Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

Court Services Office 

Programs Division 

Electronic Public Access Services Assessment

PACER User 

Satisfaction 

Report – 

Executive 

Summary
1

Table of Contents 

Introduction ........................................................................... 2

Background ........................................................................... 2

Methodology Overview ............................................................ 3

Summary Results.....................................................................5

Demographics........................................................................ 5

User Satisfaction with PACER.................................................... 6

Understanding How to Use PACER............................................. 7

User Experience with PACER..................................................... 8

PACER Customer Service ........................................................10

PACER Enhancements ............................................................12

 PACER Fee and Billing Perceptions............................................14

 Conclusion............................................................................15
2

Introduction 

In 2020, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts engaged Deloitte to conduct a survey of 

Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) users to measure user satisfaction and identify areas for 

improvement. Deloitte is an industry leader in survey research and program evaluation, serving over 15 

U.S. cabinet level federal agencies in its Government and Public Sector Practice. Deloitte has designed and 

conducted thousands of user experience research studies worldwide and is composed of subject matter 

experts from a diverse array of specialized research disciplines. Deloitte partners with public and private 

organizations to deliver scientific, quantifiable, research-based insights to support strategic decisionmaking and action-planning. 

This report communicates the results of the follow-up PACER User Satisfaction survey conducted in June 

and July 2021 to update information from the previous surveys conducted in 2009 and 2012, as well as to 

better understand the experience and journey of PACER users, measure user satisfaction, and identify 

actionable ways to improve the PACER user experience. 

Background 

The mission of the federal Judiciary’s Electronic Public Access (EPA) program is to facilitate and improve 

electronic public access to court information at a reasonable cost, in accordance with statute, Judiciary 

policies, security requirements, and user demands. Created in the early 2000s, the primary point of access 

to the court information and documents maintained in electronic format is through PACER, which provides 

access to court case files and reports residing in each court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files 

(CM/ECF) system. The CM/ECF system helps judges, clerks of court, attorneys, and public users 

electronically file, review, and download case information. Searching for case information across courts is 

accomplished through a tool called the PACER Case Locator, which allows users to search for case records 

from a central location, rather than having to individually search each court’s CM/ECF system. In 2020, the 

PACER Service Center provided support to more than 650,000 unique active PACER users, which include 

litigants, attorneys, and court staff, as well as commercial businesses, the media, academic researchers, 

students, and the general public.

Two similar surveys were conducted in 2009 and 2012. In 2009, the Judiciary undertook a comprehensive 

program assessment to better understand the different types of users of EPA services - including PACER -

to measure user satisfaction and to identify priority areas for improvement. Many improvements were 

implemented by the Judiciary based on the 2009 research results, and a new report was commissioned in 

2012 to continue tracking on the metrics collected in 2009.

Changes to PACER Since 2012 

After the 2012 report, features were improved or added to the system to respond to user feedback and 

boost the user experience. These new services and improvements included: 

• Ability for filers to use a central sign-on feature for their PACER account when searching and filing 

in NextGen CM/ECF courts, which is the next generation of CM/ECF to which the Judiciary is 

currently transitioning. 

• Redesigned PACER Case Locator (PCL) with new functionalities that include: ability to save 

preferred cases, ability to save frequent searches, option of simplified or advanced search screens, 
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ability to set a preferred landing page, and a responsive page design that adjusts to the user’s 

device based on window or screen size.

• New PACER website (pacer.uscourts.gov) that offers easier access to PACER and PACER-related 

applications.

• National PACER login page (pacer.login.uscourts.gov) where users select which site to visit at log in.

• Important site alerts published to all national PACER applications.

• Option to sign up to receive PACER announcements by email (GovDelivery bulletins).

• Increased PACER quarterly fee waiver from $15 to $30.

• Access to free PACER demonstration site, which includes real cases to enable users to learn how to 

use PACER without registering or incurring any fees so they can become familiar with the type of 

case data and documents available.

• Improved group billing, which allows groups to manage and pay for all charges associated with 

multiple PACER accounts. Any group, such as a law firm, financial organization, or educational or 

research institution, can use group billing to receive and pay bills for all user accounts in the group.

