House of Representatives and Senate Staff
Levels in Member, Committee, Leadership,
and Other Offices, 1977-2010
R. Eric Petersen
Analyst in American National Government
Parker H. Reynolds
Analyst in American National Government
Amber Hope Wilhelm
Graphics Specialist
August 10, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41366
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Summary
The manner in which staff are deployed within an organization may reflect the mission and
priorities of that organization. In Congress, employing authorities hire staff to carry out duties in
Member-office, committee, leadership, and other settings. The extent to which staff in those
settings change may lend insight into the work of the two chambers over time. Some of the
insights that might be taken from staff levels include an understanding of the division of
congressional work between Members working individually through their personal offices, or
collectively, through committee activities; the relationship between committee leaders and
chamber leaders, which could have implications for the development and consideration of
legislation or the use of congressional oversight; and the extent to which specialized chamber
administrative operations have grown over time.
This report provides staffing levels in House and Senate Member, committee, leadership, and
other offices since 1977. Data presented here are based on staff listed by chamber entity (offices
of Members, committees, leaders, officers, officials, and other entities) in telephone directories
published by the House and Senate. These directories were chosen because they are the only
official, publicly available resource that provides a concise breakdown of House and Senate staff
by internal organization.
In the past three decades, staff working for the House and Senate has grown. Between 1977 and
2009, the number of House staff grew from 8,831 to 9,808, or 11.06%. In the Senate, the number
of staff has grown steadily, from 3,380 in 1977 to 6,099 in 2010, or 80.44%. There are differences
in the scale of growth between the chambers, but there are similarities in the patterns of change in
the distribution of staff among congressional entities. In each chamber, for example, there have
been increases in the number of staff working in chamber leadership offices, and larger increases
in the staffing of chamber officers and officials. In the House and Senate, staff working for
Members have shifted from committee settings to the personal offices of Members. Some of these
changes may be indicative of the growth of the House and Senate as institutions, or the value the
chambers place on their activities.
This report will be updated annually.
Congressional Research Service
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Contents
Congressional Staffing Summary ................................................................................................ 4
House Staffing ............................................................................................................................ 4
House Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 5
House Member Offices ................................................................................................... 6
Committees..................................................................................................................... 7
Leadership Offices .......................................................................................................... 8
Officers and Officials ...................................................................................................... 8
Commissions .................................................................................................................. 8
Senate Staffing.......................................................................................................................... 10
Senate Data Collection ........................................................................................................ 10
Staff in Senators’ Offices............................................................................................... 11
Committees................................................................................................................... 12
Leadership Offices ........................................................................................................ 12
Officers and Officials .................................................................................................... 13
Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 15
Data Tables ............................................................................................................................... 16
House of Representatives Data Tables ................................................................................. 17
Senate Data Tables .............................................................................................................. 24
Joint Committee Staff Data ................................................................................................. 29
Figures
Figure 1. House and Senate Staff Levels Since 1977.................................................................... 4
Figure 2. House Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2009 ................................................................. 6
Figure 3. Distribution of House Member Office Staff Since 1977 ................................................ 7
Figure 4. Change in Distribution of House Staff Since 1977 ........................................................ 9
Figure 5. Senate Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2010............................................................... 11
Figure 6. Distribution of Staff Working In Senators’ Offices, 1977-2010.................................... 12
Figure 7. Change in Distribution of Senate Staff Since 1977...................................................... 14
Tables
Table 1. House and Senate Staff Levels Since 1977 ................................................................... 16
Table 2. House of Representatives Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2009.................................... 17
Table 3. Estimated Staff Working in House Member Offices Since 1977.................................... 18
Table 4. House Committee Staff, 1999-2009.............................................................................. 20
Table 5. House Committee Staff, 1988-1998.............................................................................. 21
Table 6. House Committee Staff, 1977-1987.............................................................................. 22
Table 7. Senate Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2010 ................................................................ 24
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Table 8. Staff Working in Senators’ Offices, 1977-2010............................................................. 25
Table 9. Senate Committee Staff by Committee, 2001-2010 ...................................................... 26
Table 10. Senate Committee Staff by Committee, 1991-2000 .................................................... 27
Table 11. Senate Committee Staff by Committee, 1977-1990..................................................... 28
Table 12. Staff of Active Joint Committees, 1977-2010 ............................................................. 29
Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 31
Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 31
Congressional Research Service
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
he manner in which staff are deployed within an organization may reflect the mission and
priorities of that organization.
T In Congress, employing authorities hire staff to carry out duties in Member-office,
committee, leadership, and other settings. The extent to which staff in those settings change may
lend insight into the work of the two chambers over time. Some of the insights that might be
taken from staff levels include
• an understanding of the division of congressional work between Members
working individually through their personal offices, or collectively, through
committee activities;
• the relationship between committee leaders and chamber leaders, which could
have implications for the development and consideration of legislation or the use
of congressional oversight; and
• the extent to which specialized chamber administrative operations have grown
over time.
This report provides staffing levels in House- and Senate-Member1, committee, leadership, and
other offices since 1977. No House or Senate publication appears to track the actual number of
staff working in the chambers by office or entity. Data presented here are based on staff listed by
chamber entity (offices of Members, committees, leaders, officers, officials, and other entities) in
telephone directories published by the House and Senate. Figure 1 displays overall staffing levels
in the House and Senate.
