Skip to content

Congressional Staff Retention and Pay

Jump to bottom Edit New page
Amelia-Strauss edited this page Aug 25, 2020 · 18 revisions

Introduction

An examination of congressional staff salaries and turnover over time.

Raw Data

House Surveys

2019 House Compensation and Diversity Study: Summary, House Overall Results, House Officers, Data in downloadable excel spreadsheet

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Pay Our Interns

  • 2020 House Study "The Color of Congress: Racial Representation Among Interns in the U.S. House of Representatives," By Dr. James R. Jones

  • 2017 House Study "Experience Doesn't Pay The Bills: Why Paid Internships Are A Must In Congress," by Carlos Vera & Daniel Jenab

ICF International (Fairfax Office) -- Report team leader: Dr. Candace Blair Cronin

Congressional Management Foundation

  • 2004 House Staff Employment Study (available from CMF)
  • 2002 House Staff Employment Survey (available here) 
  • 2000 House Staff Employment Study (available from multiple locations)
  • 1998 House Staff Employment Study (available from multiple locations)
  • 1996 House staff employment : salary, tenure, demographics, and benefits (available from multiple locations)
  • "Working in Congress: The Staff Perspective" (1995) (available from CMF)
  • 1994 U.S. House of Representatives employment practices : a study of staff salary, tenure, demographics and benefits (available here)
  • 1992 U.S. House of Representatives employment practices : a study of staff salary, tenure, demographics and benefits (available from multiple locations)
  • 1990 U.S. House of Representatives employment practices : a study of staff salary, tenure and demographics (available from multiple locations)
  • Setting course : a congressional management guide (1988)
  • U.S. House of Representatives: 1987 job description, salary and staff benefits survey (1987) (available from UC Berkeley)
  • Setting course: a congressional management guide (1986)
  • Setting course: a congressional management guide (1984) 

Senate Surveys

Senate Democrats Annual Staff Diversity Survey

  • 2020 Diversity Among U.S. Senate Democratic Staff. Available in google sheets here.

  • 2019 Diversity Among U.S. Senate Democratic Staff

  • 2018 Diversity Among U.S. Senate Democratic Staff

  • 2017 Diversity Among U.S. Senate Democratic Staff

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

ICF International (Fairfax Office) -- Report team leader: Dr. Candace Blair Cronin

  • 2006 Senate Study, "2006 U.S. Senate Employment, Compensation, Hiring and Benefits Study"

Congressional Management Foundation

  • "Senate Salary, Tenure & Demographic Data: 1991-2001" (available from CMF)
  • "2001 Senate Staff Employment Study" (available from CMF)
  • 1999 Senate staff employment study (available from multiple locations)
  • 1997 Senate staff employment : salary, tenure, demographics, and benefits (available from multiple locations)
  • Senate staff employment : 1995 salaries, tenure, demographics and benefits (available from multiple locations)
  • "Working in Congress: The Staff Perspective" (1995) (available from CMF)
  • 1993 U.S. Senate employment practices : a study of staff salary, tenure, demographics and benefits (available from Kansas State Library and Georgetown)
  • 1991 U.S. Senate employment practices : a study of staff salary, tenure, demographics and benefits (available from multiple locations)
  • U.S. Senate : 1988 staff position, salary and benefits survey (available from UC Berkeley)

Academic Research and Other Studies

  • "Who's On The Hill? Staffing and Human Capital in Congress's Legislative Committees," R Street Institute's Casey Burgat and Ryan Dukeman (March 2019)

  • "Life in Congress: Aligning Work and Life in the U.S. House and Senate," Congressional Management Foundation (October 2012)

  • "Three's Company: Wall Street, Capitol Hill, and K Street," IMF (This is a DRAFT, check back for final version) (January 2011)

  • "Former Lobbyists Working for Congress Outnumber Elected Lawmakers," Legistorm, (September 2011)

