BLS metro-level wage data places Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners pay in Fargo, ND-MN at a median of $80,720 per year ($38.81/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $72,420, Fargo pays +11% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 30 court reporters and simultaneous captionerss are employed across the Fargo MSA in SOC 27-3092.

The Fargo pay distribution spans from $58,170 at the 10th percentile to $81,130 at the 90th — a 1.4× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $62,730 and the 75th at $81,130, so half of Fargo-based court reporters and simultaneous captionerss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Fargo, ND-MN covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide ND data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.