If you work in this speciality, knowing how much the legal transcriptionist's salary is will help you know if you are above or below the average.
If you are above, we are very happy for you, and if you haven't reached that point of income yet, we hope you still have half of the year to get there!
On the other hand, if you want to specialize in legal transcription, it's always good to know what you can expect to earn in advance.
And for that, we invite you to read this post; you will find information and tips to take into account to improve your legal transcription salary and earn much more in 2023.
How much can I make working as a legal transcriptionist?
To answer this question, we will take as a source of information two important job portals in the United States.
As you can observe, the legal transcriptionist's salary, according to these companies, does not vary that much. Their interpretation of this fact is that the pay is more a function of the location of the city of employment and the company you work for.
We believe that it will always be a function of your knowledge, experience, certifications and skills, such as the number of words you type per minute and the number of hours you put in.
You can also check out how much medical transcriptionists make.
How much does a legal transcriptionist make, according to ZipRecruiter
According to ZipRecruiter, in the United States, as of May 21, 2023, a legal transcriptionist's salary is estimated to average $41,270 per year. This represents approximately $19.84 per hour, about $793 per week, and $3,439 per month.
In estimating this average, the highest pay value is $54,500, and the lowest is $24,000. Most legal transcriptionist salaries range from $34,500 to $47,500 per year.
ZipRecruiter finds that the average pay range for a legal transcriptionist varies a little, $13,000. This fact allows it to state that regardless of location, there is not much opportunity for salary increase or promotion, even with years of experience.
To estimate this legal transcription salary range, ZipRecruiter constantly reviews and analyzes its database of millions of active jobs in the United States.
Salary for a legal transcriptionist, according to Glassdoor
On the other hand, Glassdoor, one of the world's most significant job and recruiting portals, estimates an average annual legal transcription income in the United States of $52,242.
This total income is made up of a base salary of $49,271 and an additional $2,971 in commissions, tips, bonuses or profit sharing.
In this average income range of $52,242, the most likely pay range is between $43,000 and $63,000, with fewer transcriptionists being paid as low as $36,000 or as high as $75,000.
Another exciting piece of information provided by Glassdoor, in addition to their consideration of additional income pay, is their estimate of average legal transcriptionist pay at different companies; here we show you.
Companies with average hourly pay
- Speak Write, $36
- CRC Solomon, $35
- Birch Creek Communications, $34
- Martin Law, $31
- eSolutions, $30
- Wai & Connor, $29
- eScribers, $28
- Veritexto, $28
- Alcides Alberto Casares, $27
- Net Transcripts, $27
- Self Employed Womens Association, $27
- Allegis Transcription, $24
If you compare the difference in hourly pay between the first company and the last, both transcription companies, this is an important variable in legal transcriptionist salary.
The top industries paying the highest salary per legal transcript in the U.S. is Media and Communications, with a total average salary of $58,605 (well above average), and Retail and Wholesale at $49,385 (just above the base average).
Highest Paying Cities for Legal Transcriptionists
According to ZipRecruiter, there are 10 cities in which the salary for a legal transcriptionist is above the national average salary. This information is fascinating because you might consider changing location to advance economically.
But there is something important to take into account, the state of California is a more expensive city to live in than Oregon, so it is always necessary to analyze the context before making any decision.
In the following table, you can see which are these cities and their best legal transcriptionist salaries.
| City | Annual salary | Monthly Payment | Weekly payment | Hourly pay |
| Santa Cruz, California | $50,963 | $4,246 | $980 | $24.50 |
| Sunnyvale, California | $49,807 | $4,150 | $957 | $23.95 |
| Livermore, California | $49,216 | $4,101 | $946 | $23.66 |
| Barnstable, Massachusetts | $48,404 | $4,033 | $930 | $23.27 |
| Kent, Washington | $47,945 | $3,995 | $922 | $23,05 |
| Vacaville, California | $47,886 | $3,990 | $920 | $23.02 |
| Arcilla, California | $47,306 | $3,942 | $909 | $22.74 |
| Berkeley, California | $47,150 | $3,929 | $906 | $22.67 |
| Cambridge, Massachusetts | $47,150 | $3,929 | $906 | $22.67 |
| Hillsboro, Oregón | $47,134 | $3,927 | $906 | $22.66 |
Conclusions
Based on the legal transcriptionist salary information consulted, salaries vary depending on several factors, including the industry you work for, with Media and Communications being the highest paying.
This factor is relevant because you can be the best legal transcriptionist in the world. Still, if you do not work in an economically productive company, it will be challenging to obtain a higher salary.
In most companies, the legal transcription salary is paid per audio hour; if you focus on becoming part of a company that pays higher value per hour and works a good number of hours daily, you will undoubtedly earn more.
Don't forget, also training, skills, and experience are important if you want to significantly increase your legal transcriptionist salary.
We hope we have provided you with useful information to negotiate with potential employers and know what you can focus on to increase your legal transcription salary in 2023.
