All About Court Reporters
Career 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
- Take notes in shorthand or use a stenotype or shorthand machine that prints letters on a paper tape.
- File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk’s office.
- File and store shorthand notes of court session.
- 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.
- Respond to requests during court sessions to read portions of the proceedings already recorded.
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.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Freelance Court Reporter
- Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR)
- Digital Court Reporter
- Court Recorder
- Voice Writing Reporter
Job Opportunities for Court Reporters
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.
Do Court Reporters Make A Lot Of Money?
The salary for Court Reporters ranges between about $28,150 and $104,460 a year.
Court Reporters who work in New York, California, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
How much do Court Reporters make in each U.S. state?
| 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
Becoming a Court Reporter
Learn what Court Reporter education requirements there are.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Court Reporter?
Where do Court Reporters Work?
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
References:
Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Nicholas Rau via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Court Reporting Schools
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