Table 1 in the “Data Tables” section below, provides data for all staff listed in chamber
directories in the House through 2009 (the latest data available) and in the Senate through 2010.
House and Senate staffing data are provided in the “House of Representatives Data Tables” and
“Senate Data Tables” sections, respectively, below. Joint committee staff data from both
chambers for panels that met in the 111th Congress (2009-2010) are provided in Table 12.2
Congressional staff may be counted in two ways. These include a full-time equivalent (FTE)
count that focuses on job positions, and a “head count,” that provides the number of people
carrying out the work. FTE counts focus on the work to be done, and how much staffing is
required to accomplish that work. They are typically used to determine staffing and budgetary
need for an organization, but do not reflect the actual number of people who carry out that work. 3
1 Throughout this report, the terms “Member office,” “personal office,” and “House Member’s office or Senator’s
office” refer to the office held by a Member of the House or a Senator as a consequence of their election or
appointment to Congress. They do not refer to the number of facilities in which that work is carried out. Discussions of
how many staff are based in Washington, DC, and district or state facilities distinguishes only between locations in
Washington, DC, or in the state or district. It does not provide an office-by-office accounting of staff working in
multiple district or state facilities.
2 Joint committees that met in the 111th Congress include the Joint Committees on Taxation, Printing, Library of
Congress, and the Joint Economic Committee. The table excludes staff listed at various times since 1977 for the Joint
committees on Inaugural Ceremonies, Atomic Energy, Defense Production, Internal Revenue Service, and
Organization of Congress. Staff data for those panels are available from the authors upon request.
3 According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), FTEs are determined by a formula that adds the total
number of hours worked by all employees of agencies during a year and then divides that total by 2,080, which is the
number of scheduled work hours in a work year. The 2,080 hours can be worked by one employee who works a full
time schedule of 40 hours each week for 52 weeks, or two or more part-time employees who work a total of 2,080
hours between or among them. This method provides the means for an agency to determine its long term staffing
(continued...)
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Congress uses FTE figures in conjunction with developing appropriations for the legislative
branch. The head count approach tabulates the actual number of people working, based on a
number of potential data sources. These sources may include payroll records, organizational
directories, or other records that capture most of the people working for an organization at any
one time.4 Payroll data are supplied by the House and Senate to the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) on a monthly basis and made available as a public document,5 but they are
not broken down by congressional office or entity.6
This report provides data based on a count of staff listed in chamber telephone directories
published since 1977.7 Like most sources of data, telephone directory listings have potential
benefits and potential drawbacks. Telephone directories were chosen for a number of reasons,
including the following:
• telephone directories published by the House and Senate are an official source of
information about those institutions that are widely available;
• presumably, the number of directory listings closely approximates the number of
staff working for the House and Senate;8
• while arguably not their intended purpose, the directories provide a consistent
breakdown of House and Senate staff by internal organization at a particular
moment in time; and
• the directories afford the opportunity to compare staff levels at similar moments
across a period of decades.9
At the same time, however, data presented below should be interpreted with care for a number of
reasons, including the following:
(...continued)
expectations and the impact of those expectations on the agency=s future budgets. See Office of Personnel Management,
Employment and Trends of Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, July 2008, available at http://www.opm.gov/feddata/
html/2008/july/intro.asp. While OPM requires federal executive branch agencies to estimate their staffing needs in
FTEs, no standard has been explicitly mandated by Congress for legislative entities to use for staff planning.
Nevertheless, FTE estimates appear to be widely employed. Regular references to legislative branch staff in terms of
FTEs were made by the House Committee on Appropriations beginning in the early 1990s, according to a survey of its
hearings and reports.
4 Payroll data might not identify individuals who work for the House or Senate in an uncompensated position, such as
interns or staff who are paid by entities other than Congress.
5 Office of Personnel Management, Employment and Trends of Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, available at
http://www.opm.gov/feddata/html/empt.asp.
6 Legislative branch staffing levels, principally based on OPM payroll data, are available in CRS Report R40056,
Legislative Branch Staffing, 1954-2007, by R. Eric Petersen.
7 Senate directories listed some Washington, DC-based staff assigned to specific entities (e.g., Member, committee, and
other offices) in 1958. The House first published a directory with detailed staff listings by entity in 1977.
8 The actual moment is the deadline that was set for the final collection of listings prior to publication. The exact date
for each year is not known , but publication dates for the House and Senate directories were generally in the spring of
each year.
9 Other congressional documents list staff by organizational unit, most notably the quarterly Statement of
Disbursements issued by the House, and the semiannual Report of the Secretary of the Senate, issued by the Senate. At
the same time, because they capture all paid staff activity for a three-month (House Statements) or six-month (Senate
Reports) period, those documents do not provide as clear a picture of staffing at one point in time as the telephone
directories do.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
• There is no way to determine whether all staff working for the House or Senate
are listed in the chambers’ telephone directories.10 If some staff are not listed,
relying on telephone directories is likely to lead to an undercount of staff.
• It is not possible to determine if those staff who are listed were actually
employed by the House or Senate at the time the directories were published. If
the directories list individuals who are no longer employed by the House or
Senate, then relying on them is likely to lead to an overcount of staff.