Changes to the User Satisfaction Survey Since 2012 

To inform the updated 2021 User Satisfaction survey, an online, forum-style tool – Bulletin Boards – was 

used to facilitate an asynchronous discussion among target groups of PACER users. This discussion 

provided qualitative insight into the PACER user experience to inform the design and analysis of the 

quantitative survey of PACER users, as well as provide early insights on experience. Participants were 

recruited via a brief screening survey sent by e-mail to 1,000 randomly selected recent users of PACER. 

Additionally, all members of the EPA Public User Group – an advisory group established by the 

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to provide a formal and interactive venue for engaging external 

PACER users – were invited to participate. The 40 participants were grouped by profession, including legal 

professionals, academics, journalists, creditors, and background screeners. Insights from this qualitative 

work were used to inform the design of the 2021 User Satisfaction survey. 

Based on insights derived from this qualitative work and new topics of interest about PACER usage since 

the last assessment, the 2021 survey was updated to include additional questions about user satisfaction 

with PACER features. Additions included having users evaluate PACER features based on whether those 

features are “easy to use”, “always meet their needs”, and “are essential for doing [their] job”. New 

questions were also added to measure user needs and attitudes about the PACER Service Center and 

PACER pricing structure.

Methodology Overview 

For the 2021 survey, respondents were asked 62 closed-ended questions and 2 open-ended questions that 

inquired about their satisfaction with and use of PACER, demographics, and interest in new features. 

Invitations were sent to a randomly sampled group of active PACER users on June 22, 2021. Invitees were 

emailed three reminders to participate in the survey through the end of the fielding period (July 22, 2021). 

Overall, the survey garnered 6,315 respondents during the one-month survey administration period, up 

from 1,752 in 2012. The response rate was 11% out of a total sample of 59,133 (after subtracting 

undeliverable invitations from the 60,000 originally invited to participate) individuals who had used PACER 

at least once in the previous year (January 2020 to December 2020).
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At the beginning of the survey, respondents were asked to self-identify as the type of PACER user that best 

describes them, choosing one option from a list of 10 user types. These user types – which are described 

in the Demographics section – mirror those used in the previous surveys to facilitate trending over time. 

The user type selected by respondents may or may not match the user type associated with the account to 

which they are registered. However, the self-identified user type does represent the type of user 

respondents consider themselves to be for the purpose of evaluating their experiences using PACER.

The PACER Service Center fielded calls and emails for help from survey respondents and was also available 

to verify that the survey was authorized by the federal Judiciary.
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Summary Results 

Demographics

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ PACER user 

demographics and usage

in 2021 survey remains

similar to 2009 and 2012

surveys

Demographics of PACER users remains similar in 2021

• The overall percentage of each self-reported PACER user type 

remained similar to 2012, with the legal sector comprising the 

largest group of users (63%).

• Among those self-identifying as legal sector users, over twothirds are attorneys, with paralegals and secretaries accounting for 

smaller proportions of legal sector user roles.

• Among those self-identifying as legal sector users, the vast 

majority work for a law firm (as opposed to a government entity).

• Users who selected ‘Other’ as the user type that best describes them increased markedly since the 

last survey.

• Banks are still the largest segment of users among those who self-identify as commercial business 

users. 

Plaintiff, Defendant, or 

Debtor

10%

Legal Sector

63% Commercial business

7%

Non-profit 

organization

2%

Creditor

3%

Service provider to the legal 

sector

1%

Educational 

institution

1%

Media

2%

Private Investigator

2%

Other

9%

Self-Reported PACER User Types

Figure 1
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User Satisfaction with PACER 

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ Satisfaction with PACER 

fell six percentage points 

between 2012 and 2021

Overall satisfaction with PACER declined since 2012

• Overall satisfaction decreased from 90% in 2012 to 84% in 2021.

• Overall satisfaction is highest with creditors, commercial 

businesses, and private investigators. The only group that improved 

satisfaction since 2012 was creditors, driven by an increase in their 

satisfaction with PACER’s search functionalities since 2012.

• Drop in satisfaction was driven in part by large drops in average satisfaction from the media (from 

average of 4.34 to 3.36 on 5-point satisfaction scale) and service providers to the legal sector (from 

average of 4.23 to 3.87 on 5-point satisfaction scale).

