What You Need to Know About 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.
Daily Life Of a Court Reporter
- Verify accuracy of transcripts by checking copies against original records of proceedings and accuracy of rulings by checking with judges.
- Take notes in shorthand or use a stenotype or shorthand machine that prints letters on a paper tape.
- Respond to requests during court sessions to read portions of the proceedings already recorded.
- Record symbols on computer storage media and use computer aided transcription to translate and display them as text.
- Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
- File and store shorthand notes of court session.
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What a Court Reporter Should Know
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.
Other Court Reporter Job Titles
- Transcript Clerk
- Realtime Court Reporter
- Shorthand Reporter
- Stenographer
- Realtime Captioner
Court Reporter Job Outlook
In the United States, there were 19,600 jobs for Court Reporter in 2016. 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.
What is the Average Salary of a Court Reporter
The average yearly salary of a Court Reporter ranges between $28,150 and $104,460.

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 |
What Tools do Court Reporters Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Court Reporters:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Web browser software
- Corel WordPerfect
- Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking
- Equative TimeLedger
How to Become a Court Reporter
What education or degrees do I need to become a Court Reporter?

How Long Does it Take to Become a Court Reporter?

Where Court Reporters Are Employed

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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