What is an Official Court Reporter?

Court reporters attend court sessions and create documentation of court proceedings, recording jury arguments related to evidence, rulings, and every other aspect of court cases. They also document files with court exhibits as well.

You will be responsible for holding on to the notes you take for the prescribed amount of time. You will create transcripts of recorded material to be used in future legal procedures.

You will function as a mediator between lawyers, judges, and other court officials and provide them with necessary information related to cases. You might be asked to take care of witness depositions, commissions, issue certificates, and many more.

What Does an Official Court Reporter Do

There are certain skills that many official court reporters have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, listening skills and writing skills.

Learn more about what an Official Court Reporter does

How To Become an Official Court Reporter

If you're interested in becoming an official court reporter, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 30.4% of official court reporters have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.3% of official court reporters have master's degrees. Even though some official court reporters have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Top Official Court Reporter Jobs Near You

Average Salary for an Official Court Reporter

Official Court Reporters in America make an average salary of $68,354 per year or $33 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $114,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $40,000 per year.
Average Official Court Reporter Salary
$68,354 Yearly
$32.86 hourly
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Roles and Types of Official Court Reporter

There are several types of official court reporter, including:

Reporter

Role:

It is the reporter's responsibility to put across honest and trustworthy information to the public viewers or listeners as the case may be through different means like print and media. As a reporter, you must make certain that you gather essential and veritable data that is validated by interviews and remarks of those concerned and provides succinct and extensively illuminating materials within a designated time.

You must also effectively collaborate with every worker, remain proficient at all times, and obey the policies and regulations laid by the organization or network. You are also required to modify and review press releases and presentations and check many copies.

As a reporter, you must have good communication, research, problem-solving, and creative skills. You should also possess great attention to detail and digital literacy. Asides from this, you must have a bachelor's degree, although a master's degree can be used as an alternative. A reporter in the United States earns an average yearly salary of $41,720 or $20.06 per hour.

  • Average Salary: $46,667
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Court Reporter

Role:

It is fair to state that any court gathering is incomplete without a court reporter. A court reporter's job is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form. Most court reporters use a stenotype (keyboard machine that records) or steno mask to produce an official transcript of court hearings, descriptions, and other proceedings. A court reporter is sometimes called a stenographer. A court reporter does not have to be a graduate of law, but they must have completed an internship in a court of law to get accustomed to legal terms. They must also have excellent writing skills.



The judicial system relies on court reporters to maintain its integrity by providing reliable trials, court hearings, and legislative meetings, which serve as judicial precedent. A court reporter must be competent, since they determine the dignity of the judicial system to a large extent.

  • Average Salary: $76,080
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Digital Court Reporter

Role:

All information that happens during a court hearing must be recorded accurately. This helps increase transparency and may even be useful during a proceeding when playback is required to clarify what was said. A digital court reporter is someone who uses modern technology to record court hearings.

In the old days, the court was recorded by court stenographers and sketch artists. While these professions are still in use, many courts also rely on digital court reporters, who use electronic recording equipment and transcribers to record a hearing. They set up equipment, annotate recordings with any relevant information, and store recordings properly. They also field media requests and may release recordings if appropriate.

To become a digital court reporter, it is more important that someone has practical experience with court proceedings, such as working as a stenographer. That's probably more important than any formal education. In fact, most employers require only a high school degree and some familiarity with electronic recording technology.

  • Average Salary: $44,643
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Official Court Reporter Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active official court reporter jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where official court reporters earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Official Court Reporter Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California119$88,790
2New York82$90,969
3Texas77$67,833
4Florida47$57,228
5Iowa37$78,630
6Massachusetts32$81,680
7Virginia32$70,074
8Minnesota29$62,673
9Illinois28$82,526
10Missouri24$68,075
11Wisconsin24$58,495
12Michigan22$70,721
13Pennsylvania21$72,807
14Washington19$71,711
15Colorado19$66,275
16Hawaii18$59,202
17North Carolina18$64,236
18Maryland15$81,782
19Arizona15$70,629
20Ohio14$75,338
21Montana14$66,128
22Georgia14$63,051
23New Jersey13$96,054
24Nebraska13$67,179
25Alabama11$59,511
26Indiana11$57,783
27Kansas10$75,299
28Louisiana10$70,521
29Oregon10$70,302
30South Carolina10$69,258
31Idaho10$61,554
32Oklahoma10$62,359
33Connecticut8$83,710
34West Virginia6$71,725
35New Mexico6$70,611
36Utah6$71,529
37Wyoming6$56,552
38Alaska5$96,650
39Rhode Island5$83,187
40Nevada5$83,084
41Kentucky5$66,358
42Tennessee5$63,087
43North Dakota4$70,781
44Mississippi4$69,555
45Arkansas4$62,069
46New Hampshire3$79,472
47Delaware2$83,213
48Vermont1$75,864
49South Dakota1$66,677
50Maine0$69,458

Official Court Reporter Education

Official Court Reporter Majors

Legal Support Services
45.8 %
Business
11.1 %
Education
4.9 %

Official Court Reporter Degrees

Associate

47.8 %

Bachelors

30.4 %

High School Diploma

7.0 %

Top Colleges for Official Court Reporters

1. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. Maria College of Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,140

Enrollment

876

4. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. Daemen College

Amherst, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$28,580

Enrollment

1,712

7. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

8. Texas Wesleyan University

Fort Worth, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$30,300

Enrollment

1,445

9. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Top Skills For an Official Court Reporter

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 31.5% of official court reporters listed district court on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and listening skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Official Court Reporter Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Official Court Reporter templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Official Court Reporter resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Official Court Reporter diversity

Official Court Reporter Gender Distribution

Female
Female
83%
Male
Male
18%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among official court reporters, 82.5% of them are women, while 17.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among official court reporters is White, which makes up 85.0% of all official court reporters.

  • The most common foreign language among official court reporters is Spanish at 62.5%.

Online Courses For Official Court Reporter That You May Like

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Best States For an Official Court Reporter

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an official court reporter. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, New Jersey, New York, and California. Official court reporters make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $96,650. Whereas in New Jersey and New York, they would average $96,054 and $90,969, respectively. While official court reporters would only make an average of $88,790 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Alaska

Total Official Court Reporter Jobs: 5
Highest 10% Earn:
$153,000
Location Quotient:
1.86

$96,650

Avg. Salary

View 5 Official Court Reporter Jobs In AK

2. New York

Total Official Court Reporter Jobs: 82
Highest 10% Earn:
$155,000
Location Quotient:
1.98

$90,969

Avg. Salary

View 82 Official Court Reporter Jobs In NY

3. Iowa

Total Official Court Reporter Jobs: 37
Highest 10% Earn:
$132,000
Location Quotient:
3.16

$78,630

Avg. Salary

View 37 Official Court Reporter Jobs In IA
Full List Of Best States For Official Court Reporters

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Top Official Court Reporter Employers

Most Common Employers For Official Court Reporter

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Santa Barbara County$98,439$47.332
2New Jersey Courts$81,867$39.363
3United States Courts$81,191$39.0398
4DC Courts$79,545$38.242
5Coconino Community College$78,451$37.723
6State of Connecticut$72,486$34.853
7Wake County$71,161$34.212
8King County$70,116$33.713
9El Paso County$67,626$32.511
10Harris Civil Engineers$67,183$32.302
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Updated April 6, 2023