Contents
Court Reporter Salary
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| Hourly Wage | $11.92 | $16.60 | $23.15 | $33.26 | $43.52 |
| Annual Wage | $24,800 | $34,500 | $48,200 | $69,200 | $90,500 |
How much does a court reporter make? Court reporters are an important part of the legal community and are trained to transcribe dialogue during trials, hearings, and many other legal proceedings where every word must be recorded. Other court reporters utilize their skills in the area of closed captioning so that those who are hearing impaired can read the dialogue being spoken or broadcast. Becoming a court reporter involves graduating from an accredited court reporting program. Some community and state colleges offer associate’s degrees in court reporting. Other schools have certificate programs for court reporters. Most states require that court reporters are licensed.
A breakdown of the full process of becoming a court reporter can be found here.
Salary
In 2012, $48,160 was the median salary of court reporters according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 10 percent of court reporters earn $24,790 or less, while the top 10 percent in the profession earned $90,530 or more.
Variables Impacting Salary
There are several aspects that can affect a court reporter salary. Some court reporters freelance instead of working for just one employer. Those who freelance can increase their salaries by selling transcripts per page. Bonuses and commissions can also bring a court reporter’s salary higher.
Location
The location where a court reporter works also impacts his or her earnings. San Diego and San Francisco have the highest paid court reporters in the United States. The lowest paying cities for court reporters are Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Schedule and Work Environment
Many court reporters work in a courtroom setting, while freelancers often travel to and from lawyers’ offices to take depositions. Those court reporters who are employed in captioning work in an office or from home. If a court reporter works in courthouse, he or she will generally work a full time, Monday through Friday schedule. Those who freelance have a more flexible schedule as they can often decide what days and hours they would like to work.
Job Outlook
The job outlook for court reporters is about average. Between the years of 2012 and 2022, there will be an estimated 2,000 new jobs in the field which is a 10 percent increase from the current number of 21,200. The growth in the industry will most likely be outside of the legal field and is due to the use of captioning. New government regulations require television programming and other types of broadcasting be closed captioned. There will also be an increased demand for court reporters who are Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART). These court reporters provide services for hearing impaired clients during appointments or events.
Top Paying Industries
| Industry | Employment | % of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean salary |
| Local Government (OES Designation) | 6,650 | 0.12 | $27.72 | $57,660 |
| State Government (OES Designation) | 6,440 | 0.29 | $27.33 | $56,850 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) | 70 | <.005 | $27.01 | $56,170 |
| Business Support Services | 5,230 | 0.61 | $22.54 | $46,870 |
| Employment Services | 40 | <.005 | $18.95 | $39,410 |
Salary By State
| State | 10% | 25% | Median | 75% | 90% | Jobs (2010) | Jobs (2020) | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $17,700 | $25,800 | $44,500 | $53,600 | $58,200 | 240 | 270 | +14% |
| Alaska | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Arizona | $25,900 | $33,000 | $54,200 | $66,200 | $72,300 | 340 | 390 | +14% |
