Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Salary
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN make a median of $76,790 a year, or about $36.92 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $129K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.59), that's roughly $74,129 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,781/month, about 35.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $77K get you in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Chicago-Naperville-Elgin’s Regional Price Parity (103.59). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About court reporters and simultaneous captioners
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What this looks like in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Court reporters and simultaneous captioners pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin tracks closely to the national median, $77K locally vs. $72K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,781/month, which is 36.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.59) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for court reporters and simultaneous captioners in metros near Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood | $51K | $53K |
| St. Louis | $76K | $80K |
| Louisville/Jefferson County | $49K | $53K |
| Terre Haute | $55K | $62K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Entry-level court reporters and simultaneous captioners (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $77K. Top earners bring in $129K or more, a $98K spread from bottom to top.
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $116K | +60% | 1,400 |
| Texas | $110K | +52% | 1,270 |
| Washington | $108K | +49% | 80 |
| New York | $102K | +41% | 1,400 |
| Iowa | $94K | +30% | 160 |
| Rhode Island | $92K | +27% | 60 |
| Minnesota | $84K | +16% | 320 |
| Colorado | $83K | +15% | 260 |
| Massachusetts | $80K | +10% | 50 |
| Arizona | $78K | +7% | 70 |
| Nebraska | $76K | +6% | 60 |
| Illinois | $76K | +5% | 770 |
| South Dakota | $75K | +4% | 40 |
| North Carolina | $74K | +2% | 110 |
| Missouri | $73K | +0% | 270 |
| North Dakota | $71K | -3% | 60 |
| Idaho | $69K | -4% | 40 |
| Alabama | $67K | -7% | 350 |
| Ohio | $67K | -7% | 340 |
| Mississippi | $67K | -7% | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $66K | -9% | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $65K | -10% | 670 |
| Louisiana | $63K | -12% | 270 |
| Montana | $63K | -13% | 50 |
| Nevada | $62K | -14% | 70 |
| Michigan | $62K | -15% | 260 |
| South Carolina | $61K | -16% | 140 |
| Oklahoma | $61K | -16% | 180 |
| Connecticut | $59K | -18% | 210 |
| Maryland | $59K | -18% | N/A |
| Arkansas | $59K | -18% | 130 |
| West Virginia | $57K | -22% | 90 |
| Virginia | $55K | -24% | 320 |
| Indiana | $55K | -24% | 890 |
| Kentucky | $50K | -30% | 80 |
| Florida | $49K | -32% | 1,110 |
| Maine | $49K | -32% | 30 |
| Delaware | $45K | -38% | 40 |
Showing 1–10 of 38 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track court reporters and simultaneous captioners salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Chicago-Naperville-Elgin numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a court reporters and simultaneous captioner afford a 2BR apartment alone in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $77K, rent takes 36.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,781/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for court reporters and simultaneous captioners in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new court reporters and simultaneous captioners typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,781/month FMR, rent would take 95% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is court reporters and simultaneous captioner a high-paying job in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $77K locally vs. $72K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Chicago-Naperville-Elgin compare to the national average for court reporters and simultaneous captioners?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays $77K median vs. the U.S. average of $72K — that’s +6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.59), the purchasing-power equivalent is $74K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do court reporters and simultaneous captioners make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The median is $76,790 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced court reporters and simultaneous captioners can clear $129,320. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $77K enough to live in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,884/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,781/month, which eats 36.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a court reporters and simultaneous captioners salary go in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has a Regional Price Parity of 103.59 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median court reporters and simultaneous captioners salary is worth about $74,129 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do court reporters and simultaneous captioners get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.