--- title: "How Much Do Court Reporters Make in 2026? Freelance vs. Official vs. CART" description: "Court reporter pay in 2026: the $72,420 BLS median (May 2025), how freelance, official, and CART pay differ, and how to model freelance income." url: "https://depostack.com/blog/court-reporter-salary/" published: "2026-06-02" updated: "2026-10-11" author: "Andrew Mayes" topic: "Pay" --- # How Much Do Court Reporters Make in 2026? Freelance vs. Official vs. CART Court reporter pay in 2026: the $72,420 BLS median (May 2025), how freelance, official, and CART pay differ, and how to model freelance income. Published June 2, 2026 · Updated October 11, 2026 · By Andrew Mayes · Topic: Pay Canonical URL: https://depostack.com/blog/court-reporter-salary/ ## Key takeaways - The federal median is an employee-wage benchmark, not a freelance revenue promise. - Freelance income combines appearance, page, copy, expedite, and realtime fees. - Compare gross receipts with business expenses and realistic local work volume. - Official, deposition, and CART settings use different compensation structures. "How much do court reporters make?" has a frustrating answer: *it depends*, more than in many professions. Two reporters with the same certification can earn very different amounts based on their setting, workload, transcript orders, and whether they offer realtime. Here is how to read the available numbers in 2026. ## The federal benchmark The [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/court-reporters.htm) reports that the median annual wage for court reporters and simultaneous captioners was **$72,420 in May 2025**. The lowest 10 percent earned less than **$42,130**, while the highest 10 percent earned more than **$130,560**. Those figures are a useful national benchmark, not a freelance income table. BLS explicitly excludes self-employed workers from its wage estimates, even though its occupation profile counts about 19,900 jobs in 2025 and lists 33 percent of them as self-employed.[1] That limitation matters because many deposition reporters work independently and earn a mix of appearance, transcript, copy, expedite, and realtime fees. > **Figure.** BLS annual wages for court reporters and simultaneous captioners, May 2025. Employees only: the 33 percent of jobs held by the self-employed are not counted. Drawing: A wage ruler with three marks: the lowest 10 percent under $42,130, the median $72,420, and the highest 10 percent over $130,560, for employees only. ## The three main paths - **Official reporters** work for a court. BLS says most court reporters work in courts or legislatures, and it counts state and local government among the occupation's largest employers.[1] Depending on the jurisdiction, they may also receive transcript income when parties order copies. The [federal court reporting program](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/federal-court-reporting-program) explains how originals, copies, delivery tiers, and realtime feeds are handled in federal court. - **Freelance deposition reporters** are often self-employed, hired by law firms or corporations. BLS says freelancers typically charge an hourly rate and sell transcript copies at a set price per page,[1] so gross income may combine appearance fees, transcript pages, copy orders, and turnaround premiums. Work volume and local rates can make income much more variable than a salary figure suggests. - **CART providers and captioners** provide realtime text. BLS describes CART providers working with people who are deaf or hard of hearing in meetings, appointments, and college classes, and broadcast captioners captioning television programs.[1] Pay depends on the setting and the local or contract market. ## How the money is made For many freelancers, the word "salary" hides the way revenue is assembled. Common line items include: - **Page rates** multiplied by pages produced (see [how per-page rates and copies work](https://depostack.com/blog/per-page-rates/)) - **Appearance or per-diem fees** for time on the record - **Expedite and daily premiums** for shorter turnaround - **Realtime fees** for an immediate text feed - **Copy sales** when additional parties order the transcript The federal schedule is not a freelance deposition rate card, but it demonstrates the structure. It publishes separate maximum rates for an original, a first copy, additional copies, faster delivery, and realtime feeds.[2] Private deposition rates remain market-specific, so confirm the complete schedule in writing before accepting or ordering a job. ## What can raise earning potential These factors can increase the amount of work a reporter can accept or the services they can offer. They are not guarantees of a particular income. - **Realtime capability.** A clean, reliable feed is a distinct professional service. See [what realtime reporting requires](https://depostack.com/blog/realtime-court-reporting/). - **Speed and accuracy.** Cleaner writing can reduce editing time and make difficult turnarounds more manageable. - **Expedite capacity.** Reliable daily or expedited delivery can support premium work. - **Specialized experience.** Technical, medical, and complex litigation may reward subject familiarity. - **Operational discipline.** Efficient scheduling, production, billing, and follow-up protect billable time. ## Regional and work-setting differences Official salaries are set by jurisdiction, while freelance rates vary by market and contract. A single national median cannot capture those differences. Compare local court job postings, state judicial salary schedules, association resources, and actual freelance rate sheets before setting expectations. For freelance work, distinguish gross receipts from net income after software, equipment, insurance, taxes, scopists, proofreaders, travel, and other business expenses. > **Figure.** Freelance gross receipts built from this note’s line items, then net income after business expenses. No amounts: rates vary by market. Drawing: Five income slips, page rates, appearance fees, expedite premiums, realtime fees, and copy sales, summed to gross receipts; business expenses taken out leave net income. ## The 2026 outlook BLS projects **little or no employment change from 2025 to 2035**. It also projects about **1,800 openings per year**, on average, largely because workers leave the occupation or the labor force.[1] That national projection is more precise than a blanket shortage claim. A state, court, or local freelance market can still face recruiting pressure, so assess the market where you plan to work. The practical takeaway is simple: use $72,420 as a current employee-wage benchmark, not a promise. Model freelance income from realistic local volume, rates, expenses, and turnaround capacity. To track your own volume, the free [job and page log](https://depostack.com/tools/job-log/) totals jobs, pages, and billing by month. ## Sources Reviewed October 11, 2026. 1. [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation profile](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/court-reporters.htm) (bls.gov; wages for May 2025; employment and projections for 2025 to 2035) 2. [Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts federal court reporting program](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-programs/federal-court-reporting-program) (uscourts.gov; maximum rates effective October 1, 2024) ## Related Field Notes - [Court Reporter Per-Page Rates Explained: Originals, Copies & Expedites](https://depostack.com/blog/per-page-rates/) - [Realtime Court Reporting: Equipment, Setup & Getting Started in 2026](https://depostack.com/blog/realtime-court-reporting/)