Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
Also called: Captioner, Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR), Court Monitor, Court Recorder, Court Recording Monitor, Court Reporter, Court Stenographer, Court Transcriber
Use verbatim methods and equipment to capture, store, retrieve, and transcribe pretrial and trial proceedings or other information.
What court reporters and simultaneous captioners do
Typical tasks
- Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
- Record symbols on computer storage media and use computer aided transcription to translate and display them as text.
- Record verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.
- Record depositions and other proceedings for attorneys.
- Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
- Proofread transcripts for correct spelling of words.
- File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk's office.
- Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
- Take notes in shorthand or use a stenotype or shorthand machine that prints letters on a paper tape.
- File and store shorthand notes of court session.
- Respond to requests during court sessions to read portions of the proceedings already recorded.
- Swear in witnesses.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners salary
The median annual wage for court reporters and simultaneous captioners is $72,420 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $42,130 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $130,560. The mean annual wage is $78,760.
The mean hourly wage of $37.00 is 5.1× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $72,420 → in 3 years $76,800 → in 5 years $79,800 → in 10 years $87,900 (10-year range $75,600–$102,000). The model assumes pay growth of +1.9% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners United States | 速記者、音声反訳者 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $72,420 | ¥5.83M ≈ $37,094 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $87,900 | ¥7.62M |
| Outlook score | 41 | 51 |
| AI replacement risk | 78% High | 45% Moderate |
| Workers | 13K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become court reporters and simultaneous captioners
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as court reporters and simultaneous captioners
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.