  • "From Hired Guns to Hired Hands: 'Reverse Revolvers' in the 111th and 112th Congresses," Center for Responsive Politics (July 12, 2011)

  • "Is it Whom You Know or What You Know? An Empirical Assessment of the Lobbying Process," National Bureau of Economic Research (February 2011)

  • "A Fistful of Dollars: Lobbying and the Financial Crisis," from IMF (2009)

  • Discussion Paper "Revolving Door Lobbyists" from Centre for Economic Performance (August 2010)

  • "A Matter of Trust: How the Revolving Door Undermines Public Confidence in Government" Revolving Door Working Group (October 2005)

Other Resources

Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress Final Report (1993)

  • See in particular "Congressional Staff and Management: Historical Overview"
  • See in particular "Congressional Staff and Management: Summary of Hearings on Congressional Staff and Management"

The Obey Commission Report (1978)

  • "Background Information on Administrative Units, Members' Offices, and Committees and Leadership Offices," Commission on Administrative Review, U.S. House of Representatives, June 30, 1977, House Document No. 95-178, 95th Congress, 1st session
  • "Administrative Reorganization and Legislative Management: Volume 1" Commission on Administrative Review, U.S. House of Representatives, September 28, 1977, House Document No. 95-232, 95th Congress, 1st session
  • "Administrative Reorganization and Legislative Management: Volume 2" Commission on Administrative Review, U.S. House of Representatives, September 28, 1977, House Document No. 95-232, 95th Congress, 1st session
  • "Final Report of the Commission on Administrative Review: Volume 1," Commission on Administrative Review, U.S. House of Representatives, December 31, 1977, House Document No. 95-272, 95th Congress, 1st session
  • "Final Report of the Commission on Administrative Review: Volume 2," Commission on Administrative Review, U.S. House of Representatives, December 31, 1977, House Document No. 95-272, 95th Congress, 1st session
  • Congressional Management Foundation Report "How Citizen Advocacy is Changing Mail Operations on the Hill" (2011)

Major News Stories and Analysis

  • "Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2009-2013" -- R. Eric Petersen and Lara Chausow and Amber Hope Wilhelm, Congressional Research Service (November 3, 2014
  • "The Big Lobotomy" -- Paul Glastris and Haley Sweetland Edwards, Washington Monthly (August 2014)
  • "Congress Deserves a Big Fat Pay Raise" -- Daniel Schuman, Slate (April. 2013)
  • "Keeping Congress Competent: The Senate’s Brain Drain" -- Daniel Schuman (November 30, 2012)
  • "Dumb by Design: Gingrich's Lobotomy of Congress and Today's Dysfunction" -- Lorelei Kelly (Jan 29, 2012)
  • "Keeping Congress Competent: Staff Pay, Turnover, And What It Means for Democracy" -- Daniel Schuman (December 21, 2010)

Sunlight Blog Posts

  • "When It Comes to Pay, All Feds Aren't Created Equal" 12/6/12
  • "How House Operating Budget Cuts are Paving the Way for More Special Interest Influence" 1/17/2012
  • "Congress's Diminishing Budget Strengthens Lobbyist Influence" 9/14/2011
  • "Report Ties Financial Industry Lobbying to the Financial Crisis" 8/11/2011
  • "The Incredible Shrinking Congress: Budget Bill Diminishes Legislative Capacity" 7/7/2011
  • "Explore the House's Expenditures" 4/28/2010
  • "Is it better for lobbyists to be smart or well connected" 3/3/2011
  • "Sunlight Creates Database of Members’ Expenditures" 12/2/2009
  • "What’s The Average Salary of House Staff?" 12/2/2009
  • "Are House staff salaries set to avoid the post-employment lobbying ban?" 12/7/2009
  • "Are staff salaries correlated with a Representative’s tenure?" 12/7/2009
  • "The Going Rate for Senior Senate Staff" 12/18/2009
Add a custom footer
Add a custom sidebar
Clone this wiki locally