• The extent to which the criteria for inclusion in the directories for the House or
Senate has changed over time cannot be fully determined. For example, staff
working in Senators’ state offices were not listed until 1987. Some editions of
both chambers’ directories do not always list staff in various entities the same
way.11 This may raise questions regarding the reliability of telephone directory
data as a means for identifying congressional staff levels within each chamber
over time.
• It cannot be determined whether the House and Senate used the same criteria for
including staff in their respective directories. This may raise questions regarding
the reliability of telephone directory data as a means for comparing staff levels
and organizational structures between the chambers.
• Some House or Senate staff may have more than one telephone number, or be
listed in the directory under more than one entity.12 As a consequence, they might
be counted more than once. This could lead to a more accurate count of staff in
specific entities within the House or Senate, but multiple listings may also lead to
an overcount of staff working in the chamber.
• Chamber directories may reflect different organizational arrangements over time
for some entities. This could lead to counting staff doing similar work in both
years in different categories,13 or in different offices.14
• A random sample of House Member offices used to develop an estimate of
Member office staff working in Washington, DC, and discussed in greater detail
below, may or may not be representative of the entire population of House
Member offices. The extent to which the sample is representative of the
population from which it is drawn will determine the accuracy of the estimated
data for House Member offices.
10 In the Senate telephone directories, for example, state-based staff in Senators’ offices were not listed until 1987. This
omission is likely to lead to an undercount of Senate staff prior to 1987.
11 In some instances, a listing for a House or Senate entity would not list staff. In other instances, there were significant
changes in the number of staff from year-to-year, and it could not be determined whether that was a consequence of
changing organizational practices, or differences in the manner in which staff were included in the directory.
12 For example, some staffers may work on a part-time basis for more than one Member, or for a Member and a
committee. In limited instances (some commissions and joint committees), it is possible that some staff are listed in
both House and Senate directories.
13 For example, in 1977, House Information Systems (HIS) staff were listed with staff from the Committee on House
Administration (CHA). In 2009, House Information Resources, the successor entity to HIS, was listed as a component
of Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. In this instance, HIS staff listed under CHA are counted as Officer and
Officials staff regardless of their initial listing.
14 For example, a number of administrative activities now carried out by staff of the Chief Administrative Officer were
previously overseen by the Committee on House Administration, House Clerk, or Sergeant at Arms.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Congressional Staffing
Figure 1. House and Senate Staff Levels
Since 1977
Summary
Between 1977 and 2009, the number of
House staff grew from 8,831 to 9,808, or
11.06%. Change in House staff has been
characterized by slight but steady growth in
two periods (1977-1994, 12.03%; and 1997-
2009, 12.53%), separated by a brief period of
sharp decline (1995-1996, -12.17%). In the
Senate, the number of staff has grown
steadily, from 3,380 in 1977 to 6,099 in 2010,
or 80.44%.
Source: House and Senate telephone directories,
In each chamber, there has been significant
various years, CRS calculations.
change in the distribution of staff among
Notes: House data through 2009. Senate data
offices. In the House, the number of staff
through 2010.
working in Member offices has grown by
more than 12%, a slightly greater rate of growth than all House staff combined. Committee staff
has declined nearly 28%. House staff working for leadership and chamber officers and officials15
more than doubled. In the Senate, the number of staff working in Senators’ offices has more than
doubled. The number of staff working for Senate officers and officials has grown more than 75%.
Senate committee staff levels have increased by nearly 15%. Staff levels in leadership offices
have more than quadrupled, while the staff of Senate officers and officials has grown by more
than 76%. A more detailed discussion and analysis of the changes in each chamber is provided in
the “House Staffing” and “Senate Staffing” sections below.
House Staffing
Between 1977 and 2009, the number of House staff grew from 8,831 to 9,808, or 11.06%.
Staffing levels have ranged from a low of 8,831 in 1977 to a peak of 10,004 in 2008. Each year,
the number of House staff has grown by an average of 31 individuals,16 or 0.39%. Change in
House staff has been characterized by slight, but steady growth in two periods (1977-1994,
12.03%; and 1997-2009, 12.53%), separated by a brief period of sharp decline (1995-1996, -
12.17%). Figure 2 displays staff levels in five categories (House-Member offices, committees,
leadership, officers and officials, and commissions) since 1977. Figure 4 displays change in the
distribution of staff among the categories at various intervals. Table 2, in the “Data Tables”
section below, provides detailed staff levels in those categories.
15 In 2009, House officers included the Clerk, Sergeant at Arms, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chaplain. Officials
included staff in the offices of Parliamentarian, Interparliamentary Affairs, Law Revision Counsel, Legislative Counsel,
General Counsel, Inspector General, Emergency Preparedness and Planning Operations, and House Historian. The
Senate elects two officers, the Secretary of the Senate and the Sergeant at Arms. Officials include the Chaplain,
Legislative Counsel, and Legal Counsel.
16 Rounded to reflect a whole number.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
House Data Collection
House staff data were developed based on an estimate of staff working in Member offices, and a
full count of staff listed in all non-Member congressional offices listed in each House telephone
directory.17 In some years, the House published two directories. When that happened, data were
taken from the earlier publication.
