Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners: Job Description
Use verbatim methods and equipment to capture, store, retrieve, and transcribe pretrial and trial proceedings or other information. Includes stenocaptioners who operate computerized stenographic captioning equipment to provide captions of live or prerecorded broadcasts for hearing-impaired viewers.
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What Do Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Do?
The day-to-day responsibilities of court reporters and simultaneous captioners cover:
- Record verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.
- Proofread transcripts for correct spelling of words.
- Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
- Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
- Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
- Log and store exhibits from court proceedings.
- File and store shorthand notes of court session.
- File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk's office.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Top court reporters and simultaneous captioners rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR)
- Court Monitor
- Court Recorder
- Court Recording Monitor
- Court Reporter
- Court Stenographer
- Court Transcriber
- Deposition Reporter
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 47,318 court reporters and simultaneous captioners working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +8.7% over the projection horizon.
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $76,955 |
| Hourly median | $37.00 |
| 10th percentile | $42,340 |
| 25th percentile | $59,647 |
| 75th percentile | $94,262 |
| 90th percentile | $111,569 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $109,220 |
| Texas | $105,550 |
| California | $103,640 |
| Washington | $102,620 |
| Iowa | $89,290 |
| Utah | $84,510 |
| Massachusetts | $82,440 |
| Illinois | $76,030 |
| Delaware | $75,600 |
| Nebraska | $72,910 |
| South Dakota | $72,300 |
| Kansas | $71,070 |
| Missouri | $70,260 |
| North Carolina | $68,100 |
| North Dakota | $67,810 |
| Minnesota | $67,350 |
| Idaho | $67,310 |
| Arizona | $66,890 |
| Georgia | $65,990 |
| New Jersey | $65,560 |
| Mississippi | $65,060 |
| Maryland | $65,030 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,460 |
| Wisconsin | $64,360 |
| Oklahoma | $62,800 |
| Louisiana | $61,960 |
| Ohio | $60,620 |
| Michigan | $60,060 |
| Connecticut | $59,790 |
| South Carolina | $59,180 |
| Nevada | $57,720 |
| Arkansas | $54,730 |
| Alabama | $54,280 |
| Virginia | $52,490 |
| West Virginia | $52,230 |
| Montana | $51,720 |
| Indiana | $50,910 |
| Florida | $50,540 |
| Kentucky | $47,990 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,860 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for court reporters and simultaneous captioners vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $103,591 | 14.4% | 1.03 |
| Southwest | $96,165 | 10.8% | 0.84 |
| Middle Atlantic | $91,555 | 17.8% | 1.36 |
| Plains States | $73,134 | 8.9% | 1.26 |
| New England | $63,984 | 2.3% | 1.33 |
| Great Lakes | $61,010 | 19.5% | 1.87 |
| Rocky Mountains | $57,956 | 0.9% | 1.16 |
| Southeast | $56,764 | 24.4% | 1.45 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $136,440 | 60 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | CA | $135,290 | 30 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | TX | $129,820 | 190 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | CA | $127,310 | 220 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $127,010 | 310 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | TX | $125,230 | 100 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | TX | $123,520 | 90 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $114,050 | 120 |
Top Industries Employing Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
The largest employers of court reporters and simultaneous captioners work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3,850 | $51,290 |
| Educational Services | 150 | $57,760 |
| Information | 110 | $66,150 |
Below are examples of industries where court reporters and simultaneous captioners work:
Tools and Technology
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of court reporters and simultaneous captioners tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Contact With Others
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Spend Time Sitting
Getting Started in This Career
Typical court reporters and simultaneous captioners positions require some college, no degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Document Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Lawyers (Supplemental)
- Judicial Law Clerks (Supplemental)
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers (Supplemental)
- Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (Supplemental)
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants (Primary-Short)
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers (Supplemental)
- Medical Records Specialists (Primary-Long)
Degree Programs
Students preparing for court reporters and simultaneous captioners commonly pursue programs in:
Legal Professions and Studies
3 programs across 1 majors
Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 27-3092.00 (Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners).
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