Loan Officer Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 4,867 US job postings by 839 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for loan officers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 4,867 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for loan officers in US job postings is $102,000 a year (789 postings from 194 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $50,000 to $147,000.
- The skills that most set loan officer postings apart are respa, fha, underwriting.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 3 years of experience.
Loan Officer job postings in the US, October 2026
- $102,000
- Median advertised pay (789 postings)
- $50,000–$147,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- 4,867
- US job postings from 839 employers
- 3 years
- Median experience asked
How much does a loan officer make?
The median advertised pay is $102,000 a year, from 789 US job postings by 194 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $188,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 789 US loan officer job postings: median $102,000 a year, middle half $50,000 to $147,000.
- Median: $102,000
- 25th percentile: $50,000
- 75th percentile: $147,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 1.4% |
| $20K–$30K | 4.2% |
| $30K–$40K | 13.5% |
| $40K–$50K | 5.9% |
| $50K–$60K | 5.2% |
| $60K–$70K | 3.4% |
| $70K–$80K | 4.7% |
| $80K–$90K | 3.4% |
| $90K–$100K | 4.8% |
| $100K–$110K | 7.3% |
| $110K–$120K | 8.0% |
| $120K–$130K | 5.5% |
| $130K–$140K | 4.1% |
| $140K–$150K | 3.8% |
| $150K–$160K | 5.2% |
| $160K–$170K | 3.2% |
| $170K–$180K | 4.5% |
| $180K–$190K | 2.1% |
| $190K–$200K | 3.2% |
| $200K–$210K | 2.4% |
| $210K–$220K | 0.9% |
| $220K–$230K | 0.7% |
| $230K–$240K | 0.1% |
| $240K–$250K | 0.3% |
| $250K–$260K | 0.4% |
| $260K–$270K | 1.0% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an annual salary | $119,000 | $91K–$163K | 523 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $102,000 | $50K–$147K | 789 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Loan Officers (13-2072) at $77,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a loan officer?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying loan officer jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage Loan Officer | $49,000 | 356 | 111 |
Skills employers ask for in loan officer job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 49% |
| Interpersonal skills | 24% |
| Customer service | 20% |
| Organizational skills | 20% |
| Excel | 18% |
| Analytical skills | 15% |
| Attention to detail | 12% |
| Work independently | 12% |
| Word | 11% |
| Microsoft Office | 11% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set loan officers apart
- Underwriting80.7× as often as in all postings · 5%
- Business development14.3× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Sales8.5× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Microsoft word3.9× as often as in all postings · 5%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a loan officer job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a loan officer do?
Employers post these jobs as Mortgage Loan Officer, Mortgage Loan Originator, Commercial Loan Officer, Commercial Lender, Commercial Relationship Manager and other titles. The largest specializations are Mortgage Loan Officer (67%), Commercial Loan Officer (9%), Business Banker (12%), Treasury Management Officer (under 1%), Commercial Real Estate Relationship Manager (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Loan Officers (13-2072.00). Its most important tasks:
- Meet with applicants to obtain information for loan applications and to answer questions about the process.
- Analyze applicants' financial status, credit, and property evaluations to determine feasibility of granting loans.
- Approve loans within specified limits, and refer loan applications outside those limits to management for approval.
- Explain to customers the different types of loans and credit options that are available, as well as the terms of those services.
- Submit applications to credit analysts for verification and recommendation.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a loan officer?
Among 1,744 postings that state a minimum, the median is 3 years. Under 1% say 0 years and 15% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 1,744 US loan officer job postings: median 3 years, and 15% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 1% |
| 1 yr | 14% |
| 2 yrs | 31% |
| 3-4 yrs | 27% |
| 5-7 yrs | 21% |
| 8-9 yrs | 2% |
| 10+ yrs | 4% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 99% of the 356 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a loan officer: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Mortgage Loan Officer | 183 (21.8%) |
| Loan Officer | 118 (14.1%) |
| Mortgage Loan Originator | 107 (12.8%) |
| Commercial Loan Officer | 60 (7.1%) |
| Commercial Lender | 57 (6.8%) |
| Commercial Relationship Manager | 44 (5.2%) |
| Loan Originator | 35 (4.2%) |
| Business Banker | 35 (4.2%) |
| Business Banking Relationship Manager | 26 (3.1%) |
| Commercial Banker | 24 (2.9%) |
| Mortgage Banker | 23 (2.7%) |
| Commercial Banking Relationship Manager | 19 (2.3%) |
| SBA Business Development Officer | 19 (2.3%) |
| Mortgage Originator | 17 (2.0%) |
| Mortgage Consultant | 15 (1.8%) |
| Mortgage Advisor | 14 (1.7%) |
| Relationship Manager | 14 (1.7%) |
| Commercial Banking Officer | 13 (1.6%) |
| Mortgage Sales Manager | 12 (1.4%) |
| Relationship Manager III | 12 (1.4%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Loan officer job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage Loan Originator | 526 | 107 | – | 2 years | communication, organizational skills, customer service |
| Mortgage Loan Officer | 977 | 183 | – | 2 years | communication, customer service, organizational skills |
| Business Banker | 135 | 35 | – | – | – |
Mortgage Loan Originator vs Loan Officer
| Mortgage Loan Originator | Loan Officer | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 526 | 588 |
| Employers | 107 | 118 |
| Median advertised pay | – | – |
| Median experience asked | 2 years | – |
| Skills that stand out | – | – |
Loan Officer compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loan Officer | $102K | 3 years | 4,867 | – |
| Underwriter | $120K | 4 years | 2,012 | 18 |
| Business Development Manager | $142K | 5 years | 8,151 | 17 |
| Sales Representative | $80K | 2 years | 44,989 | 16 |
| Credit Analyst | $104K | 3 years | 940 | 19 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Underwriter | 18 | $120K |
| Business Development Manager | 17 | $142K |
| Sales Representative | 16 | $80K |
| Credit Analyst | 19 | $104K |
| Sales Manager | 17 | $120K |
| Account Manager | 17 | $118K |
Applying for loan officer jobs?
- Loan officer resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find loan officer jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a loan officer make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.