Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

27-3092.00 Zone 3 — Medium Preparation Needed

Use verbatim methods and equipment to capture, store, retrieve, and transcribe pretrial and trial proceedings or other information. Includes stenocaptioners who operate computerized stenographic captioning equipment to provide captions of live or prerecorded broadcasts for hearing-impaired viewers.

Also known as: Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR), Court Monitor, Court Recorder, Court Recording Monitor, Court Reporter, Court Stenographer, Court Transcriber, Deposition Reporter, ...

Annual Salary

$67,310

Median annual wage (May 2024)

$50,210 25th – 75th percentile $92,710
10th percentile $39,100
90th percentile $127,020
U.S. Employment: 12,630

Job Outlook

-0.3%

Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)

Annual Job Openings 1,700 per year (avg. 2024–2034)
Typical education: Postsecondary nondegree award
On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training

What You'd Do

  • Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
  • Record verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.
  • Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
  • Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
  • File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk's office.
  • File and store shorthand notes of court session.
  • Respond to requests during court sessions to read portions of the proceedings already recorded.
  • Verify accuracy of transcripts by checking copies against original records of proceedings and accuracy of rulings by checking with judges.
  • Proofread transcripts for correct spelling of words.
  • Log and store exhibits from court proceedings.

Top Skills

Active Listening 4.0
Writing 3.4
Reading Comprehension 3.1
Speaking 3.0
Time Management 3.0
Monitoring 3.0
Social Perceptiveness 2.6
Critical Thinking 2.5

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Knowledge Areas

English Language 4.8
Administrative 4.6
Computers and Electronics 4.1
Law and Government 3.9
Customer and Personal Service 3.5
Administration and Management 3.1
Communications and Media 3.0
Public Safety and Security 2.6

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level

Certificate
74.8%
Associate's
11.6%
High School
5.5%
Some College
5.3%
Professional
2.9%

Technology & Tools

Software and tools commonly used in this role

In-Demand Technologies

Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Word

Other Tools

Acclaim Legal Acclaim DepoManage Acculaw Court Reporters Billing Scheduling Job Management System ABSMS Advantage Software Total Eclipse AudioScribe SpeechCAT Chase Software Solutions Court Reporting Software Cheetah International SmartCAT Corel WordPerfect Office Suite Courtpages Courtroom Data Solutions Techlennium Electronic Transcript Software ProTEXT Equative TimeLedger ForTheRecord TheRecord Player Gigatron StenoCAT HTH Engineering Start-Stop PowerPlay Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking +8 more

Work Styles

Personality traits and work styles important for this career

3.0
Attention to Detail
2.7
Dependability
2.6
Integrity
2.1
Self-Control
2.1
Cautiousness
1.9
Stress Tolerance
1.8
Perseverance

Key Abilities

Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role

Oral Comprehension 4.1
Speech Recognition 4.1
Written Expression 4.0
Written Comprehension 3.9
Oral Expression 3.9
Near Vision 3.9
Selective Attention 3.8
Information Ordering 3.3

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Work Activities

General types of job behaviors occurring on this job

Documenting/Recording Information 4.8
Working with Computers 4.6
Getting Information 4.3
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge 4.2
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates 3.9
Processing Information 3.8
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work 3.8
Performing Administrative Activities 3.5

Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)

Work Environment

Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
5.0
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
4.8
Contact With Others
4.8
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
4.8
Spend Time Sitting
4.8
E-Mail
4.6
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
4.5
Time Pressure
4.4
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
4.4
Telephone Conversations
4.4
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
4.3
Freedom to Make Decisions
4.2

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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.