75%

90%

84%

2009 2012 2021

Overall Satisfaction with PACER

Figure 2

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ Satisfaction with PACER 

search capabilities fell in 

2021 compared to 

attitudes in 2012

Satisfaction with search capabilities fell

• Satisfaction with the search capabilities of PACER (i.e., accessing

PACER, searching across courts, viewing search results, locating a 

case) decreased since 2012. 

• “Accessing PACER when you need to” is the highest rated item (4.36

average on 5-point 

satisfaction scale), and 88% of respondents are satisfied with 

this feature.

• “Searching across courts” is the lowest rated item and 

continues a downward trend from the last two reports; 

satisfaction for this feature is 66%.

Searching Across Courts 

Continues to Frustrate Users

Lower overall satisfaction with 

PACER since 2012 is driven by a 

decrease in satisfaction with 

search functionalities – one of 

the most common PACER use 

cases.
7

4.36

4.25 4.21

4.06

4.45

4.22 4.23 4.15

4.37

4.10 4.11

3.99

Accessing PACER when

you need to

Searching across Search results Locating a case

courts

Obtaining PACER Information (Avg. on 5-Point Satisfaction Scale)

Figure 3

2021 2012 2009

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Continue to improve search functionality: Conduct an assessment of search functionalities in similar 

portals to understand what search capabilities they have that PACER could consider implementing. 

Understanding How to Use PACER 

K E Y T A K E A W A Y Many users unaware of all that PACER offers

❖ Users are satisfied with • 65% of users are either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with learning 

learning how to use how to use the PACER system, compared to only 42% who are 

PACER, but less than “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their familiarity with all that PACER 

has to offer. half are familiar with all 

• 11% of users are “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their that PACER offers 

familiarity of PACER offerings, which is also reflected in other survey 

data showing lower awareness of new PACER services (see, “PACER Enhancements” section). 

• Some users expressed in open-ended comments that they are confused by aspects of the interface 

of CM/ECF and the PACER.gov website and indicated their satisfaction would improve if they learned 

where all the services are located. 
8

 

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Provide targeted learning and development opportunities for users: Identify tools and strategies 

similar portals provide to their users to help them learn how to use their services effectively. These tools 

could include task-based tutorials that help users complete priority tasks using PACER. 

 User Experience with PACER 

 Most respondents use PACER at least once a month

• Most users use PACER very often — 74% say they access the 

system more than once a month, and 21% use it daily. 

• The legal sector, media, and creditors use the system the most 

often, and educational institutions and plaintiff, defendant, or 

debtor users use it the least.

• Many users use PACER to follow a case (51%) or search for cases 

within a court (44%), while fewer use it to obtain reports (31%) or 

search for cases across courts (31%). 

• The top reasons to use PACER are similar to 2009 and 2012, but the 

percentage of users who state they use PACER to follow a case or 

obtain reports decreased, and those who use PACER to search for 

cases within a court or search for cases across courts increased.

• The most common court type accessed is by far the district court, with 70% of users searching for district 

cases in the last year (similar to 2012). In the 2021 survey, 31% of PACER users say they had accessed 

appellate courts using PACER in the past year — similar to the 34% of users who reported doing so in 

2012. A far smaller percentage of users searched for bankruptcy courts (42%) than they did in 2012 (60%). 

• The legal sector has the widest user base, with over 40% accessing bankruptcy and appellate courts, and

80% accessing district courts. 

 

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ Daily and weekly usage 

of PACER has increased 

since 2012

Frequent Usage is Common

Over half of PACER users in the 

2021 survey state that PACER is

essential for their job duties. 
9

 

12%

25% 24%

16%

22%

9%

21%

24%

18%

28%

21%

29%

24%

7%

18%

Daily Weekly Monthly 1-2 times in the past

12 months

Once every 2-3

months

PACER Usage in the Previous 12 Months

(Figure 5)

2009 2012 2021

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Embed ongoing feedback mechanisms to monitor PACER features: Collect customer feedback 

through ongoing surveys and feedback mechanisms (e.g., digital “always-on” and post-transaction 

intercept surveys) to dynamically identify user pain points.

 High-frequency usage of PCL more than doubled

• The portion of users accessing the PCL over 100 times in the last 

year more than doubled, from 5% in the 2012 survey to 10% in the 

2021 survey; creditors drove this increase, with over 25% of users 

accessing the PCL more than 100 times. 

