Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, title examiners, abstractors, and searchers earn $50,790 at the median, or about $24.42 an hour. The range runs from $41K at the entry level to $82K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.94), that's roughly $52,393 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,338/month, about 40.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $51K get you in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Milwaukee-Waukesha’s Regional Price Parity (96.94). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
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What this looks like in Milwaukee-Waukesha
Pay for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers in Milwaukee-Waukesha runs about 13% below the U.S. median of $59K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,338/month, which is 39% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.94) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for title examiners, abstractors, and searcherss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers in metros near Milwaukee-Waukesha, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | $51K | $53K |
| Green Bay | $50K | $54K |
| Lansing-East Lansing | $47K | $50K |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $51K | $51K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Entry-level title examiners, abstractors, and searchers (10th percentile) start around $41K. Mid-career wages sit at $51K. Top earners bring in $82K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $78K | +32% | 1,400 |
| West Virginia | $77K | +32% | 350 |
| Oregon | $77K | +31% | 640 |
| Alaska | $76K | +30% | 100 |
| Nevada | $71K | +21% | 620 |
| Massachusetts | $69K | +18% | N/A |
| California | $67K | +15% | N/A |
| Washington | $66K | +13% | 930 |
| Delaware | $65K | +11% | 140 |
| Rhode Island | $63K | +8% | 120 |
| Connecticut | $63K | +7% | 90 |
| Utah | $62K | +6% | 1,160 |
| New Hampshire | $62K | +6% | N/A |
| New Jersey | $62K | +6% | 550 |
| Idaho | $62K | +5% | 640 |
| New York | $61K | +5% | 2,130 |
| Alabama | $61K | +5% | N/A |
| Texas | $60K | +3% | 6,770 |
| North Dakota | $60K | +2% | 140 |
| South Dakota | $59K | +1% | 180 |
| Florida | $58K | -0% | 4,800 |
| Minnesota | $58K | -1% | 560 |
| New Mexico | $58K | -1% | 480 |
| Ohio | $57K | -3% | 1,860 |
| Maryland | $55K | -5% | 420 |
| Kansas | $55K | -7% | 710 |
| Virginia | $54K | -8% | 1,340 |
| Kentucky | $53K | -10% | 270 |
| Pennsylvania | $52K | -11% | 2,220 |
| North Carolina | $51K | -14% | 400 |
| Oklahoma | $50K | -14% | 1,500 |
| Tennessee | $50K | -14% | 1,160 |
| Illinois | $50K | -15% | 1,290 |
| Arizona | $50K | -15% | 1,210 |
| Michigan | $50K | -16% | N/A |
| Maine | $49K | -17% | 70 |
| Nebraska | $49K | -17% | 360 |
| Wyoming | $49K | -17% | 200 |
| Georgia | $48K | -18% | 660 |
| Missouri | $48K | -18% | 1,470 |
| Wisconsin | $48K | -18% | 700 |
| Arkansas | $48K | -19% | 650 |
| Mississippi | $47K | -20% | 150 |
| South Carolina | $47K | -20% | N/A |
| Iowa | $46K | -21% | 400 |
| Indiana | $46K | -21% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $38K | -34% | 390 |
Showing 1–10 of 47 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track title examiners, abstractors, and searchers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Milwaukee-Waukesha numbers change.
Related careers in Legal
Frequently asked questions
Can a title examiners, abstractors, and searcher afford a 2BR apartment alone in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $51K, rent takes 39% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,338/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new title examiners, abstractors, and searchers typically earn — is $41K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,453/month. At HUD’s $1,338/month FMR, rent would take 55% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is title examiners, abstractors, and searcher a high-paying job in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $51K here vs. $59K nationally.
How does Milwaukee-Waukesha compare to the national average for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers?
Milwaukee-Waukesha pays $51K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.94), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — below the national median.
How much do title examiners, abstractors, and searchers make in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?
The median is $50,790 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,890, and experienced title examiners, abstractors, and searchers can clear $81,610. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $51K enough to live in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,434/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,338/month, which eats 39% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a title examiners, abstractors, and searchers salary go in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Milwaukee-Waukesha has a Regional Price Parity of 96.94 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median title examiners, abstractors, and searchers salary is worth about $52,393 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do title examiners, abstractors, and searchers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.