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Court Reporter

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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.

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.

  • 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.

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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.

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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:

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Who Employs Court Reporters?

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

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References:

Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Nicholas Rau via Public domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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