Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Career, Salary and Skills
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $58,650 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 48,580. Wage data is published for 209 locations.
Occupation description
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
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$58,650
Hourly median
$28.20
Employment
48,580
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Speaking | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Time Management | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Writing | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches.
Technology
- Adobe Acrobat
- Contact management software
- Data Trace Title IQ
- File management software
- First American Data Tree Parcel IQ
- GATORS ANYWHERE
- Geographic information system GIS databases
- Google Workspace software
- Landtitle USA
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in TXMedian $60,120 · Employment 6,770
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in FLMedian $58,450 · Employment 4,800
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in PAMedian $52,220 · Employment 2,220
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $61,530 · Employment 2,140
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in NYMedian $61,380 · Employment 2,130
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in OHMedian $56,680 · Employment 1,860
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in New York, NYMedian $61,500 · Employment 1,830
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in Houston, TXMedian $63,470 · Employment 1,730
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in OKMedian $50,270 · Employment 1,500
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in MOMedian $48,190 · Employment 1,470
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in COMedian $77,600 · Employment 1,400
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary in VAMedian $54,230 · Employment 1,340
Related careers
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing ClerksNational median $50,670
- LawyersNational median $159,670
- Medical Records SpecialistsNational median $51,140
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue AgentsNational median $62,370
- Statistical AssistantsNational median $50,330
- Loan Interviewers and ClerksNational median $50,020
- Compliance OfficersNational median $80,730
- Judicial Law ClerksNational median $64,920
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.