• Users accessing the system 26-100 times and 11-25 times also 

increased, from 11% to 15%, and 16% to 19%, respectively.

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ Usage of PACER Case 

Locator (PCL) continues 

to increase since first 

being measured in 2009
10

12%

5%

38%

19%

15%

10%

Never One time 2-10 times 11-25 times 26-100 times More than 100

times

Use of PACER Case Locator in the Last Year

(Figure 6)

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ PACER usage on mobile 

devices is not common

 Low Mobile Use of PACER in 2021

• Most users (62%) still only access PACER on their desktops, with a 

further 24% accessing PACER on a mobile device only “rarely”. 

• For those that have accessed PACER, their review of the mobile 

experience is relatively neutral, with 37% of users rating the 

experience as “average”.

PACER Customer Service

 Low Awareness but increasing usage of Service Center

• More than half of respondents (53%) say they are unaware that 

the PSC is available to help them use the system — this continues 

the downward trend from the 2009 and 2012 reports. 

• The media is the least aware of the PSC, with more than 70% of 

media users answering that they have not heard of it before; private 

investigators are the most aware, with only 46% of users not aware 

of the service.

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ More than half of 

respondents say they are 

unaware that the PACER 

Service Center (PSC) is 

available
11

63%

49% 47%

2009 2012 2021

Respondents Aware of the Service Center

(Figure 7)

 

For Those Aware of PSC, 

Usage Increases

Despite the decreasing number of 

users aware of the PSC, the 

percentage of aware users who 

have contacted the PSC in the 

last year increased from 23% in 

2012 to 27% in 2021. This aligns 

with operational data collected by 

the PSC over that same period, 

which shows that the number of 

calls to the PSC increased 31% and 

the number of emails to the PSC 

increased 71% between 2012 and 

2020.

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Formalize the analysis of existing inquiry data about PACER user issues: Create a formalized process 

to continuously identify user issues and pain points by analyzing user inquiries from the PACER Service 

Center and other sources. 

 Respondents are split among top 3 support channels

• Calling a call center, calling the court directly, and emailing the 

PSC are the three most preferred channels for resolving an issue 

with PACER, with a slightly smaller portion of users preferring to 

contact an experienced colleague.

• By far the least popular option is referring to guidance 

documents (only 12% of respondents marked this as preferable).

 

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Improve learning materials and documentation: Identify opportunities to improve knowledge sharing 

about PACER capabilities and usage, such as updating PACER guidance documentation and FAQs to clearly 

state what capabilities are and are not available using PACER features. 

❖ Users are evenly split 

between preferring to 

call a call center, call a 

court, and email the PSC 

when resolving an issue
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PACER Enhancements

 Users value enhancements but unaware of some

• Of the nine new or improved services and features, users are most 

aware of the central sign-on feature (56% of users) and waived 

PACER fees for $30 or less (55% of users).

• Of the nine new or improved services that PACER offers, users

highlight three additions as particularly helpful: waived fees, group 

billing, and access to demonstration site.

• Users generally appreciate the new services, as no service received less than 65% “extremely” or 

“very” valuable responses.

• Waived PACER fees for $30 or less (73% “extremely valuable”), improved group billing (58%

“extremely valuable”), and access to the free PACER demonstration site (53% “extremely valuable”) are 

most valued enhancements. 

• Educational institutions — some of which qualify for PACER fee exemptions — particularly appreciate

the waived fees, with 97% rating this as ‘extremely valuable’. 

• Although the majority of users who are aware of the PACER demonstration site rate it as “extremely 

valuable”, only 15% of respondents are aware of the feature. Similarly, 58% of users who are aware of 

the group billing feature rate it as “extremely valuable”, but only 17% of respondents overall are aware 

of the feature.

K E Y T A K E A W A Y S

❖ Many users are unaware

of some valuable new 

features and

enhancements

30%

32%

35%

35%

36%

46%

53%

58%

73%

Site alerts published to national PACER applications

New PACER website

Receive PACER Announcements by email

National Pacer login page

Redesigned PACER Case Locator

Central Sign-on

Access to Pacer Demonstration

Group Billing

Waived PACER fees for $30 or less

Percentage of Respondents Rating Feature as "Extremely Valuable"

(Figure 4)
13

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Increase awareness and uptake of the demonstration site: Promote the demonstration site to users 

and optimize its location on the website to make it easy for users to find. Addressing this will help a 

myriad of issues, from users’ challenges navigating PACER to confusion around search functionality. 

