$Who Earns What

How much does a title examiner make?

US Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

Answer: A typical title examiner in the United States makes $58,650 a year (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Yearly pay of a typical person doing this job in the US
$58,650

Line up 100 people; this is the one in the middle (median). about 49,000 people work in this job. About the same as the US-wide typical pay ($50,980).

Lower earner
$38,170
10th from the bottom of 100
Typical person
$58,650
Right in the middle (median)
Higher earner
$90,830
10th from the top of 100

If 100 people had this job

Lowest at bottom-left, highest at top-right

Hover over a person to see their yearly pay

48 of 100
not many

Title examiner pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread)

Title examiner pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread) — Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lower earner (10th from bottom)Typical person (median)Higher earner (10th from top)People in this job
$38,170$58,650$90,830about 49,000
States where title examiners earn the most (median, May 2025)
StateTypical person (median)People in this job
Colorado$77,600about 1,000
Oregon$76,930about 640
Nevada$71,050about 620
Washington$66,440about 930
Utah$62,210about 1,000

Why does pay differ?

In the United States, pay often rises with experience and strong research skills. It also differs by state and employer: title examiners work in law, insurance, real estate, and energy, and harder, more specialized title work may pay more.

What if you lived in a different state?

Pay varies a lot by state in the US
Whole US$58,650
Colorado$77,600
Oregon$76,930
Nevada$71,050
Washington$66,440
Utah$62,210
Missouri$48,190
Wisconsin$48,070
Arkansas$47,510

Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.

What does a title examiner do?

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).

What's a typical day like?

They trace a home's deeds in county or company records, checking mortgages, liens, easements, unpaid taxes, and ownership details. They write a report on problems to fix and may contact real-estate agents, lenders, or courthouse staff.

How to get this job

Usually, you need a high school diploma or GED and learn on the job; office or real-estate experience helps. License rules vary: some states require a license and exam to run your own title-search business, so check locally.

High school plus some training (preparation level 2 of 5)

Good for people who like keeping things organized and leading and selling.

Did you know?

A title search can uncover old unpaid property taxes or easements that limit how the land may be used.

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Sources and data

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine

Pages used for the text

Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY