Interpreters and Translators
Median $60,170
Occupation · SOC 27-3092
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners: pay and where the jobs are
What court reporters and simultaneous captioners earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$72,420 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $78,760
- Median hourly wage
- $34.82
- Mean hourly wage
- $37.86
- Employment
- 12,870
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3092.
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See where your pay falls among court reporters and simultaneous captioners nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do court reporters and simultaneous captioners make?
The median annual wage for court reporters and simultaneous captioners was $72,420 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,130 and the highest-paid 10% more than $130,560. As an hourly rate, the median is $34.82. About 12,870 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($116,020), Texas ($110,080) and Washington ($107,670). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Texas.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for court reporters and simultaneous captioners looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,130 | $20.26 | $3,511 | $3,003 |
| 25th percentile | $53,760 | $25.85 | $4,480 | $3,781 |
| Median | $72,420 | $34.82 | $6,035 | $4,981 |
| 75th percentile | $100,780 | $48.45 | $8,398 | $6,644 |
| 90th percentile | $130,560 | $62.77 | $10,880 | $8,375 |
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners: pay by state
39 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$88,887 take-home in national prices
2
$81,940 take-home in national prices
3
$77,638 take-home in national prices
Where a median court reporters and simultaneous captioner paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,400 | $116,020 | $55,280 | $142,930 | $82,397 | $74,419 |
| Texas | 1,270 | $110,080 | $54,520 | $137,410 | $86,271 | $88,887 |
| Washington | 80 | $107,670 | $82,220 | $113,880 | $83,082 | $77,638 |
| New York | 1,400 | $101,990 | $60,360 | $143,790 | $75,160 | $69,643 |
| Iowa | 160 | $93,810 | $63,560 | $104,490 | $71,912 | $81,940 |
| Rhode Island | 60 | $92,250 | $61,670 | $107,310 | $69,871 | $68,313 |
| Minnesota | 320 | $83,680 | $64,150 | $97,410 | $63,164 | $64,047 |
| Colorado | 260 | $83,010 | $65,960 | $110,700 | $63,918 | $62,025 |
| Massachusetts | 50 | $79,940 | $46,080 | $91,350 | $60,923 | $57,607 |
| Arizona | 70 | $77,770 | $61,510 | $90,020 | $61,991 | $61,574 |
| Nebraska | 60 | $76,480 | $60,910 | $87,080 | $60,033 | $66,628 |
| Illinois | 770 | $75,890 | $31,200 | $122,390 | $58,607 | $58,631 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $75,210 | $63,610 | $78,960 | $61,740 | $69,695 |
| North Carolina | 110 | $73,510 | $57,910 | $91,710 | $58,120 | $61,616 |
| Missouri | 270 | $72,500 | $56,000 | $97,480 | $57,364 | $63,164 |
| North Dakota | 60 | $70,540 | $56,030 | $81,130 | $58,339 | $65,579 |
| Idaho | 40 | $69,330 | $66,290 | $75,460 | $55,037 | $57,634 |
| Alabama | 350 | $67,340 | $37,700 | $84,270 | $53,376 | $60,092 |
| Ohio | 340 | $67,330 | $49,750 | $94,740 | $54,789 | $59,056 |
| Mississippi | 40 | $67,300 | $47,720 | $75,000 | $54,216 | $62,350 |
| Wisconsin | 60 | $65,640 | $38,560 | $121,260 | $52,534 | $55,831 |
| Pennsylvania | 670 | $65,100 | $40,130 | $90,330 | $52,444 | $53,749 |
| Louisiana | 270 | $63,380 | $26,650 | $97,360 | $51,591 | $58,488 |
| Montana | 50 | $62,730 | $50,870 | $78,890 | $50,392 | $53,243 |
| Nevada | 70 | $62,030 | $46,750 | $78,430 | $52,021 | $52,032 |
| Michigan | 260 | $61,600 | $41,040 | $79,780 | $49,308 | $51,247 |
| South Carolina | 140 | $61,100 | $45,190 | $76,300 | $49,538 | $52,841 |
| Oklahoma | 180 | $60,800 | $53,000 | $68,000 | $48,842 | $55,602 |
| Connecticut | 210 | $59,390 | $43,370 | $74,680 | $47,316 | $45,667 |
| Maryland | Not published | $59,300 | $41,620 | $90,360 | $47,377 | $45,138 |
| Arkansas | 130 | $59,180 | $53,200 | $80,090 | $48,029 | $55,246 |
| West Virginia | 90 | $56,790 | $44,550 | $70,890 | $46,080 | $51,488 |
| Virginia | 320 | $55,210 | $37,840 | $78,360 | $44,181 | $43,698 |
| Indiana | 890 | $54,740 | $42,740 | $77,320 | $44,578 | $47,765 |
| Kentucky | 80 | $50,350 | $29,610 | $50,350 | $40,992 | $45,466 |
| Florida | 1,110 | $49,240 | $35,320 | $81,370 | $41,744 | $40,366 |
| Maine | 30 | $49,110 | $48,370 | $89,670 | $39,757 | $40,966 |
| Delaware | 40 | $44,760 | $40,350 | $86,130 | $36,158 | $36,228 |
| Puerto Rico | 110 | $38,300 | $32,830 | $38,490 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3092. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.