Court Reporting Degree Worth It?

For the year 2009, the national average for court reporter salary was $52,460 annually.

Those who worked the federal government had average of $54,140 per year. The ones working in state governments did slightly better and made an average salary of $54,330 per year.

The two states with the highest average salary for court reporters were Oregon and New York at $100,590 and $80,920 respectively.

And lastly, in the New York - New Jersey area, the average court reporter salary of $82,340 annually was the highest among cities and metropolitans.

For more information, see court reporter salary at bls.gov.

The most important thing to have to become a court reporter is proper certification. A career in court reporting requires specialized training in stenography (short hand) and real-time reporting. Certificate for these skills can be obtained through post-secondary vocational or technical schools.

Typically, classes are held during the day. But for those studying part time, court reporting classes are offered by some schools at night.

Additionally, court reporter training and education can be obtained from online schools nowadays.  See below.

Lastly, many court reporters complete college-level coursework in legal studies or communications.

Do I have to go to court reporter school?

Court reporters have to know how to write in shorthand (stenography) and use the stenotype machines. Both can be learned in class and many schools offer an associates or certificate degrees for court reporting.

It usually takes about 33 months to be proficient in stenography and about two years in stenotyping. So to be an excellent court reporter, you'll need schooling and on-the-job training.

Court reporters, at a minimum, must be able to type over 200 words per minute and have excellent hearing-translation abilities.

Court system professionals adjust to take advantage of the speeded up workplace available in today's technology driven society.  For court reporter school, online education has allowed aspiring stenographers and court reporters to complete their training at the speed they prefer.  Online classes vary from one school to another, but the education and training are widely accepted in the legal system.  The usual length of completion for court reporter school online is about 2 years, but can be shorter if one has the determination.

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