A full count of House Member office staff was beyond the capacity of available resources, and
unlikely to yield a significantly different result than that which would result from a full count of
staff working in all Members’ offices. Since 1975, the House has limited the number of full-time
staff working in a Member’s office to 18 permanent employees; in 1979 up to four FTEs who
may work part time were authorized.18 As a consequence, among all congressional entities, House
Member office staffing is least likely to show a high degree of variability. For each year, a
random sample of 45 Member offices was drawn in proportion to the distribution of Member
offices in the Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn House office buildings in 2009. Staff telephone
data from those offices were counted and assumed to be in Washington, DC, if they were listed as
working in the Cannon, Longworth, or Rayburn buildings, and outside of Washington, DC, if they
were not.19 The average number of staff working in Washington, DC, and in district offices was
computed. Those data were multiplied by the number of Member offices20 to derive an estimate
of the number of staff employed in personal offices who work in House Member offices. Table 3
in the “Data Tables” section below provides the computed averages from the sample data and the
estimated House Member staff working in Washington, DC, and district offices.
Committee data are based on a full count of all telephone directory listings for House standing,
special, and select committees as described in individual directory listings. The data also include
associate staff of the Committees on the Budget, Rules, and Ways and Means, and joint
committee staff housed in House facilities. In the “Data Tables” section below, three tables
provide staff levels in various House committees. Table 4 provides House committee data for
1999-2009; data for 1988-1998 are available in Table 5; and Table 6 provides data for 1977-
1987. Joint committee data are available in Table 12.
Data for leadership offices include a full count of staff working for Members in leadership
positions. In 2009, these listings included the following: Speaker, Majority Leader, Majority
Whip, Senior Chief Deputy Majority Whip, Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Chief Deputy
Minority Whip, and Democratic and Republican Cloakrooms.
Data for chamber officers and other House officials include a full count of staff working for
House officers and officials. In 2009, House officers included the Clerk, Sergeant at Arms, Chief
Administrative Officer, and Chaplain. Officials included staff in the offices of Parliamentarian,
Interparliamentary Affairs, Law Revision Counsel, Legislative Counsel, General Counsel,
Inspector General, Emergency Preparedness and Planning Operations, and House Historian.
17 Entities and staff that are not a part of the House, but were listed in the directory (including the Senate, other
legislative branch entities, executive branch agencies, and vendors) are excluded from these data.
18 See CRS Report RL30064, Congressional Salaries and Allowances, by Ida A. Brudnick for details.
19 The House telephone directory provides consistent five-digit listings for all House staff who work in Washington,
DC.
20 House Member offices includes Representatives, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner. The number of House
Member offices was 439 in 1977-1978, 440, 1979-2008, and 441 in 2009.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Commissions data comprise the smallest category of House data, and are based on a full count of
those entities. In 2009, commissions data included staff working for the Commission on
Congressional Mailing Standards (commonly known as the Franking Commission); the
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (typically referred to as the Helsinki
Commission); and the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People’s Republic of China.
Figure 2. House Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2009
Source: House telephone directories, CRS estimates and calculations.
Notes: House Member office data is an estimate developed from a sample of 45 Member offices for each year,
multiplied by the number of Member offices. All other categories are based on a full count of directory listings.
House Member Offices
Staff levels in House Member offices have grown from 6,556 in 1977 to 7,360 in 2009, or
12.27%. The level of staffing grew steadily from 1977 until peaking at 7,284 in 1994, and falling
10.74%, to 6,502, in 1995. Member staff increased between 1997 and 2009 in an uneven, but
generally upward pattern before reaching its current high of 7,360.
House Member staff comprise approximately three-quarters of all House staff. This proportion of
overall staffing has been relatively steady since 1977. Figure 4 provides staff levels and
distributions among categories of offices for four years between 1977 and 2009.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Figure 3. Distribution of House Member Office Staff Since 1977
Source: House telephone directories, various years, CRS calculations.
Notes: Line graph charts change in estimated levels of staff working in House Member offices since 1997. Table
provides the average number of staff in a Member’s office, and their distribution between Washington, DC, and
district facilities for the years noted. All estimates are based on a random sample of 45 House Member offices.
Figure 3 displays the distribution of House Member staff between Washington, DC, and district
offices since 1977, and the average number of staff working in a Member office at various times.
From 1977 until 1994, more staff worked in Washington, DC, than in field offices. Throughout
that period, however, the number of staff assigned to district offices steadily grew while
Washington, DC-based staff declined in an uneven, but generally downward pattern. Since 1994,
staff have been relatively evenly distributed between Washington, DC, facilities and district
offices. The average number of staff working in an individual Member’s office reflects both the
relatively modest growth of Member staff since 1977, and the changing distribution of staff from
Washington, DC, to district office settings. Table 3 in the “Data Tables” section below provides
the estimated House Member staff working in Washington, DC, and district offices since 1997.
Committees
Committee staff levels have shown the greatest decline among House staff categories, decreasing
27.97% since 1977. Change among House committee staff was characterized by a moderate
decline in 1977-1980 (-9.04%), steady growth from 1981 until 1992 (20.64%), a period of sharp
decline in 1993-1996 (-43.66%), and a period of slow growth from 1997 to the present (6.67%).
