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Career overview · SOC 27-3092

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

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.

Also called: Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) · Court Monitor · Court Recording Monitor · Court Reporter · Court Stenographer · Deposition Reporter

Median pay (national)
$67,310
$39,100–$127,020 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
12,630
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-0.3%
~1,700 openings/yr
Typical entry
Postsecondary nondegree award

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for court reporters and simultaneous captioners shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $127,020 versus $39,100 at the bottom 10% — 3.2x. The median of $67,310 leaves roughly 89% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -0.3% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 1,700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 40 states with released data, New York pays the most for this role (median $109,220, +62% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $38,860 — a 181% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Writing, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Office software as in-demand technologies for this role.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Mathematics
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Log and store exhibits from court proceedings.
  • Record verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.
  • Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
  • Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
  • Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
  • File and store shorthand notes of court session.
  • Proofread transcripts for correct spelling of words.
  • File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk's office.
  • Verify accuracy of transcripts by checking copies against original records of proceedings and accuracy of rulings by checking with judges.
  • Respond to requests during court sessions to read portions of the proceedings already recorded.

Tools & technology

  • Microsoft Office software
  • Acclaim Legal Acclaim DepoManage
  • Acculaw Court Reporters Billing Scheduling Job Management System ABSMS
  • Advantage Software Total Eclipse
  • AudioScribe SpeechCAT
  • Chase Software Solutions Court Reporting Software
  • Cheetah International SmartCAT
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Courtpages
  • Courtroom Data Solutions Techlennium
  • Electronic Transcript Software ProTEXT
  • Equative TimeLedger
  • ForTheRecord TheRecord Player
  • Gigatron StenoCAT
  • HTH Engineering Start-Stop PowerPlay
  • Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Knowledge areas

  • English Language
  • Administrative
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Law and Government
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Administration and Management
  • Communications and Media
  • Public Safety and Security