All About Court Reporters
Position 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.
Life As a Court Reporter: What Do They Do?
- Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
- Take notes in shorthand or use a stenotype or shorthand machine that prints letters on a paper tape.
- Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
- Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
- File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk’s office.
- Record depositions and other proceedings for attorneys.
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Qualities of a Court Reporter
When polled, Court Reporters say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
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.
Types of Court Reporter Jobs
- Digital Court Reporter
- Caption Writer
- Data Transcriber
- Freelance Court Reporter
- Court Stenographer
Is There Going to be Demand for Court Reporters?
There were about 19,600 jobs for Court Reporter in 2016 (in the United States). 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. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 1,700 job openings in this field each 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.
Average Court Reporters Salary
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
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 many years of work experience do I need?
Where Court Reporters Work
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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