The 2009 level of 1,362 is 529 (-27.97%) fewer than 1977 levels, and 871 fewer than the 1992
peak of 2,233 (-39.01%) staff.
Since 1977, committee staff have comprised a decreasing proportion of House staff, falling from
20.58% of House staff in 1979 to 13.89% in 2009.
In the “Data Tables” section below, three tables provide staff levels in various House committees.
Table 4 provides data for 1999-2009; data for 1988-1998 are available in Table 5; and Table 6
provides data for 1977-1987.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Leadership Offices
Staff in House leadership offices showed the greatest percentage increase, rising 253.23% since
1977. While the relative increase is substantial, the actual number of staff is relatively small, and
grew from 69 in 1977 to 219 in 2009. As a proportion of House staff, leadership employees
comprised 0.72% in 1979, and 2.23% in 2009.
Officers and Officials
Staff working in the offices of House officers and officials has grown 205.54% since 1977. Staff
levels grew steadily from 1977 to 1991, when they showed a one-year drop of 33.15%, from 537
in 1992 to 359 in 1993. In 1994, staff levels returned to a level similar to 1992, and increased
again in 1995 to 818, or 57.01%. After dropping to 704 in 1996, levels began a steady increase to
1,056 in 2008, an increase of 50.00%, before falling 21.59% to 828 in 2009.
As a proportion of House staff, officers and officials staff grew from 3.95% in 1979 to 8.44% in
2009.
Commissions
Congressional commission staff levels are essentially flat, and have ranged from a high of 51 in
1977 to a low of 19 in 2001. In 2009, 29 staff worked for congressional commissions.21
Congressional commissions have consistently comprised less than one-half of one percent of all
House staff.
21 For more information on congressional commissions, see CRS Report R40076, Congressional Commissions:
Overview, Structure, and Legislative Considerations, by Matthew Eric Glassman, and CRS Report RL33313,
Congressional Membership and Appointment Authority to Advisory Commissions, Boards, and Groups, by Matthew
Eric Glassman.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Figure 4. Change in Distribution of House Staff Since 1977
Source: House telephone directories, CRS estimates and calculations.
Notes: Pie charts provide the distribution of staff by category in the years listed. In the “Change by Office
Category” table, the middle columns represent change by category for each 10-year period. The final column
represent change since 1977. House Member office data based on an estimate developed from a random sample
of 45 Member offices for each year, multiplied by the number of Member offices. Al other categories are based
on a ful count of directory listings.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Senate Staffing
In the Senate, the number of staff has grown steadily, from 3,380 in 1977 to 6,099 in 2010, or
80.44%. Each year, the number of Senate staff has grown by an average of 82 individuals,22 or
1.91%. Figure 5 displays staff levels in four categories (Senators’ offices, committees, leadership,
and officers and officials) since 1977. Table 7 in the “Data Tables” section below, provides
detailed staff levels in those categories. Figure 7 displays change in the distribution of staff
among the categories at various intervals.
Senate Data Collection
All Senate staff data reported here are based on a full count of all telephone directory listings for
Senators’ offices, committees, leadership, and officers and officials.
Staff working in Senators’ offices were counted as working in Washington, DC, if they were
listed in an office in the Russell, Dirksen, or Hart Senate Office Buildings, and as working in a
state office if they were not.
In 2010, leadership listings included the following: Majority Leader, Assistant Majority Leader,
Republican Leader, Republican Whip, President of the Senate, President Pro Tempore,
Democratic Policy Committee, Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, Senate
Democratic Communications Center, Republican Conference, Republican Policy Committee,
Democratic Cloakroom, Republican Cloakroom, Secretary for the Majority, and Secretary for the
Minority.
Data for Senate officers and other chamber officials include a full count of staff in the following:
Secretary of the Senate and Sergeant at Arms, the two officers elected by the Senate; Chaplain;
Legislative Counsel; and Legal Counsel.
22 Rounded to reflect a whole number.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Figure 5. Senate Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2010
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations.
Notes: All categories are based on a full count of directory listings.
Staff in Senators’ Offices
Staff in Senators’ offices have grown from 2,068 in 1977 to 4,346 in 2010, or 110.15%. The level
of staffing appears to have grown steadily since 1977, but the full extent of change over time
cannot be determined, because prior to 1987, Senate telephone directories did not include state-
based staff working in Senators’ offices. Between 1987 and 2010, the number of staff working in
Senators’ offices grew 32.26%, from 3,286 to 4,346. This may call into question the validity of
identifying data for 1977-1987 as all Senators’ office staff, or ascribing significance to the
apparently sharp rise in staff levels between 1986 and 1987. Given the consistent upward trend
among all categories of Senate staff, it may be that the lack of state office data results in an
undercount of staff working in Senators’ offices. This may be particularly acute in the Senators’
office category, since, as described below, staff working in the state facilities of Senator’s offices
have grown at a faster rate than Washington, DC-based staff.
Senators’ office staff have grown as a proportion of overall Senate staff over time. In 1980,
Member office staff comprised 59.24% of Senate staff. The proportion grew to 68.49% in 1990,
and 73.55% in 2000, before dropping slightly to 71.26% in 2010.
