Court reporters held about 15,700 jobs in 2018. The largest employers of court reporters were as follows:
| Business support services | 34% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 31 |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 28 |
| Self-employed workers | 5 |
Many court reporters work in courts or legislatures. Many also work as freelance reporters and are hired by law firms or corporations for pretrial depositions and other events on an as-needed basis.
Many court reporters must travel to various courthouses or offices in different locations. However, some broadcast captioners and communication access real-time translation (CART) providers work remotely from either their home or a central office.
Because of the speed and accuracy required to capture a verbatim record and the time-sensitive nature of legal proceedings, court reporting positions may be stressful.
Work Schedules
Court reporters who work in a court setting typically work full time recording events and preparing transcripts. Freelance reporters have more flexibility in setting their work schedules.
Many community colleges and technical institutes offer postsecondary certificate programs for court reporters. Court reporters typically receive a few weeks of on-the-job training. Many states require court reporters who work in legal settings to be licensed by a state or certified by a professional association.
Education
Many court reporters receive formal education at community colleges or technical institutes, which have different programs that lead to either a certificate or an associate’s degree in court reporting. Either degree will qualify applicants for many entry-level positions. Certification programs prepare students to pass the licensing exams and typing-speed tests required by most states and employers.
Most court reporting programs include courses in English grammar and phonetics, legal procedures, and legal terminology. Students also practice preparing transcripts to improve the speed and accuracy of their work.
Some schools also offer training in the use of different transcription machines, such as stenotype machines or steno masks.
Graduating from a court reporting program can take between 2 and 5 years.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Many states require court reporters who work in legal settings to be licensed or certified by a professional association. Licensing requirements vary by state and by method of court reporting.
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) offers certification for court reporters, broadcast captioners, and communication access real-time translation (CART) providers. Currently, about half of states accept or use the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification in place of a state certification or licensing exam.
Digital and voice reporters may obtain certification through the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT), which offers the Certified Electronic Reporter (CER) and Certified Electronic Transcriber (CET) designations.
Voice reporters also may obtain certification through the National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA). As with the RPR designation, some states with certification or licensing requirements will accept the NVRA designation in place of a state license.
Certification through the NCRA, AAERT, and NVRA all require the successful completion of a written test, as well as a skills test in which applicants must type, record, or transcribe a minimum number of words per minute with a high level of accuracy.
In addition, all associations require court reporters to obtain a certain amount of continuing education credits in order to renew their certification.
For more information on certification, exams, and continuing education requirements, visit the specific association’s website. State licensing and continuing education requirements can be found by visiting the state association’s or state judicial agency's website.
Training
After completing their formal program, court reporters must undergo a few weeks of on-the-job training. This typically includes training on the specific types of equipment and more technical terminology that may be used during complex medical or legal proceedings.
Court reporters typically have an interest in the Persuading and Organizing interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people. The Organizing interest area indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.
If you are not sure whether you have a Persuading or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as a court reporter, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Court reporters should also possess the following specific qualities:
Concentration. Court reporters must be able to concentrate for long periods. They must remain focused on the dialogue they are recording even in the presence of auditory distractions.
Detail oriented. Court reporters must be able to produce error-free work, because they create transcripts that serve as legal records.
Listening skills. Court reporters must give their full attention to speakers and capture every word that is said.
Writing skills. Court reporters need a good command of grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation.
The median annual wage for court reporters was $60,130 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,570, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $106,210.
In May 2019, the median annual wages for court reporters in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | $68,020 |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 63,700 |
| Business support services | 48,690 |
Freelance court reporters are paid for their time, but can also sell their transcripts per page for an additional profit.
Court reporters who work in a court setting typically work full time recording events and preparing transcripts. Freelance reporters have more flexibility in setting their work schedules.
Employment of court reporters is projected to grow 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for court reporters will be influenced by federal regulations requiring an expanded use of captioning for television, the Internet, and other technologies. Employment growth, may be affected, however, by budgetary constraints and the use of technology.
Reporters will increasingly be needed for captioning outside of legal proceedings. All new television programming will continue to need closed captioning. In addition, federal regulations have expanded captioning requirements and set quality and accuracy standards for both live and prerecorded programs. Networks will likely increase their use of broadcast captioners in order to comply with these federal regulations.
Growth of the elderly population also will increase demand for court reporters who are communication access real-time translation (CART) providers or who can accompany their clients to doctor’s appointments, town hall meetings, and religious services. In addition, movie theaters and sports stadiums will provide closed captioning for deaf or hard-of-hearing customers.
Employment growth, however, may be somewhat limited because of budgetary constraints in state and local governments. In addition, the increased use of digital audio recording technology also may hinder employment growth. Some states already have replaced stenographic court reporters with this technology; other states are currently assessing the reliability, accuracy, and costs associated with installing and maintaining digital audio and video equipment and software.
However, even with the increased use of digital recorders, electronic reporters should still be needed to monitor the courtroom equipment and to transcribe, verify, and supervise the production of transcripts after proceedings have been recorded.
Job Prospects
Job prospects will be best for graduates of court reporting programs and for candidates with experience and training in CART and real-time captioning.
For more information on becoming a court reporter, including information on training programs and certification as a Registered Professional Reporter, visit
National Court Reporters Association
For more information on certification and legal resources, as well as becoming an electronic or digital reporter, visit
American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers
For more information on voice writing and certification, visit
National Verbatim Reporters Association