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What is a court stenographer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a court stenographer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.42 an hour? That's $54,961 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 1,100 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreCourt StenographerUS Average
Salary
4.3

Avg. Salary $54,961

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.7

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 1.40%

Black or African American 3.27%

Hispanic or Latino 5.61%

Unknown 4.44%

White 85.05%

Gender

female 91.84%

male 8.16%

Age - 55
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 55
Stress level
5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a court stenographer

  1. Explore court stenographer education requirements

    Most common court stenographer degrees

    Associate

    56.7 %

    Bachelor's

    26.7 %

    Master's

    5.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific court stenographer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Court Proceedings29.21%
    Court Hearings23.32%
    Legal Depositions18.55%
    Subpoenas10.23%
    Court Reporters10.11%
  3. Complete relevant court stenographer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New court stenographers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a court stenographer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real court stenographer resumes.
  4. Research court stenographer duties and responsibilities

    • Provide various transcription services transcribing from audio into booklet form.
    • Work in the court system typing in stenographic code and transcribing stenographic notes from various pre-trial and trial cases and depositions.
    • Maintain extremely high accuracy against strict deadlines in taking and transcribing dictation.
    • Record depositions covering employment, medical, pharmaceutical, environmental, and business litigation matters.
  5. Prepare your court stenographer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your court stenographer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a court stenographer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable court stenographer resume templates

    Build a professional court stenographer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your court stenographer resume.
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
    Court Stenographer Resume
  6. Apply for court stenographer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a court stenographer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first court stenographer job

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Average court stenographer salary

The average court stenographer salary in the United States is $54,961 per year or $26 per hour. Court stenographer salaries range between $28,000 and $104,000 per year.

Average court stenographer salary
$54,961 Yearly
$26.42 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.