Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators vs Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products: Similar Pay, -5.5% vs 6% Growth

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators vs Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products: what changes?

Consider Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators if you want to review settled claims to determine that payments and settlements are made in accordance with company practices and procedures. Consider Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products if you would rather purchase machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies, or services necessary for the operation of an establishment. Entry credentials differ: Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators, high school diploma or equivalent; Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products, specialty requirements need verification.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators and Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

The labor-market benchmark for Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products covers the broader BLS group Buyers and purchasing agents (13-1020). It does not isolate this specialty.

Compare the practical differences

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators

National median pay (2025): $78,000
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Examine claims forms and other records to determine insurance coverage.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 20,900

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 5.5% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators brief

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products

National median pay (2025): $77,710
Route into the job: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
Prior related experience: Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
Training and licensing: Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.
Work to investigate: Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 47,200

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products brief

How the national numbers differ

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products has the edge on projected growth

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products is at 6% projected growth, compared with -5.5% projected growth for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators.

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products has the edge on annual openings

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products is at 47,200 annual openings, compared with 20,900 annual openings for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators.

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

51.4/ 100

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators

70.6/ 100

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators vs Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products

Dimension	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
Median pay (2025)	$78,000	$77,710
Pay percentile	69.1 percentile	68.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-5.5%	6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	20,900	47,200
2025 employment	376,100	516,100
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
On-the-job training	More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators brief Read Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products brief

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators vs Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products

How the national numbers differ

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products has the edge on projected growth

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products has the edge on annual openings

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators vs Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products

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