How Your Job Affects Your Life Insurance Premiums
You’re in good health, you don’t smoke, you’re not a heavy drinker—you’d think that your life insurance premiums would be low. But carriers look at a lot of variables, including your occupation. Some jobs come with a higher risk of death, and its not always obvious which ones.
Does Your Job Put You at Risk?
Surprisingly, the fact that a job is considered dangerous doesn’t necessarily mean an insurance company will charge higher life insurance premiums. If you’re a police officer, your life insurance premiums will probably be fine unless you’re in a role that faces danger on a regular basis, such as a member of the SWAT team.
Deadliest Jobs
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the top jobs that put one at risk of fatal injuries include:
- Transportation incidents (40%)
- Falls, slips, and trips (17%)
- Violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16%)
- Contact with objects and equipment (15%)
- Exposure to harmful substances or environments (8%)
- Fires and explosions (3%)
All of this translates to occupations such as:
- Transportation/including truck driving and sales
- Logging
- Off shore fishing
- Pilots and flight engineers
- Roofing
- Steel and iron structural work
- Garbage and recycling collection
- Electrical power line installation/repair
- Agriculture management
- Construction
- Mining
- Oil drilling
- Firefighting
- Law enforcement
What This Means for You
Although there are basic statistics that underwriters look at, insurance carriers use their own risk rating criteria. Rather than looking at only one provider, it’s best to work with a broker who can access rates for a variety of carriers. Find out more about different types of life insurance and compare quotes.
For more interesting facts about risky jobs that affect your life insurance premiums, see the statists at BLS.gov.
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