Assessor Appraiser Earnings

The median annual wage for appraisers and assessors of real estate was $49,540 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $25,850, and the top 10 percent earned more than $91,700.

In May 2012, median annual wages in industries employing the largest numbers of appraisers and assessors were as follows:

In May 2012, the median annual wages in the top five industries in which appraisers and assessors worked were as follows:

• Credit intermediation and related activities $65,830
• State government, excluding schools and hospitals 52,960
• Activities related to real estate 49,810
• Local government, excluding schools and hospitals 46,320
• Offices of real estate agents and brokers 37,070

Appraisers and assessors of real estate typically work full time during regular business hours. However, self-employed appraisers, often called “independent fee appraisers,” usually work more than a standard 40-hour workweek, including spending their evenings and weekends writing reports.

Earnings for independent-fee appraisers can vary significantly because they are paid fees on the basis of each appraisal.

Source:  Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition