, meet, or lag the market?
  • How much variability makes sense for our agency?
  • What can we sustainably afford?

Using Comp360 The Right Way

  • Start with credible data
  • Apply it through a clear philosophy
  • Make thoughtful, sustainable compensation decisions
Staff puzzle_cropped

Key Takeaways

  • Compensation structures are market-responsive but increasingly complex

  • Pay equity and career progression need intentional design, not experience-based assumptions

  • Outsourcing is being used as a scalability lever, not a workforce substitute

What Matters Most:

Compensation is more transparent than ever
Data reduces risk and guesswork
Agencies now have access to meaningful data
Defined philosophy turns that data into action

Now It's Your Turn. Turn Your Data Into Action.

This is just a snapshot. Get the full picture by completing the survey.

Available Filters

Here's a full list of the filters available across the analytics dashboard.

State: Choose all states, or select individual states; option to select regions within states you are a Big I member of

Community Type: All Community Types, Urban, Suburban, Rural

Agency's Total Written Premium: All Written Premium, Under $1.5M, $1.5M - $3M, $3M - $6M, $6M - $10M, $10M - $25M, $25M - $50M, $50M - $100M, Over $100M

Agency's Total Commissions: All Commissions, Under $150K, $150K - $300K, $300K - $600K, $600K - $1M, $1M - $2.5M, $2.5M - $5M, $5M - $10M, Over $10M

Number of Employees: Select All, 1 - 5, 6 - 10, 11 - 25, 26 - 50, 51 - 150, 151+

Predominant Line of Business: All Predominant Lines of Business, Group Benefits Focused - More than 50% from group benefits, Commercial Focused - More than 50% from commercial lines, Personal Lines Focused - More than 50% from personal lines, Personal Life & Health Insurance, Mixed - no single line exceeds 50%


In addition, here are the following filters available within the Employee Compensation section of the analytics dashboard.

Employee Role: All Employee Roles, Owner/Principal, Vice President/Executive, Producer, Account Executive, Account Manager/CSR, Processor/Tech, Accounting/Finance, HR, Operations, Marketing, Admin/Receptionist, IT

Employee Type: Full Time, Part Time

Employee State: Select State(s) for Where Employee is Based

Validated/Unvalidated: Validated, Unvalidated Producer Status

Employee Line of Business: All Lines of Business, Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, Benefits

Book of Business: Does This employee service their own book of business - NA, Yes, No (Intended to identify producers that service their own book of business)

 

Available Data

Here's a full list of all the data available to you once you complete the survey.

Overview
  • # of total respondents
  • # of agencies operating in multiple states
  • # of agencies with multiple offices/branches
  • Avg # of offices/branches
  • Participating states map graphic
  • Agency breakdown by community type
  • Agency's total commissions (excluding contingencies) by commission band
  • Agency's total written premium (premium in force) by premium band
  • Agency breakdown by ownership structure
  • Agency breakdown by revenue distribution
Workforce
  • Avg (and median) # of full time W-2 employees
  • Avg (and median) # of 1099 employees
  • Avg (and median) annual payroll
  • Customer service/support model used
  • Avg payroll expense as a percent of total agency revenue
  • Anticipated agency staff size changes for the next year
  • Primary factors influencing agency's expected staffing changes in 2026
  • % of agencies utilizing technology/automations to increase efficiency
  • Breakdown of agency remote work policies
  • Types of contracts required of producers
  • Breakdown of typical producer validation period by months
Employee Benefits

PTO

  • Type of PTO hours provided
  • Separate sick time and vacation time
    • Avg (and median) # of sick hours an employee starts with
    • Avg (and median) # of sick hours earned with each year of service
    • Avg (and median) # of vacation hours an employee starts with
    • Avg (and median) # of vacation hours earned with each year of service
  • Only one set of PTO hours
    • Avg (and median) # of PTO hours an employee starts with
    • Avg (and median) # of PTO hours earned with each year of service

