Careers / Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$58,650

United States, 2025

Employment

48,580

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Search real estate records, examine titles, or summarize pertinent legal or insurance documents or details for a variety of purposes. May compile lists of mortgages, contracts, and other instruments pertaining to titles by searching public and private records for law firms, real estate agencies, or title insurance companies.

O*NET code
23-2093.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • Prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches.
  • Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
  • Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
  • Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles.
  • Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it.
  • Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles.
  • Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
  • Read search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$38,170
10th
$47,420
25th
$58,650
Median
$74,810
75th
$90,830
90th

10th percentile

$38,170

25th percentile

$47,420

75th percentile

$74,810

90th percentile

$90,830

Most important skills

  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Speaking3.6
  • Critical Thinking3.6
  • Time Management3.4
  • Writing3.3
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0
  • Active Learning2.9
  • Service Orientation2.9

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 10 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

10

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Reading Comprehension4.04.0Not selected4.0
Active Listening3.83.8Not selected3.8
Speaking3.63.6Not selected3.6
Critical Thinking3.63.6Not selected3.6
Writing3.33.6Not selected3.6
Time Management3.43.3Not selected3.3
Complex Problem Solving3.13.0Not selected3.0
Monitoring3.03.0Not selected3.0
Coordination3.03.0Not selected3.0
Judgment and Decision Making3.02.6Not selected2.6

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Midland, TX$112,4201402025
San Jose, CA$94,7101302025
Vallejo, CA$85,950402025
Salem, OR$80,490302025
Denver, CO$79,6308502025
Morgantown, WV$79,030502025
Charleston, WV$78,530602025
Riverside, CA$78,4002702025
Greeley, CO$78,070402025
CO$77,6001,4002025
Bakersfield, CA$77,360402025
WV$77,2303502025
Portland, OR$76,9703102025
OR$76,9306402025
Reno, NV$76,6901102025
Eugene, OR$76,580702025
San Francisco, CA$76,4603502025
Anchorage, AK$75,970802025
AK$75,9601002025
Medford, OR$75,560402025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.