Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Salary
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners in Pittsburgh, PA make a median of $63,480 a year, or about $30.52 an hour. The range runs from $41K at the entry level to $80K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.67), which stretches that salary to about $67,054 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,299/month, about 30.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $63K get you in Pittsburgh?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Pittsburgh’s Regional Price Parity (94.67). 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 Pittsburgh
Pay for court reporters and simultaneous captioners in Pittsburgh runs about 12% below the U.S. median of $72K. Rent runs $1,299/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 30.5% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.67 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. 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 Pittsburgh, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $75K | $73K |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $64K | $64K |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | $56K | $60K |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle | $64K | $65K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Pittsburgh, PA
Entry-level court reporters and simultaneous captioners (10th percentile) start around $41K. Mid-career wages sit at $63K. Top earners bring in $80K or more, a $39K 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 Pittsburgh numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a court reporters and simultaneous captioner afford a 2BR apartment alone in Pittsburgh?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 30.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,299/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/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 Pittsburgh?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new court reporters and simultaneous captioners typically earn — is $41K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,441/month. At HUD’s $1,299/month FMR, rent would take 53% 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 Pittsburgh?
Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $63K here vs. $72K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Pittsburgh compare to the national average for court reporters and simultaneous captioners?
Pittsburgh pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $72K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.67), the purchasing-power equivalent is $67K — below the national median.
How much do court reporters and simultaneous captioners make in Pittsburgh, PA?
The median is $63,480 a year, that works out to about $31 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,690, and experienced court reporters and simultaneous captioners can clear $80,120. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $63K enough to live in Pittsburgh?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,258/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,299/month, which eats 30.5% 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 Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has a Regional Price Parity of 94.67 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median court reporters and simultaneous captioners salary is worth about $67,054 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.