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House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Figure 6 displays the distribution of staff
based in Senators’ Washington, DC, and state
Figure 6. Distribution of Staff Working In
offices. It shows that after a period of growth
Senators’ Offices, 1977-2010
between 1977 and 1987, Washington, DC-
based staff growth was essentially flat. Most
of the growth in Senators’ staffs since 1987
appear to have been among state-based staff,
which nearly doubled in size from 935 in
1987 to 1,833 in 2010. More staff work in
Washington, DC, offices than in state offices,
but the proportion of Senators’ staff based in
states has grown steadily since 1987, when
listings for state-based staff were first
available, while the staffing levels in
Washington, DC, offices has remained flat. In
2010, approximately 58% of staff working in
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS
Senators’ offices did so in Washington, DC,
calculations.
down from a high of 71.55% in 1977. Table 8
Notes: All categories are based on a full count of
in the “Data Tables” section below provides
directory listings. Staff telephone data from Senators’
the number of staff working in Senators’
offices were counted and assumed to be in
Washington, DC, if they were listed as working in the
offices in Washington, DC, and state offices.
Russell, Dirksen, or Hart Senate Office Buildings, and
outside of Washington, DC if they were not.
Committees
Senate committee staff levels have shown the smallest increase among Senate staff categories,
rising 14.94% since 1977. Change among Senate committee staff may be characterized in four
stages: an increase during 1977-1980 (20.57%); minimal growth from 1981 until 1992 (1.29%); a
period of decline in 1993-1998 (-16.30%); and a period of steady growth from 1999 to the present
(32.27%). The 2010 level of 1,246 is 162 (14.94%) more than 1977 levels, and 61 (-4.67%) fewer
than the 1980 peak of 1,307 staff.
Between 1977 and 2010, committee staff comprised a decreasing proportion of Senate staff,
falling from 33.72% of Senate staff in 1980 to 18.83% in 2000. The proportion of Senate
committee staff grew to 20.43% by 2010.
In the “Data Tables” section below, three tables provide staff levels in various Senate committees.
Table 9 provides data for 2001-2010; data for 1991-2000 are available in Table 10; and Table 11
provides data for 1977-1990.
Leadership Offices
Staff in Senate leadership offices showed the greatest percentage increase, rising 340% since
1977. While the relative increase is substantial, the actual number of staff is relatively small, and
grew from 40 in 1977 to 176 in 2010. The number of leadership staff peaked in 2006 at 214. As a
proportion of Senate staff, leadership employees were 1.19% in 1980 and 2.89% in 2010.
Congressional Research Service
12
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Officers and Officials
Staff working in the offices of Senate officers and officials has grown 76.06% since 1977. Staff
levels have grown from 199 in 1977 to 331 in 2010, but were characterized by sharp decreases in
1986, 1993-1996, and 1998-2001.
Despite the growth, Senate officers and officials staff decreased as a proportion of Senate staff,
falling from 5.86% in 1980 to a low of 4.36% in 2004. In 2010, the proportion of officers and
officials staff was 5.43%.
Congressional Research Service
13
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Figure 7. Change in Distribution of Senate Staff Since 1977
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations.
Notes: Pie charts provide the distribution of staff by category in the years listed. In the Change by Office
Category table, the middle columns represent change by category for each 10-year period. The final column
represent change since 1977. Al categories are based on a ful count of directory listings.
Congressional Research Service
14
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Discussion
In the past three decades, the number of staff working for the House and Senate has grown. There
are differences in the scale of growth between the chambers, but there are similarities in the
patterns of change in the distribution of staff among congressional entities. In each chamber, for
example, there have been increases in the number of staff working in chamber leadership offices,
and larger increases in the staffing of chamber officers and officials. In the House and Senate,
staff working for Members have shifted from committee settings to leadership settings or the
personal offices of Members. Some of these changes may be indicative of the growth of the
House and Senate as institutions, or the value the chambers place on their activities.
One example that may be an indication of institutional development may be found in the growth
in both chambers of the number of staff working in leadership and officers and officials’ offices.
A potential explanation for these changes may be found in what some might characterize as an
ongoing professionalization and institutionalization of congressional management and
administration. Some note that as organizations such as governing institutions develop, they
identify needs for expertise and develop specialized practices and processes.23 In Congress, some
of those areas of specialization arguably include supporting the legislative process through the
drafting of measures, oversight and support of floor activities, and the management of legislation
in a bicameral, partisan environment. Another potential explanation related to a more
institutionalized, professionalized Congress could be the demands for professional management
and support. This could arise as a result of congressional use of communications technologies,
and the deployment of systematic, professionalized human resources, business operations, and
financial management. Consequently, increased specialized support of congressional legislative
and administrative activities may explain increases among staff working for chamber leaders, and
officers and officials.24
In another example, the distribution of staff working directly for Members has shifted from
committee settings to personal office settings. Staff in Member offices of both chambers has
grown; House committee staff has decreased; and the level of increase in Senate committee staff
is substantially less than all other entities in that chamber. This may represent a shift from
collective congressional activities typically carried out in committees (including legislative,
oversight, and investigative work) to individualized activities typically carried out in Members’
personal offices (including direct representational activities, constituent service and education,
and political activity).25
23 See, for example, Nelson W. Polsby, “The Institutionalization of the U.S. House of Representatives,” The American
Political Science Review, vol. 62, no. 1 (March 1968), pp. 144-168.
