How much do court reporters make?

Court Reporter salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners (SOC 27-3092) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Court reporters in the US earned a median of $72,420 a year ($34.82 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $53,760 to $100,780.

Median annual pay: $72,420; Mean $78,760
Median hourly pay: $34.82; Mean $37.86
Typical range (10th–90th): $42.1K–$131K; $42,130 to $130,560
US jobs: 12,870; −0.1% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a court reporter: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Texas

Court Reporter pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$42,130
25th percentile$53,760
Median$72,420
75th percentile$100,780
90th percentile$130,560

Half of all court reporters earned more than $72,420 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $42,130; the top 10% made over $130,560. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $53,760 to $100,780.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$42,130	$20.26	$3,511
25th	$53,760	$25.85	$4,480
Median (50th)	$72,420	$34.82	$6,035
75th	$100,780	$48.45	$8,398
90th	$130,560	$62.77	$10,880
Mean (average)	$78,760	$37.86	$6,563

Court Reporter salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for court reporters by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. California $116,020
2. Texas $110,080
3. Washington $107,670
4. New York $101,990
5. Iowa $93,810

Lowest-paying states

38. Delaware $44,760
37. Maine $49,110
36. Florida $49,240
35. Kentucky $50,350
34. Indiana $54,740

Best after cost of living: Texas. Its median of $110,080 is worth about $113,418 at national-average prices, more than in California once prices are counted.


Alabama	$67,340	18	$75,814	17	$32.37	350	0.16
Alaska	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Arizona	$77,770	10	$77,247	15	$37.39	70	0.02
Arkansas	$59,180	31	$68,072	24	$28.45	130	0.10
California	$116,020	1	$104,787	3	$55.78	1,400	0.08
Colorado	$83,010	8	$80,552	10	$39.91	260	0.09
Connecticut	$59,390	29	$57,321	32	$28.55	210	0.12
Delaware	$44,760	38	$44,846	38	$21.52	40	0.07
District of Columbia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Florida	$49,240	36	$47,614	37	$23.68	1,110	0.11
Georgia	—	—	—	—	—	410	0.08
Hawaii	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Idaho	$69,330	17	$72,601	19	$33.33	40	0.05
Illinois	$75,890	12	$75,922	16	$36.48	770	0.13
Indiana	$54,740	34	$58,653	31	$26.32	890	0.28
Iowa	$93,810	5	$106,891	2	$45.10	160	0.10
Kansas	—	—	—	—	—	180	0.12
Kentucky	$50,350	35	$55,846	34	$24.21	80	0.04
Louisiana	$63,380	23	$71,854	21	$30.47	270	0.14
Maine	$49,110	37	$50,603	36	$23.61	30	0.05
Maryland	$59,300	30	$56,498	33	$28.51	—	—
Massachusetts	$79,940	9	$75,588	18	$38.44	50	0.01
Michigan	$61,600	26	$64,022	28	$29.62	260	0.06
Minnesota	$83,680	7	$84,850	9	$40.23	320	0.11
Mississippi	$67,300	20	$77,398	14	$32.36	40	0.03
Missouri	$72,500	15	$79,831	11	$34.86	270	0.09
Montana	$62,730	24	$66,279	26	$30.16	50	0.10
Nebraska	$76,480	11	$84,881	8	$36.77	60	0.06
Nevada	$62,030	25	$62,043	30	$29.82	70	0.05
New Hampshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
New Jersey	—	—	—	—	—	200	0.05
New Mexico	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
New York	$101,990	4	$94,504	5	$49.03	1,400	0.14
North Carolina	$73,510	14	$77,932	13	$35.34	110	0.02
North Dakota	$70,540	16	$79,295	12	$33.91	60	0.14
Ohio	$67,330	19	$72,574	20	$32.37	340	0.06
Oklahoma	$60,800	28	$69,214	23	$29.23	180	0.11
Oregon	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Pennsylvania	$65,100	22	$66,720	25	$31.30	670	0.11
Rhode Island	$92,250	6	$90,194	6	$44.35	60	0.13
South Carolina	$61,100	27	$65,174	27	$29.38	140	0.06
South Dakota	$75,210	13	$84,901	7	$36.16	40	0.08
Tennessee	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Texas	$110,080	2	$113,418	1	$52.92	1,270	0.09
Utah	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Vermont	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Virginia	$55,210	33	$54,607	35	$26.54	320	0.08
Washington	$107,670	3	$100,614	4	$51.77	80	0.02
West Virginia	$56,790	32	$63,455	29	$27.30	90	0.13
Wisconsin	$65,640	21	$69,759	22	$31.56	60	0.02
Wyoming	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (13 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for court reporters