Employee Benefits Offered

  • Benefits offered to eligible employees (% of agencies offering benefit)
    • Group Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Group Life/Disability
    • 401(K)
    • IRAs
    • Pension Plan
    • HSA
    • FSA
    • Paid Family Leave
    • Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
    • Profit Sharing
    • Employee Wellness Program
    • Others
  • Health Insurance
    • Types of employees eligible for health insurance
    • Type of employer contribution to health insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for employee health insurance
    • Avg (and median) $ employer pays for employee health insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for spouse's health insurance
    • Avg (and median) $ employer pays for spouse's health insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for children health insurance
    • Avg (and median) $ employer pays for children health insurance
  • Dental Insurance
    • Types of employees eligible for dental insurance
    • Type of employer contribution to dental insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for employee dental insurance
    • Avg (and median) $ employer pays for employee dental insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for dependent (family) health insurance
    • Avg (and median) $ employer pays for dependent (family) health insurance
  • Vision Insurance
    • Types of employees eligible for vision insurance
    • Type of employer contribution to vision insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for employee vision insurance
    • Avg (and median) $ employer pays for employee vision insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for dependent (family) vision insurance
    • Avg (and median) $ employer pays for dependent (family) vision insurance
  • Group Life/Disability Insurance
    • Types of employees eligible for group life/disability insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for employee group life/disability insurance
    • Avg (and median) % employer pays for dependent (family) group life/disability insurance
  • 401(K)
    • Types of employees eligible for 401(K)
    • Type of employer contribution to 401(K)
    • Avg (and median) % matched by employer
    • Avg (and median) $ matched by employer
  • IRA
    • Types of employees eligible for IRA
    • Type of employer contribution to IRA
    • Avg (and median) % matched by employer
    • Avg (and median) $ matched by employer
  • Pension Plan
    • Types of employees eligible for pension plan
    • Type of employer contribution to pension plan
    • Avg (and median) % matched by employer
    • Avg (and median) $ matched by employer
  • Paid Family Leave
    • Types of employees eligible for paid family leave
    • % of employers offering paid parental leave (in addition to short-term disability/FMLA)
  • ESOP
    • Types of employees eligible for ESOP
    • Types of employees eligible for profit sharing
    • Types of employees eligible for bonus
Employee Compensation
  • % breakdown of employee type
  • % breakdown of compensation type
  • % breakdown of employment type
  • % breakdown of bonus eligibility
  • % breakdown of bonus driver
  • % breakdown of employees with a designation
  • Tables with pay data:
    • Annual Salary (excludes Hourly, no extra compensation)
    • Hourly Wage
    • Base Salary (for employees being paid Salary + Commissions)
    • Total Compensation (Salary + Commissions + Bonus)
    • Commission Only - Commission Rates
    • Salary + Commission - Commission Rates
    Each pay type/section includes:
    • Bottom Quartile, Median, Average and Top Quartile, split out by Years of Industry Experience
    • Commission Rates are split by New Business and Renewal Rates
Outsourcing
  • % of agencies outsourcing work, broken out by:
    • Customer Service or Policyholder Servicing
    • Accounting or Bookkeeping
    • IT Support or a Managed Service Provider
    • Marketing & Communications
    • Administration, Executive Support or Office Manager
    • Human Resources (HR)
    • Managing Payroll
    • Fractional C-Suite Services (CFO, CMO, COO, CTO, etc.)
  • Avg $ monthly and FTE equivalent for each outsourcing task
  • Avg $ monthly per workstation for IT Support/MSP
  • Avg $ monthly per individual paid for outsourced payroll

The Study Is Open & In Real-Time

The magic in the study is interacting with this robust analytics portal and dashboard. Go play!

1

Go to the Comp360 Portal

Go to the Comp360 Portal
2

Complete the survey

3

Gain immediate dashboard access

4

Explore insights by role, size, and state

Start Survey

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more help? Contact us at comp360@catalyit.com.
What types of questions will be asked in the survey?

This survey will ask general agency questions such as agency size, mix of business and high-level agency-specific questions. Then you will be asked payroll and benefit information such as total annual payroll, questions about agency-provided insurance (health, dental, vision), other agency benefits, and outsourced services. Lastly, it will ask you about employee-specific pay structure.

For agencies with a smaller staff size, you are welcome to enter in the information directly in the survey. If you have a larger number of employees (more than 10 employees), then you can elect to use the provided Excel template to securely upload employee-specific pay information for all agency employees.

Who can participate in the survey?

If your state association is participating in the multi-state Agency Compensation 360 survey, they provided Catalyit with an owner or principal who will be invited to participate in the survey. That individual will either need to participate directly or appoint another individual to participate in order to gain exclusive access to the analytics dashboard. In order to add a different user to complete the survey, please email comp360@catalyit.com with the individual's name, email and position.

Please note: this individual will have access to the results and data.

You can participate if you are an active member of any of these Big "I" Associations:

  • Alabama Independent Insurance Agents
  • Big I Arkansas
  • Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Arizona
  • Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of California
  • Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Colorado
  • Big I Connecticut
  • Florida Association of Insurance Agents
  • Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia
  • Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Idaho
  • Big I Illinois
  • Big I Indiana
  • Kansas Association of Insurance Agents
  • Big I Kentucky
  • Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Louisiana
  • Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents
  • Big I Maryland
  • Maine Insurance Agents Association
  • Big I Michigan
  • Big I Minnesota
  • Missouri Association of Insurance Agents
  • Big I Mississippi
  • Big I Montana
  • Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina
  • Big I New Hampshire
  • Big I New Jersey
  • Nevada Independent Insurance Agents
  • Big I New York
  • Ohio Insurance Agents Association
  • Big I Oklahoma
  • Big I Oregon
  • Insurance Agents & Brokers of Delaware
  • Insurance Agents & Brokers of Pennsylvania
  • Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island
  • Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of South Carolina
  • Insurors of Tennessee
  • Independent Insurance Agents of Texas
  • Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Washington
  • Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin
Can I start the survey now and finish it later?
Yes. Your progress is saved in real-time, so you can finish the survey at a later date.
Is participation required to access the results?

Full access to the analytics portal is limited to agencies that are both members of a participating state association and participate in the survey. Access to a downloadable report will be available for purchase at a later date.

Organizations that are not an independent agency cannot acquire access.

What filters will be available in the analytics portal?
Currently, the analytics portal is expected to offer the ability to filter data by: state, region within state (if you are a Big "I" member of that state), agency size, role, and more. The availability of filters is dependent on having enough responses to ensure all responses remain anonymous.
Who is conducting the survey?
Catalyit, in partnership with Big "I" state associations, is managing and administering the survey. A dedicated team of select individuals is overseeing the project to ensure accuracy, confidentiality, and meaningful results.
I'm concerned about data privacy and anonymity. How will my information be used and secured?

Data security and privacy is taken very seriously. All information submitted will remain highly confidential and only be accessible to certain employees involved in the survey process at Catalyit. Your information submitted will never be sold, shared, or otherwise disseminated prior to being aggregated and anonymized. All information gathered will be stripped of agency name, respondent name and other identifiable information. The analytics portal will include summarized statistics and facts without any possibility of identifying the agency or employee that responded.

The platform used to gather the data is SOC2 Type II Compliant. SOC 2 is a framework applicable to all technology service or SaaS companies that store customer data in the cloud to ensure that organizational controls and practices effectively safeguard the privacy and security of customer data.

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