SalariesWhat the occupation covers
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.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 27-3092.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $42,130 | $3,511 | $810 | $20.26 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $53,760 | $4,480 | $1,034 | $25.85 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $72,420 | $6,035 | $1,393 | $34.82 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $100,780 | $8,398 | $1,938 | $48.45 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $130,560 | $10,880 | $2,511 | $62.77 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners is $72,420, which is 42% higher. Among the 41 occupations of the field Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media, it ranks number 17 by median pay. With 12,870 jobs, it makes up about 0.8 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners pay by state
The highest median pay was in California ($116,020), Texas ($110,080) and Washington ($107,670). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($38,300), Delaware ($44,760) and Maine ($49,110). The most jobs were in California (1,400), New York (1,400) and Texas (1,270). The occupation is most concentrated in Indiana, where its share of all jobs is 3.4 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,400 | $116,020 | $108,890 | $55.78 |
| Texas | 1,270 | $110,080 | $104,730 | $52.92 |
| Washington | 80 | $107,670 | $101,110 | $51.77 |
| New York | 1,400 | $101,990 | $101,280 | $49.03 |
| Iowa | 160 | $93,810 | $89,730 | $45.10 |
| Rhode Island | 60 | $92,250 | $84,160 | $44.35 |
| Minnesota | 320 | $83,680 | $81,290 | $40.23 |
| Colorado | 260 | $83,010 | $86,320 | $39.91 |
| Massachusetts | 50 | $79,940 | $73,870 | $38.44 |
| Arizona | 70 | $77,770 | $75,720 | $37.39 |
| Nebraska | 60 | $76,480 | $75,450 | $36.77 |
| Illinois | 770 | $75,890 | $73,260 | $36.48 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $75,210 | $73,500 | $36.16 |
| North Carolina | 110 | $73,510 | $76,250 | $35.34 |
| Missouri | 270 | $72,500 | $70,580 | $34.86 |
| North Dakota | 60 | $70,540 | $70,670 | $33.91 |
| Idaho | 40 | $69,330 | $68,500 | $33.33 |
| Alabama | 350 | $67,340 | $63,580 | $32.37 |
| Ohio | 340 | $67,330 | $70,870 | $32.37 |
| Mississippi | 40 | $67,300 | $64,730 | $32.36 |
| Wisconsin | 60 | $65,640 | $74,700 | $31.56 |
| Pennsylvania | 670 | $65,100 | $66,630 | $31.30 |
| Louisiana | 270 | $63,380 | $62,300 | $30.47 |
| Montana | 50 | $62,730 | $64,270 | $30.16 |
| Nevada | 70 | $62,030 | $64,810 | $29.82 |
| Michigan | 260 | $61,600 | $60,050 | $29.62 |
| South Carolina | 140 | $61,100 | $61,460 | $29.38 |
| Oklahoma | 180 | $60,800 | $60,520 | $29.23 |
| Connecticut | 210 | $59,390 | $61,410 | $28.55 |
| Maryland | not published | $59,300 | $61,460 | $28.51 |
| Arkansas | 130 | $59,180 | $62,140 | $28.45 |
| West Virginia | 90 | $56,790 | $59,610 | $27.30 |
| Virginia | 320 | $55,210 | $58,050 | $26.54 |
| Indiana | 890 | $54,740 | $59,850 | $26.32 |
| Kentucky | 80 | $50,350 | $43,840 | $24.21 |
| Florida | 1,110 | $49,240 | $56,850 | $23.68 |
| Maine | 30 | $49,110 | $55,950 | $23.61 |
| Delaware | 40 | $44,760 | $59,760 | $21.52 |
| Puerto Rico | 110 | $38,300 | $36,010 | $18.42 |
| Georgia | 410 | not published | not published | not published |
| Kansas | 180 | not published | not published | not published |
| New Jersey | 200 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Music Directors and Composers$73,710 a year
- Media and Communication Workers, All Other$73,620 a year
- Sound Engineering Technicians$73,130 a year
- Artists and Related Workers, All Other$71,240 a year
- Media and Communication Equipment Workers, All Other$70,720 a year
- Lighting Technicians$68,060 a year
Common questions
How much do Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners earn in the United States?
The median pay was $72,420 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,130 and the highest-paid 10% more than $130,560.
How many people work as Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners?
About 12,870 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.
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