Also called: Congressional Stenographer, Legislative Reporter
Records every word spoken on the floor of Congress or a state legislature, word for word, for the official record.
Official reporters sit on the House or Senate floor with stenotype machines, taking down fast-paced debate in shifts, then edit the text for the Congressional Record that's published the next morning. It's the most elite court-reporting job in the country.
Congressional positions pay at the top of the range. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 3 years after high school. Court reporting (stenography) program and top certifications, usually years of experience.
Ways in: Trade school, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Court Reporting (certificate), English.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). BLS court reporters and simultaneous captioners, 2025-35 (approximate).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Speech-to-text AI and floor video can capture debates; human reporters still certify the record, but fewer will be hired.
Classes: Keyboarding, AP English Language, AP U.S. Government, A world language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3092.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.