24 For background on leadership offices, see CRS Report RS20881, Party Leaders in the House: Election, Duties, and
Responsibilities, by Valerie Heitshusen, and CRS Report 97-780, The Speaker of the House: House Officer, Party
Leader, and Representative, by Valerie Heitshusen; for background on support offices, see CRS Report RL33220,
Support Offices in the House of Representatives: Roles and Authorities, by Ida A. Brudnick.
25See CRS Report RL33686, Roles and Duties of a Member of Congress, by R. Eric Petersen.
Congressional Research Service
15
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Data Tables
Table 1. House and Senate Staff Levels Since 1977
Year
1977
1978
1979
1980
House
8,831
9,102
9,045
9,341
Senate
3,380
3,750
3,640
3,876
Year
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
House
9,075 9,265 9,176 9,556 9,267 9,428 9,083 9,500 9,447 9,436
Senate
3,832 3,991 4,044 4,021 3,933 4,072 4,815 4,927 4,907 5,030
Year 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
House
9,560 9,836 9,484 9,891 8,724 8,692 9,056 9,251 9,050 8,994
Senate
5,208 5,359 5,200 5,366 5,114 5,019 5,047 5,240 5,138 5,198
Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
House
9,349 9,389 9,112 9,556 9,521 9,568 9,718 10,004 9,808 -
Senate
4,926 5,324 5,373 5,624 5,562 5,879 5,691 5,901 5,687 6,099
Source: House and Senate telephone directories, various years, CRS calculations.
Notes: House data through 2009. Senate data through 2010.
Congressional Research Service
16
House of Representatives Data Tables
Table 2. House of Representatives Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2009
Year
1977
1978
1979
1980
House
Member
Office
6,556
6,614
6,737
6,913
Committee
1,891
2,067
1,861
1,991
Leadership
62
69
65
79
Officers
and
Officials
271
329
357
337
Commissions
51
23
25
21
Totals
8,831
9,102
9,045
9,341
Year
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
House
Member
Office 6,844 6,884 6,786 7,050 6,737 6,942 6,512 6,864 6,786 6,717
Committee
1,720 1,851 1,867 1,974 1,997 1,980 2,025 2,062 2,062 2,088
Leadership
58 71 64 65 66 63 93 95 88 101
Officers
and
Officials 434 437 436 444 445 424 434 457 475 495
Commissions
19 22 23 23 22 19 19 22 36 35
Totals
9,075 9,265 9,176 9,556 9,267 9,428 9,083 9,500 9,447 9,436
Year
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
House
Member
Office 6,825 6,932 7,040 7,284 6,502 6,532 6,893 6,972 6,835 6,737
Committee
2,098 2,233 1,950 1,947 1,258 1,306 1,277 1,361 1,311 1,334
Leadership
107 106 107 112 125 128 132 160 159 165
Officers
and
Officials 501 537 359 521 818 704 733 737 723 738
Commissions
29 28 28 27 21 22 21 21 22 20
Totals
9,560 9,836 9,484 9,891 8,724 8,692 9,056 9,251 9,050 8,994
CRS-17
Year
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
House
Member
Office 7,108 7,079 6,737 7,060 7,020 7,089 7,011 7,226 7,360
Committee
1,295 1,321 1,328 1,399 1,379 1,370 1,426 1,472 1,362
Leadership
177 173 179 203 192 190 207 214 219
Officers
and
Officials 750 787 832 861 896 884 1,040
1,056 828
Commissions
19 29 36 33 34 35 34 36 39
Totals
9,349 9,389 9,112 9,556 9,521 9,568 9,718 10,004 9,808
Source: House telephone directories, CRS estimates and calculations.
Notes: House Member office data based on an estimate developed from a sample of 45 Member offices for each year, multiplied by the number of Member offices. All
other categories are based on a ful count of directory listings.
