What Do Court Reporter Do?
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.
Court Reporter Responsibilities
- File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk’s office.
- Respond to requests during court sessions to read portions of the proceedings already recorded.
- Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
- Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
- Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
- Verify accuracy of transcripts by checking copies against original records of proceedings and accuracy of rulings by checking with judges.
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What a Court Reporter Should Know
These are the skills Court Reporters say are the most useful in their careers:
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
- Chancery Clerk
- Judicial Reporter
- Hearings Reporter
- Deposition Reporter
- Transcript Clerk
Court Reporter Job Outlook
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. 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.
How Much Does a Court Reporter Make?
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
Individuals working as a Court Reporter have obtained the following education levels:

What work experience do I need to become a Court Reporter?

Court Reporters Sector

Below are examples of industries where Court Reporters work:

References:
Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Nicholas Rau via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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