| Arkansas | $21,300 | $35,900 | $47,100 | $55,600 | $61,400 | 300 | 350 | +19% |
| California | $37,600 | $69,600 | $82,800 | $92,700 | $105,700 | 2,300 | 2,500 | +9% |
| Colorado | $44,900 | $53,700 | $65,300 | $81,200 | $93,600 | 500 | 620 | +24% |
| Connecticut | $41,500 | $44,600 | $52,300 | $57,800 | $81,200 | 220 | 240 | +12% |
| Delaware | $28,600 | $32,900 | $65,600 | $66,400 | $69,700 | 80 | 90 | +17% |
| District of Columbia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Florida | $19,700 | $22,600 | $34,600 | $49,700 | $65,500 | 1,680 | 1,960 | +17% |
| Georgia | $17,800 | $24,800 | $52,600 | $67,800 | $73,800 | 980 | 1,080 | +11% |
| Hawaii | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Idaho | $45,500 | $46,800 | $46,800 | $47,800 | $47,800 | 70 | 80 | +16% |
| Illinois | $31,400 | $39,000 | $45,200 | $61,900 | $71,500 | – | – | – |
| Iowa | $31,200 | $44,000 | $71,600 | $71,700 | $71,700 | 290 | 330 | +13% |
| Kansas | $35,100 | $50,500 | $54,400 | $69,200 | $77,100 | 270 | 320 | +17% |
| Kentucky | $16,100 | $17,500 | $30,700 | $43,500 | $46,800 | – | – | – |
| Louisiana | $18,700 | $27,400 | $40,600 | $51,100 | $59,200 | 690 | 780 | +13% |
| Maine | $64,000 | $64,000 | $78,300 | $86,700 | $91,800 | 120 | 130 | +8% |
| Maryland | $31,500 | $33,600 | $37,100 | $44,200 | $51,500 | 2,990 | 3,550 | +19% |
| Massachusetts | $34,800 | $43,000 | $51,900 | $60,000 | $78,100 | 140 | 160 | +11% |
| Michigan | $28,400 | $35,500 | $45,300 | $54,200 | $59,800 | 560 | 610 | +9% |
| Minnesota | $49,400 | $56,800 | $63,700 | $63,700 | $63,700 | 490 | 550 | +13% |
| Mississippi | $16,800 | $24,500 | $36,900 | $45,100 | $53,400 | – | – | – |
| Missouri | $19,000 | $37,400 | $50,800 | $55,600 | $58,600 | 240 | 280 | +14% |
| Montana | – | – | – | – | – | 60 | 60 | +13% |
| Nebraska | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nevada | $38,600 | $41,100 | $44,600 | $48,200 | $55,800 | – | – | – |
| New Hampshire | – | – | – | – | – | 70 | 70 | +9% |
| New Jersey | $34,000 | $41,100 | $50,100 | $67,800 | $94,500 | 230 | 240 | +7% |
| New Mexico | $26,700 | $29,400 | $41,200 | $54,400 | $58,500 | 70 | 80 | +17% |
| New York | $41,400 | $64,300 | $96,300 | $108,100 | $115,300 | – | – | – |
| North Carolina | $43,500 | $48,300 | $55,600 | $59,100 | $64,100 | 240 | 280 | +15% |
| North Dakota | $34,300 | $39,600 | $45,100 | $56,000 | $68,200 | 80 | 90 | +14% |
| Ohio | $28,100 | $37,100 | $47,100 | $57,700 | $68,700 | – | – | – |
| Oklahoma | $16,200 | $17,400 | $19,700 | $38,800 | $45,000 | 380 | 430 | +14% |
| Oregon | $18,700 | $33,000 | $61,700 | $87,600 | $128,000 | 110 | 110 | 0% |
| Pennsylvania | $18,700 | $26,200 | $37,900 | $55,200 | $69,000 | 960 | 960 | 0% |
| Rhode Island | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| South Carolina | $23,500 | $31,700 | $38,900 | $44,100 | $47,300 | 320 | 350 | +11% |
| South Dakota | $33,700 | $39,200 | $44,800 | $45,600 | $49,200 | 90 | 90 | +5% |
| Tennessee | $26,500 | $30,900 | $38,100 | $82,600 | $104,900 | 110 | 150 | +31% |
| Texas | $25,700 | $50,300 | $66,000 | $79,300 | $88,700 | 1,560 | 1,820 | +16% |
| Utah | $24,800 | $26,400 | $28,900 | $33,500 | $47,500 | 130 | 160 | +28% |
| Vermont | $39,800 | $47,800 | $52,500 | $57,300 | $100,000 | – | – | – |
| Virginia | $18,600 | $32,800 | $47,800 | $56,200 | $61,000 | 230 | 270 | +16% |
| Washington | $21,300 | $31,400 | $42,200 | $70,100 | $85,800 | 220 | 260 | +18% |
| West Virginia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wisconsin | $26,500 | $35,200 | $45,900 | $59,900 | $85,400 | 490 | 540 | +11% |
| Wyoming | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
