Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

Median salary

$58,650

Average salary

$62,350

Employment

48,580

Projected growth

2% growth

Annual openings

5,400

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers 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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 8.9%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 3.6/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.5/5
Administrativeimportance 3.1/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.1/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.0/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.6/5
Production and Processingimportance 2.3/5
Geographyimportance 2.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate5.0/5
E-Mail5.0/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.7/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.6/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants98% skill match
Correspondence Clerks97% skill match
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping97% skill match
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan97% skill match
Loan Officers97% skill match
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks97% skill match
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks96% skill match
Customer Service Representatives96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
Service Orientationimportance 2.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.8/5
Persuasionimportance 2.5/5
Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 2.4/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Contact management software
Data Trace Title IQ
File management software
First American Data Tree Parcel IQ
GATORS ANYWHERE
Geographic information system GIS databases
Landtitle USA
Microsoft Internet Explorer

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Integrity
Perseverance
Achievement Orientation
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
EnterprisingMedium
InvestigativeLow
RealisticLow
SocialLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where title examiners, abstractors, and searchers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).