How Much You Can Earn Annually as a Court Reporter

Court reporters, also referred to as court stenographers, aren’t a career that’s usually in the spotlight, but the career path actually has a lot to offer. If you are fresh out of high school or looking for a career transition and are interested in court reporting roles, here’s a comprehensive guide to what it is, how much you can potentially make, and the skill and training requirements.

Responsibilities

Court reporters are tasked to transcribe records of court proceedings word for word. In addition, they also transcribe depositions and other dialogues that are not related to legal proceedings, including commemorative speeches, business meetings, and so on. Throughout their careers, court reporters lay witness to a number of proceedings, including bankruptcy, murder, divorce, and other courtroom trials. Apart from transcribing what’s been said during the trial, the judge may also ask a court reporter to repeat back statements.

Skills Required

Working as a court reporter requires a high level of focus, fast and accurate typing speeds, and hand-eye coordination. While it may seem like run-off-the-mill typing, it’s more closely compared to performing music. As a matter of fact, even the most basic stenography machines are designed to perform better than any high-end typewriter. Stenography machines record chords that represent sounds or words. This can then later be translated into paper records of the event/s that transpired.

Educational Requirements

A court reporter must successfully complete training and certification requirements before they can be licensed for court proceedings. The National Court Reporters Association or NCRA is a valuable resource for checking your state’s latest training and licensing requirements. There are currently 34 NCRA-approved training courses that aspiring court reporters can enroll in. The NCRA website should have a complete list of the colleges and universities that offer them. Some of these programs may be completed online, but they all must satisfy the General Requirements and Minimum Standards.

To graduate, students must successfully capture a minimum of 225 words per minute. This standard is also necessary to secure a federal government position. Note that different programs use different machine shorthand concepts and techniques for transcribing dialogues, which affect course completion time and the type of work you get afterward.

Salary Statistics

So, how much do court reporters make? Many factors affect your income as a court reporter. These include years of professional experience, location, and industry, i.e., broadcast captioning or CART reporting. Based on reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, court reporters earn an average annual salary of $52,000, while the top 10 percentile makes over $96,000. An NCRA survey, on the other hand, found that court reporters were earning an average salary of $65,000. By industry, those who work for a state court system make an average of $71,000. In contrast, the lowest-paid reporters work in business support services.

The job of a court reporter can be fast-paced and stressful at times, but it also provides several perks, including job security, decent income, and attractive benefits, primarily if you work for a state or federal government. Visit ParalegalEDU.org to learn more about career opportunities for court reporters.