66 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$143,170	$129,656	50
Stockton-Lodi, CA	$138,340	$131,641	30
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$133,900	$125,796	230
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	$130,730	$133,308	130
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$129,380	$131,178	260
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$129,270	$111,813	260
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$125,970	$122,194	220
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	$123,900	$130,812	150
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$123,230	$110,138	110
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$118,200	$110,809	110

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,060	$90,230	$80,160
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	510	$76,790	$74,125
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	440	$48,430	$42,425
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	290	$86,510	$76,176
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	260	$80,000	$79,954
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	260	$129,380	$131,178
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	260	$129,270	$111,813
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	240	$74,760	$72,898
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	230	$133,900	$125,796
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	220	$125,970	$122,194

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves court reporter pay: employers and settings

The split between government and private work shapes pay. Local courts and governments, the largest employer, pay court reporters a median of $78,430; state government pays $78,300. Business support services, which include court reporting agencies that send freelancers to depositions, pay a median of $58,760. The small group employed directly by law firms (legal services) earns $110,690. Overall, private employers pay $60,360; government pays more.

Those figures cover employees only. About a third of court reporters are self-employed, and freelancers' income depends on how many pages of transcript they sell, rush fees and realtime services, none of which these wage figures capture.

State matters a great deal. California leads with a median of $116,020, followed by Texas at $110,080, Washington at $107,670, New York at $101,990, and Iowa at $93,810. Texas ranks first after cost of living at $113,418. The lowest are Florida at $49,240, Maine at $49,110, and Delaware at $44,760.

The overall range runs from the 10th percentile, $42,130, up to the 90th percentile, $130,560, with the median at $72,420. Realtime certification, speed and the ability to take technical testimony all move reporters up that range.

Where court reporters work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	36.6%	$78,430
Business Support Services	29.7%	$58,760
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	29.4%	$78,300
Motion Picture and Video Industries	1.8%	—
Legal Services	0.5%	$110,690
Federal Executive Branch	0.3%	$75,360

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	4,280	$60,360
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	40	$75,360
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	3,810	$78,300
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	4,730	$78,430

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Court Reporter pay over time

Median annual pay, 2019–2025

$72.4K $60.1K

2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $60,130 in 2019 to $72,420 in 2025, up 20% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2019 median is worth $75,479 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 4% over the period.

The series starts in 2019 because BLS changed how it defines or publishes this occupation before then, so earlier figures are not comparable.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What court reporters do

A court reporter makes the official word-for-word record of what is said in a trial, hearing or deposition, then turns it into a certified transcript. Most use a stenotype machine, pressing several keys at once to write whole syllables and words in shorthand that software translates into text. That is why the job is also called stenographer. Others use voice writing, repeating everything into a mask with a built-in microphone, and a growing number of digital reporters run multichannel audio recording and take notes.

Official court reporters work for state and local courts, sitting beside the judge and reading back testimony when asked. Freelance reporters, often hired through court reporting agencies, cover depositions in law offices and arbitrations. A third group are captioners, who write live television captions or provide real-time text (CART) for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and meeting attendees. The work demands hours of focused listening and fast, accurate writing, followed by careful editing of the transcript, often at home in the evening.