 

Many potential new features seen as useful

• Of the potential new features presented, batch downloading —

which would allow users to request large data sets from PACER 

using certain criteria — is the most popular with almost 44% of 

respondents “very” or “somewhat” likely to utilize the feature.

• The PACER Case Locator API, which would allow users to programmatically search the PCL for federal 

cases or associated parties, follows closely behind with nearly 39% “very” or “somewhat” likely to use.

• The least popular potential feature is fixed-fee standardized reports, with 22% of respondents “very 

unlikely” to use the service (compared to only 10% who are “very likely” to use it).

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ Batch Downloading is the 

most popular proposed 

feature

44%

39%

33%

29%

24%

Batch Downloading Pacer Case Locator

API

Custom case alerts

for a fixed fee

Standardized

reports offered for

a fixed fee

Pre-Paid Overage

Protection

Respondents Very or Somewhat Likely to Use Enhancement

(Figure 8)
14

 

PACER Fee and Billing Perceptions 

 Users satisfied with PACER’s value and fee management

• Most PACER users express satisfaction with managing their PACER 

fees, including 74% “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with being able 

to understand their PACER invoices and 69% being “satisfied” or 

“extremely satisfied” with understanding how PACER is priced. 

• Overall, 71% of PACER users are “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied”

with the value of PACER for the money they pay.

• Commercial businesses and private investigators record the highest satisfaction with the value of PACER, 

while non-profits, the media, and educational institutions scored the lowest.

 

Users satisfied or indifferent about fee structure

• Less than a quarter (24%) of PACER users “agree” or “strongly 

agree” that they would like to see a new fee structure; most are 

indifferent about the PACER fee structure.

• When asked about aspects of billing — including monitoring 

costs, the benefit of predictable charges, and the necessity of the $30 fee waiver — many users are 

indifferent. “Neither agree nor disagree” is the most common response to these statements.

• Still, 44% of respondents “agree” or “strongly agree” that they rely on the $30 per quarter fee waiver 

to help control their costs (with higher percentages for educational institution and non-profit users).

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Conduct additional research with PACER user types: Conduct additional in-depth qualitative (e.g., 

focus groups) and quantitative (e.g., targeted surveys) research focused on specific PACER user types to 

further understand evolving user needs and value of PACER. 

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Assess the best way to communicate PACER fee structure to the public: Conduct additional research 

(e.g., focus groups) with PACER users to understand the optimal way to clearly communicate PACER fee 

structure to users, including how to effectively tailor information and messaging about the fee structure 

to different user types based on their varied PACER use cases. 

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ Around 70% of users are 

satisfied with PACER’s 

billing process and value 

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

❖ Few PACER users would 

like to see a new PACER 

fee structure
15

• 47% of respondents “agree” or ”strongly agree” that the current PACER fee structure fits with the way 

they use the system.

• 42% “agree” or ”strongly agree” that charging by the page works for them (a similar percentage to the 

2012 result). 

 

42%

24%

47%

38%

57%

41%

Charging by the page

for PACER reports

works fine for me

I would like to see a

new fee structure

The current PACER fee

structure fits the way I

use PACER

Perceptions about PACER Fee Structure

(Figure 9)

Agree or Strongly Agree Neither agree or disagree

Smaller User Groups Most 

Discontent with Fee Structure

The media, educational 

institutions, and non-profits are 

the groups most discontent with 

the current PACER fee structure; 

50% of media users — who 

represent 2% of PACER 

respondents in the 2021 survey —

would like to see a change to the 

fee structure. Private 

investigators and commercial 

business users are the most 

supportive of the current 

structure. 

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

Conduct a formal fee assessment study: Complete a fee study to identify how alternative platforms –

both in government and commercial settings - use different pricing models to account for the various 

ways that users use PACER (e.g., tiered pricing or alternative models such as subscription models).

Conclusion

A core goal of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts is to improve the experience and 

satisfaction of PACER users. The results of the 2021 PACER user satisfaction survey communicated in this 

report will be used by Administrative Office of the United States Courts to evaluate and prioritize future 

changes to PACER services and features based on the identified needs of PACER users.