How Much Do Court Reporters Make? Court Reporter Salary Calculator

Court reporters and simultaneous captioners on payrolls earned a median of $72,420 a year in May 2025 ($34.82 an hour), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which counted 12,870. The bottom tenth earned under $42,130 and the top tenth over $130,560. Freelance reporters, a third of the occupation, aren't included.

Court reporters: pay at every level

This is the BLS line for court reporters and simultaneous captioners (SOC 27-3092) on employers' payrolls. The third of the occupation that freelances is not counted, so these figures describe staff reporters at courts, legislatures and agencies, not per-page freelance income. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.

Court reporter pay by state

California ($116,020) and Texas ($110,080) are at the top, and together with New York ($101,990) employ the most staff reporters. Washington is third at $107,670. Florida is the outlier: 1,110 reporters at a median of $49,240, among the lowest in the country, with Delaware ($44,760) last. BLS released figures for 38 states.

Which employers pay court reporters most

Local ($78,430) and state ($78,300) governments — the courts — pay almost the same, both well above business support services such as court reporting agencies ($58,760) (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).

A court reporter's schedule

Court reporters and captioners in legal settings or offices typically work full time recording proceedings and preparing transcripts; freelance reporters have more flexible schedules. Local governments employ 24%, state governments 20% and business support services 19%, while 33% are self-employed, hired by law firms and corporations for depositions as needed. Captioners may work remotely (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).

Overtime for court reporters

Employed court reporters paid by the hour are owed time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek (U.S. Department of Labor). Freelancers aren't employees, so no overtime applies: the OOH says they typically charge an hourly rate and may sell additional transcript copies at a set price per page, and none of that is in the BLS figures here.

Training, licenses and pay

Many court reporters complete a certificate or associate's program at a community college or technical institute, typically taking 2 or 3 years, covering English grammar, phonetics, legal procedure and terminology, and stenotype or steno-mask equipment. Many states require a license or a professional association's certification, usually a written test plus a speed and accuracy skills test, then on-the-job training on equipment and terminology (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).

Related tools and guides

More ways to work with your court reporter pay:

• Freelance rate calculator
• Self-employment tax on side income
• Contractor vs employee pay calculator
• How much transcriptionists make
• Hourly pay by job: all the BLS pay calculators