Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners: Career Overview
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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The Daily Work of Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of court reporters and simultaneous captioners span:
- 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
Effective court reporters and simultaneous captioners combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR)
- Court Monitor
- Court Recorder
- Court Recording Monitor
- Court Reporter
- Court Stenographer
- Court Transcriber
- Deposition Reporter
Job Outlook
There are roughly 47,318 court reporters and simultaneous captioners working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +8.7% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
| 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.
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Salary by State
| 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 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for court reporters and simultaneous captioners shift depending on where you work. 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 |
Which Industries Hire Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
The largest employers of court reporters and simultaneous captioners are concentrated in the following sectors:
| 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 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field 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
Daily working conditions for court reporters and simultaneous captioners is shaped by 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
Entry-level 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.
Other Careers to Consider
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)
Where to Study
Aspiring court reporters and simultaneous captioners often complete programs in:
Legal Professions and Studies
3 programs across 1 majors
Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes 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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