Life As a Court Reporter
Occupation 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.
What Do Court Reporters Do On a Daily Basis?
- Record depositions and other proceedings for attorneys.
- Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
- Respond to requests during court sessions to read portions of the proceedings already recorded.
- Take notes in shorthand or use a stenotype or shorthand machine that prints letters on a paper tape.
- Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
- Record verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.
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Court Reporter Required Skills
Court Reporters state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Related Job Titles
- Stenocaptioner
- Court Recorder
- Print Shop Stenographer
- Transcript Clerk
- Electronic Court Recorder
Court Reporter Employment Estimates
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 19,600 jobs in the United States for Court Reporter. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 3.6% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 700 new jobs for Court Reporter by 2026. There will be an estimated 1,700 positions for Court Reporter per year.

The states with the most job growth for Court Reporter are Tennessee, Nevada, and Idaho. Watch out if you plan on working in Maryland, New Jersey, or Wisconsin. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for a Court Reporter
Court Reporters make between $28,150 and $104,460 a year.

Court Reporters who work in New York, California, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Court Reporters in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $40,500 |
Arizona | $60,530 |
Arkansas | $45,660 |
California | $87,750 |
Colorado | $73,660 |
Connecticut | $58,790 |
Delaware | $58,070 |
Florida | $47,950 |
Georgia | $40,420 |
Idaho | $53,440 |
Illinois | $68,560 |
Indiana | $38,090 |
Iowa | $64,930 |
Kansas | $63,300 |
Louisiana | $46,300 |
Maine | $71,400 |
Massachusetts | $79,720 |
Michigan | $54,720 |
Minnesota | $66,930 |
Mississippi | $45,210 |
Missouri | $55,520 |
Nevada | $63,110 |
New Jersey | $66,930 |
New Mexico | $62,480 |
New York | $90,040 |
North Carolina | $54,650 |
North Dakota | $53,060 |
Ohio | $49,740 |
Oregon | $52,070 |
Pennsylvania | $52,330 |
Rhode Island | $66,170 |
South Carolina | $48,640 |
South Dakota | $52,050 |
Tennessee | $52,150 |
Texas | $64,910 |
Virginia | $50,230 |
Washington | $59,260 |
West Virginia | $48,570 |
Wisconsin | $60,090 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Court Reporters
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Court Reporters may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Web browser software
- Corel WordPerfect
- Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking
- Equative TimeLedger
How do I Become a Court Reporter?
Individuals working as a Court Reporter have obtained the following education levels:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Court Reporters?

The table below shows the approximate number of Court Reporters employed by various industries.

References:
Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Nicholas Rau via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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