Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
Also called: Title Abstractor, Title Examiner, Title Officer, Title SearcherSearch 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.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 14 of its 17 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 2.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 48% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $61,330 | $48,570 to $77,340 | not published |
| Alaska | $75,960 | $58,830 to $86,930 | 100 |
| Arizona | $49,580 | $46,270 to $69,820 | 1,210 |
| Arkansas | $47,510 | $37,880 to $62,460 | 650 |
| California | $67,230 | $59,190 to $90,570 | not published |
| Colorado | $77,600 | $59,450 to $87,920 | 1,400 |
| Connecticut | $62,940 | $54,660 to $70,850 | 90 |
| Delaware | $65,270 | $55,220 to $72,870 | 140 |
| Florida | $58,450 | $48,340 to $70,140 | 4,800 |
| Georgia | $48,320 | $39,940 to $72,020 | 660 |
| Hawaii | not published | not published | 90 |
| Idaho | $61,730 | $47,370 to $76,000 | 640 |
| Illinois | $49,990 | $46,070 to $61,750 | 1,290 |
| Indiana | $46,150 | $38,470 to $58,810 | not published |
| Iowa | $46,330 | $37,290 to $53,520 | 400 |
| Kansas | $54,640 | $46,690 to $66,400 | 710 |
| Kentucky | $52,860 | $43,070 to $61,530 | 270 |
| Louisiana | $38,470 | $37,600 to $63,540 | 390 |
| Maine | $48,900 | $32,620 to $62,390 | 70 |
| Maryland | $55,460 | $46,290 to $67,600 | 420 |
| Massachusetts | $69,100 | $53,080 to $95,680 | not published |
| Michigan | $49,540 | $39,140 to $61,730 | not published |
| Minnesota | $58,250 | $50,790 to $70,080 | 560 |
| Mississippi | $47,060 | $41,040 to $55,530 | 150 |
| Missouri | $48,190 | $39,640 to $59,910 | 1,470 |
| Nebraska | $48,880 | $45,860 to $63,100 | 360 |
| Nevada | $71,050 | $59,590 to $80,750 | 620 |
| New Hampshire | $62,090 | $50,550 to $82,390 | not published |
| New Jersey | $61,930 | $56,120 to $75,250 | 550 |
| New Mexico | $57,940 | $45,880 to $71,280 | 480 |
| New York | $61,380 | $56,950 to $78,410 | 2,130 |
| North Carolina | $50,500 | $35,300 to $64,220 | 400 |
| North Dakota | $59,980 | $51,710 to $83,330 | 140 |
| Ohio | $56,680 | $46,760 to $66,990 | 1,860 |
| Oklahoma | $50,270 | $39,990 to $65,940 | 1,500 |
| Oregon | $76,930 | $65,420 to $97,510 | 640 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,220 | $45,120 to $74,610 | 2,220 |
| Puerto Rico | $44,570 | $40,820 to $44,570 | not published |
| Rhode Island | $63,300 | $48,650 to $67,390 | 120 |
| South Carolina | $46,740 | $37,160 to $55,060 | not published |
| South Dakota | $59,300 | $48,410 to $65,430 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $50,240 | $42,750 to $62,840 | 1,160 |
| Texas | $60,120 | $48,860 to $79,610 | 6,770 |
| Utah | $62,210 | $49,200 to $81,740 | 1,160 |
| Virginia | $54,230 | $48,160 to $64,470 | 1,340 |
| Washington | $66,440 | $58,400 to $81,330 | 930 |
| West Virginia | $77,230 | $61,940 to $87,240 | 350 |
| Wisconsin | $48,070 | $45,520 to $58,730 | 700 |
| Wyoming | $48,710 | $45,890 to $64,030 | 200 |
Nationally: $58,650. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 14 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | 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. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles. | Not published |
| AI alone | Read search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties. | Not published |
| AI + software | Obtain maps or drawings delineating properties from company title plants, county surveyors, or assessors' offices. | Not published |
| AI alone | Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| AI + software | Enter into record-keeping systems appropriate data needed to create new title records or to update existing ones. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Confer with realtors, lending institution personnel, buyers, sellers, contractors, surveyors, and courthouse personnel to exchange title-related information or to resolve problems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches. | Not published |
| AI + software | Retrieve and examine real estate closing files for accuracy and to ensure that information included is recorded and executed according to regulations. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct activities of workers who search records and examine titles, assigning, scheduling, and evaluating work, and providing technical guidance as necessary. | Not published |
| AI alone | Summarize pertinent legal or insurance details, or sections of statutes or case law from reference books for use in examinations or as proofs or ready reference. | Not published |
| Not much | Assess fees related to registration of property-related documents. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare real estate closing statements, using knowledge and expertise in real estate procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine whether land-related documents can be registered under the relevant legislation, such as the Land Titles Act. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #1 Gather information from physical or electronic sources
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #33 Compile records, documentation, or other data
- and 3 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consult legal materials or public records | |||
| Prepare legal or regulatory documents | |||
| Gather information from physical or electronic sources | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Compile records, documentation, or other data | |||
| Process digital or online data | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Assess characteristics or impacts of regulations or policies |
Show all 14 activities
| Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Investigate criminal or legal matters | |||
| Sell products or services | |||
| Discuss legal matters with clients, disputants, or legal professionals or staff | |||
| Direct legal activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer23%
- A document or report20%
- Data or a spreadsheet13%
- An analysis or summary11%
- Configuration or infrastructure2%
How they worked with Claude
62% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 9,910 moves out
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 5%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 4%
- 4 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 9,402 moves in
- 1 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 5%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 3 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 5%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 4% less than high school
- 55% high school
- 10% postsecondary certificate
- 13% some college
- 1% associate's
- 14% bachelor's
- 4% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 25% high school
- 27% some college
- 12% associate's
- 24% bachelor's
- 4% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 985 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Legal Assistant/Paralegal.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/23-2093.00