Post job

Court clerk vs court reporter

The differences between court clerks and court reporters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a court reporter has an average salary of $76,080, which is higher than the $36,328 average annual salary of a court clerk.

The top three skills for a court clerk include data entry, customer service and subpoenas. The most important skills for a court reporter are transcription, court proceedings, and legal terminology.

Court clerk vs court reporter overview

Court ClerkCourt Reporter
Yearly salary$36,328$76,080
Hourly rate$17.47$36.58
Growth rate-7%
Number of jobs69,5602,329
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age4952
Years of experience--

What does a court clerk do?

A court clerk is responsible for supporting court procedures and civil justice systems by performing administrative and clerical duties for law enforcement personnel and court officers. Court clerks perform data processing procedures, sorting documents, storing court records, maintaining confidentiality on clients' information, managing internal communications, scheduling meetings, and assisting in court investigations. They also respond to the visitors' inquiries and concerns, verify their appointments, and direct them to the appropriate personnel and department. A court clerk must be highly communicative and organizational, especially when maintaining records during court procedures and processing court fines.

What does a court reporter do?

A court reporter is primarily in charge of documenting and transcribing court proceedings verbatim, including the speakers' gestures and actions. Their responsibilities include utilizing recording devices such as video equipment and stenography machine, attending hearings and other legal proceedings, coordinating with court staff, and providing different parties with transcriptions, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a court reporter, it is essential to provide assistance or services to judges by playing records or readings transcripts in meetings upon request.

Court clerk vs court reporter salary

Court clerks and court reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Court ClerkCourt Reporter
Average salary$36,328$76,080
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $45,000Between $50,000 And $114,000
Highest paying CityEdmonds, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew Jersey
Best paying companyWayne County, MichiganLaw360
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between court clerk and court reporter education

There are a few differences between a court clerk and a court reporter in terms of educational background:

Court ClerkCourt Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorBusinessLegal Support Services
Most common college-Bentley University

Court clerk vs court reporter demographics

Here are the differences between court clerks' and court reporters' demographics:

Court ClerkCourt Reporter
Average age4952
Gender ratioMale, 17.0% Female, 83.0%Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 4.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% Asian, 1.4% White, 85.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage10%5%

Differences between court clerk and court reporter duties and responsibilities

Court clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage operations and LAN, plus data interchange with other agencies.
  • Receive and record payments of fees or fines, process notary commissions, order files and purge old files for achieves.
  • Answer public inquiries in terms of judicial proceedings, trial dates and witness fees along with preparing probation orders and summonses.
  • Maintain report for NCIC reports.
  • Count ballots and sign summons when necessary.
  • Handle daily operations of filing child support summons.
  • Show more

Court reporter example responsibilities.

  • Commission as a public notary to administer the oath.
  • Attend depositions or court proceedings and taking dictation verbatim; provide transcription of proceedings; coordination of exhibits for depositions
  • Report, proofread and produce computer transcripts of medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury and divorce litigation.
  • Produce official transcripts, appeals and expedite transcripts.
  • Perform notary public duties and swear in say witnesses.
  • Assist in deployment of company FTP to allow co-workers to upload files.
  • Show more

Court clerk vs court reporter skills

Common court clerk skills
  • Data Entry, 10%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Subpoenas, 5%
  • Court Dates, 5%
  • Bench Warrants, 4%
  • Court Orders, 4%
Common court reporter skills
  • Transcription, 13%
  • Court Proceedings, 12%
  • Legal Terminology, 10%
  • District Court, 9%
  • Technical Terminology, 5%
  • Litigation, 5%

Browse office and administrative jobs