SalariesWhat the occupation covers
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. Excludes “Loan Officers” (13-2072).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 23-2093.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $38,170 | $3,181 | $734 | $18.35 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $47,420 | $3,952 | $912 | $22.80 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $58,650 | $4,888 | $1,128 | $28.20 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $74,810 | $6,234 | $1,439 | $35.97 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $90,830 | $7,569 | $1,747 | $43.67 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers is $58,650, which is 15% higher. Among the 8 occupations of the field Legal, it ranks number 8 by median pay. With 48,580 jobs, it makes up about 3.1 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers pay by state
The highest median pay was in Colorado ($77,600), West Virginia ($77,230) and Oregon ($76,930). The lowest was in Louisiana ($38,470), Puerto Rico ($44,570) and Indiana ($46,150). The most jobs were in Texas (6,770), Florida (4,800) and Pennsylvania (2,220). The occupation is most concentrated in Oklahoma, where its share of all jobs is 2.8 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 1,400 | $77,600 | $76,700 | $37.31 |
| West Virginia | 350 | $77,230 | $75,540 | $37.13 |
| Oregon | 640 | $76,930 | $84,130 | $36.99 |
| Alaska | 100 | $75,960 | $74,710 | $36.52 |
| Nevada | 620 | $71,050 | $69,760 | $34.16 |
| Massachusetts | not published | $69,100 | $70,970 | $33.22 |
| California | not published | $67,230 | $76,950 | $32.32 |
| Washington | 930 | $66,440 | $71,270 | $31.94 |
| Delaware | 140 | $65,270 | $66,430 | $31.38 |
| Rhode Island | 120 | $63,300 | $63,860 | $30.44 |
| Connecticut | 90 | $62,940 | $66,110 | $30.26 |
| Utah | 1,160 | $62,210 | $64,770 | $29.91 |
| New Hampshire | not published | $62,090 | $66,970 | $29.85 |
| New Jersey | 550 | $61,930 | $67,660 | $29.78 |
| Idaho | 640 | $61,730 | $63,830 | $29.68 |
| New York | 2,130 | $61,380 | $70,040 | $29.51 |
| Alabama | not published | $61,330 | $63,910 | $29.49 |
| Texas | 6,770 | $60,120 | $64,810 | $28.91 |
| North Dakota | 140 | $59,980 | $66,500 | $28.84 |
| South Dakota | 180 | $59,300 | $63,270 | $28.51 |
| Florida | 4,800 | $58,450 | $60,310 | $28.10 |
| Minnesota | 560 | $58,250 | $60,000 | $28.01 |
| New Mexico | 480 | $57,940 | $60,450 | $27.85 |
| Ohio | 1,860 | $56,680 | $58,980 | $27.25 |
| Maryland | 420 | $55,460 | $57,650 | $26.66 |
| Kansas | 710 | $54,640 | $59,690 | $26.27 |
| Virginia | 1,340 | $54,230 | $58,850 | $26.07 |
| Kentucky | 270 | $52,860 | $57,420 | $25.41 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,220 | $52,220 | $62,640 | $25.11 |
| North Carolina | 400 | $50,500 | $52,980 | $24.28 |
| Oklahoma | 1,500 | $50,270 | $57,630 | $24.17 |
| Tennessee | 1,160 | $50,240 | $53,760 | $24.16 |
| Illinois | 1,290 | $49,990 | $55,480 | $24.03 |
| Arizona | 1,210 | $49,580 | $58,360 | $23.84 |
| Michigan | not published | $49,540 | $52,180 | $23.82 |
| Maine | 70 | $48,900 | $48,300 | $23.51 |
| Nebraska | 360 | $48,880 | $54,290 | $23.50 |
| Wyoming | 200 | $48,710 | $55,180 | $23.42 |
| Georgia | 660 | $48,320 | $54,810 | $23.23 |
| Missouri | 1,470 | $48,190 | $52,060 | $23.17 |
| Wisconsin | 700 | $48,070 | $54,180 | $23.11 |
| Arkansas | 650 | $47,510 | $52,050 | $22.84 |
| Mississippi | 150 | $47,060 | $47,590 | $22.62 |
| South Carolina | not published | $46,740 | $50,050 | $22.47 |
| Iowa | 400 | $46,330 | $45,540 | $22.27 |
| Indiana | not published | $46,150 | $49,630 | $22.19 |
| Puerto Rico | not published | $44,570 | $41,570 | $21.43 |
| Louisiana | 390 | $38,470 | $49,350 | $18.50 |
| Hawaii | 90 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Legal Support Workers, All Other$72,110 a year
- Judicial Law Clerks$64,920 a year
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants$62,890 a year
Common questions
How much do Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers earn in the United States?
The median pay was $58,650 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,170 and the highest-paid 10% more than $90,830.
How many people work as Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers?
About 48,580 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.