A typical day

Set up the steno machine, laptop and audio backup before court or a deposition begins
Write every word spoken, marking who is speaking, at speeds well over 200 words a minute
Interrupt to ask a speaker to repeat or spell a name or technical term
Read back earlier testimony when the judge or an attorney asks
Build a job dictionary of names, drugs or engineering terms before a case
Edit and proofread the transcript, then certify and deliver it by the deadline
Send realtime text to attorneys' laptops or caption screens during proceedings

Also called: stenographer, captioner, certified shorthand reporter (csr), court recorder, court stenographer, deposition reporter, digital court reporter, official court reporter.

How to become a court reporter

Full guide

To become a court reporter, complete a stenographic or voice writing program at a community college or court reporting school, which usually takes 2 to 3 years of speed building, then pass a state license exam or a national certification such as NCRA's RPR. Many states require one of these before you can report.

Typical time: 2 to 3 years; Fastest: about 2 years
Minimum education: Postsecondary certificate or associate degree from a court reporting program
License: Required in many states (state license or recognized national certification); rules vary by state and reporting method
Typical training cost: $9.2K–$14.1K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a court reporter: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 2 to 3 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $9.2K–$14.1K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $72,420; $21,440 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 13–20%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($21,440 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (2 to 3 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for court reporters

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: −0.1%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 19,900; 19,900 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 1,800; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 33.4%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects essentially no change in this occupation: court reporters and simultaneous captioners hold steady at 19,900 jobs from 2025 to 2035, a 0.1% dip, while all occupations grow 3.5%. About 1,800 openings a year are still expected, mostly to replace reporters who retire or change careers.

Courts and lawyers will keep needing accurate legal records, but technology is making transcription more efficient, and hiring by courts depends on state and local budgets. The biggest threat BLS names is AI-generated transcription, especially for captioning video content. Realtime CART work for an aging population with more hearing loss adds some demand.

Related careers and their pay

Paralegal$62,890
Medical Billing and Coding Specialist$51,140
Lawyer$159,670
Judge$153,990
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,570

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Court Reporter salary FAQ

How much do court reporters make an hour?

The median hourly wage for court reporters was $34.82 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $20.26 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $62.77. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays court reporters the most?

California has the highest median pay for court reporters, $116,020 a year, followed by Texas ($110,080) and Washington ($107,670). After adjusting for each state's price level, Texas comes out ahead at about $113,418 in national-average dollars.

Do court reporters make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 25% and 50% of court reporters earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $72,420, and the top 10% earn more than $130,560. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Do court reporters still use stenotype machines?

Yes. Machine shorthand on a stenotype is still the main method for official court and deposition work, because a trained writer can capture fast, overlapping speech and produce realtime text. Voice writing, where the reporter repeats speech into a mask, is an accepted alternative in many states. Digital reporting with audio recording is also growing, and some courts use it for routine hearings.

What is the difference between an official and a freelance court reporter?

An official court reporter is employed by a court, works in the courtroom on a set schedule and usually earns a salary and may also be paid for transcripts. A freelance reporter covers depositions, arbitrations and meetings, either self-employed or through a court reporting agency, and is paid mostly by the job and by the page. Freelancers have more control over their hours but no guaranteed income.

How fast do court reporters type?

They do not type letter by letter. A stenographer presses key combinations that stand for syllables, words or phrases, so they can write far faster than a keyboard typist. NCRA's entry-level RPR exam tests writing at 180, 200 and 225 words per minute with at least 95% accuracy, California's license dictation exam is graded at 97.5% accuracy.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 27-3092
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (27-3092.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners (27-3092.00), O*NET OnLine · checked October 28, 2026
Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), National Court Reporters Association · checked October 28, 2026
Written Knowledge Test Information, National Court Reporters Association · checked October 28, 2026
Eligibility for Examination, Court Reporters Board of California · checked October 28, 2026
AAERT Certification, American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers · checked October 28, 2026
Certification, National Verbatim Reporters Association · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026

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