What is a Court Reporter's Starting Salary in California?
In the 2010 to 2011 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted that job prospects for court reporters will be excellent. The BLS estimated that there were only 1,960 court reporters in the state of California as of May 2009. Court reporting is a respected career that plays a vital role in the justice system. The importance of keeping an accurate record of legal proceedings means that court reporters must be well qualified before they start working in the field. Starting salaries for court reporters reflect the need for extensive training for entry level jobs.
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State Courts
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Salaries for court reporters vary by county. The most populous county in the state, Los Angeles, pays a starting annual salary of $72,392 as of July 2010. Santa Clara County, the home of the largest city in Northern California, San Jose, starts court reporters at $66,891. Kern County in the San Joaquin Valley pays $59,305. Official court reporters receive public employee benefits. They also earn additional income when they produce transcripts of hearings.
Federal Courts
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Court reporters with less than four years experience are not eligible for a position in a federal district court. According to the 2010 federal compensation table, qualified federal court reporters in California start at salaries that range from $78,548 in Sacramento to $86,872 in San Francisco. Federal court reporters must hold a certification from the National Court Reporters Association or a comparable organization.
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Options
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Some court reporters in California work outside the courthouse. They take depositions, perform captioning services or track lectures and discussions to assist the deaf. Court reporters who perform these services may operate independently or work for court reporting agencies. The Court Reporters Board of California estimates that court reporters in California earn from $30,000 to $100,000 per year. These figures include both full-time and part-time workers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the mean wage for all court reporters in California is $77,780.
Education
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According to the Court Reporters Board of California, it takes three to four years of full-time specialized training in court reporting skills to pass the California licensing examination. Court reporters develop a high level of proficiency in the English language. They also learn legal terminology, develop computer skills and practice long hours on the stenotype machine. Students gain additional skills by participating in apprenticeships.
Licensure
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An individual must hold a license from the Court Reporters Board of California to work as a court reporter in the California state courts. The state board issues Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) licenses to those who pass a three-part examination. Applicants must pass a detailed English grammar and punctuation test, demonstrate a thorough knowledge of job skills and prove their ability to take rapid dictation at a 97.5 percent rate of accuracy.
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