subject: The Factors That Affect Court Reporting Wages [print this page] A person who uses verbatim methods and equipment to store, capture, transcribe and retrieve trial proceedings is known as a court reporter. These reporters give exact accounts of words that are spoke, which are necessary for correspondence, legal proof, and record keeping. The court reporting wages will differ with the kind of reporting job, certification levels obtained and level of experience.
The most common type of court reporting job is that of a stenographer. These stenotypists will receive benefits and a salary if they are employed in a court house or by a captioning company. The average annual salary of a court reporter is over $40,000, ranging from between $30,000 and $60,000 as a rule. Reporters in local government are usually on the high end of these salaries.
Licensing requirements vary by state, and training needed to become a court reporter varies by the specialized area of expertise. Taking less than a year to become a simple voice writer, to 2 years to become a real-time voice writing professional, to 3 years to become a licensed stenographic reporter, the level of training and certifications available are numerous. A 20% jump in salary is normal for someone with numerous state licenses and certifications.
Experienced court reporters are in high demand due to the need for accurate transcriptions of legal proceedings. The increasing need for captions on television shows is also helping to spur this job market upward. Earning almost 40% higher than their counterparts, the highest skilled and most experienced reporters proved transcription in real time.
Job openings for court reporters are numerous, as these openings will surely continue to outnumber jobseekers in most fields. Court reporters that have a few years of experience, a license in more than one state and good field of work will have the best chance to boost the court reporting wages currently paid in today?s job market.