Table 3. Estimated Staff Working in House Member Offices Since 1977
Sample Averages
Member Staff Estimates
Washington, DC
District
Member
Member
DC
District
Member
Year
Staff
Staff
Staff
Offices
Staff
Staff
Staff
1977 9.49 5.44
14.93
439
4,166
2,390
6,556
1978 9.80 5.27
15.07
439
4,302
2,312
6,614
1979 9.18 6.13
15.31
440
4,038
2,699
6,737
1980 9.42 6.29
15.71
440
4,146
2,767
6,913
1981 8.76 6.80
15.56
440
3,852
2,992
6,844
1982 9.02 6.62
15.64
440
3,970
2,914
6,884
1983 9.09 6.33
15.42
440
3,999
2,787
6,786
1984 9.36 6.67
16.02
440
4,116
2,933
7,050
1985 8.40 6.91
15.31
440
3,696
3,041
6,737
1986 8.87 6.91
15.78
440
3,901
3,041
6,942
1987 7.98 6.82
14.80
440
3,510
3,002
6,512
1988 8.73 6.87
15.60
440
3,843
3,021
6,864
1989 8.40 7.02
15.42
440
3,696
3,090
6,786
CRS-18
Sample Averages
Member Staff Estimates
Washington, DC
District
Member
Member
DC
District
Member
Year
Staff
Staff
Staff
Offices
Staff
Staff
Staff
1990 7.96 7.31
15.27
440
3,500
3,217
6,717
1991 8.16 7.36
15.51
440
3,588
3,236
6,825
1992 8.51 7.24
15.76
440
3,745
3,188
6,932
1993 8.40 7.60
16.00
440
3,696
3,344
7,040
1994 8.24 8.31
16.56
440
3,628
3,657
7,284
1995 7.60 7.18
14.78
440
3,344
3,158
6,502
1996 7.82 7.02
14.84
440
3,442
3,090
6,532
1997 8.51 7.16
15.67
440
3,745
3,148
6,893
1998 7.84 8.00
15.84
440
3,452
3,520
6,972
1999 7.82 7.71
15.53
440
3,442
3,393
6,835
2000 7.93 7.38
15.31
440
3,491
3,246
6,737
2001 7.98 8.18
16.16
440
3,510
3,598
7,108
2002 8.11 7.98
16.09
440
3,569
3,510
7,079
2003 7.98 7.33
15.31
440
3,510
3,227
6,737
2004 7.93 8.11
16.04
440
3,491
3,569
7,060
2005 8.09 7.87
15.96
440
3,559
3,461
7,020
2006 8.42 7.69
16.11
440
3,706
3,383
7,089
2007 8.33 7.60
15.93
440
3,667
3,344
7,011
2008 8.20 8.22
16.42
440
3,608
3,618
7,226
2009 8.44 8.24
16.69
441
3,724
3,636
7,360
Source: House telephone directories, various years, CRS calculations.
Notes: Based on a random sample of 45 Member offices drawn in proportion to the distribution of Member offices in the Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn House Office
Buildings. Staff telephone data from those offices were counted and assumed to be in Washington, DC if they were listed as working in the Cannon, Longworth, or Rayburn
Buildings, and outside of Washington, DC if they were not. Averages data were multiplied by the number of Member offices to derive an estimate of the number of staff
employed in personal offices.
CRS-19
Table 4. House Committee Staff, 1999-2009
Committee
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Agriculture
53 51 56 56 53 55 50 53 45 45 45
Appropriations
138 150 152 161 122 133 133 134 158 154 130
Armed
Services
55 52 48 49 55 52 56 60 67 65 67
Budget
87 86 79 84 91 87 87 80 72 73 73
Education
and
Labor
76 70 67 66 69 72 75 64 72 78 76
Energy
and
Commerce
83 84 86 93 92 90 89 82 79 104 96
Financial
Services
51 49 58 60 63 63 62 59 62 63 62
Foreign
Affairs
64 63 67 67 69 73 76 80 81 78 80
Homeland
Security
- - - - 17 44 38 51 63 62 62
House
Administration
28 32 37 35 38 41 38 38 38 43 41
Judiciary
61 70 68 70 77 73 73 73 70 75 70
Natural
Resources
56 62 60 64 64 64 63 62 67 71 61
Oversight
and
Government
Reform
116 105 107 101 94 110 100 96 106 100 71
Rules
34 36 31 33 36 36 36 37 34 35 37
Science
and
Technology
52 52 50 53 47 53 53 47 50 50 54
Smal
Business
27 28 23 23 29 30 33 30 28 25 26
Standards
12 11 13 13 11 11 9 13 16 16 14
Transportation
and
Infrastructure
119 124 73 73 73 75 76 78 76 77 82
Veterans’
Affairs
20 28 28 26 30 29 27 28 33 32 32
Ways
and
Means
66 64 69 70 69 71 74 72 64 71 69
Intelligence
24 22 28 31 26 32 29 36 39 36 32
Select
Energy
Independence
&
Global
Warming
- - - - - - - - 13
20
23
Military
and
Commercial
Concerns
with
China
2 - - - - - - - - - -
Source: House telephone directories, CRS calculations
Notes: Committees are listed by names used in the 111th Congress, or most recent year in which the committee existed. “-” indicates that no staff were listed for that
year. In some instances this was because the committee did not exist. In other instances, a directory listing for a panel was identified, but did not list any staff.
CRS-20
Table 5. House Committee Staff, 1988-1998
Committee
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
Agriculture
59 54 63 59 61 55 55 57 58 55 54
Appropriations
207 206 205 217 223 219 215 148 149 151 151
Armed
Services
62 64 70 73 87 66 75 46 50 53 53
Budget
103 106 97 92 97 90 93 72 72 68 78
Education
and
Labor
113 111 110 100 112 97 100 67 70 72 92
Energy
and
Commerce
147 142 135 139 162 143 140 69 67 82 86
Financial
Services
85 93 98 101 107 88 94 51 55 51 54
Foreign
Affairs
97 99 98 102 102 104 100 60 64 63 65
House
Administration
44 49 54 59 58 49 53 25 27 29 27
Judiciary
81 80 73 67 73 74 70 50 56 54 62
Natural
Resources
100 100 100 107 121 101 89 75 84 57 62
Oversight
and
Government
Reform
75 71 85 88 99 83 83 77 94 94 132
Rules
38 40 39 41 42 41 41 36 36 36 41
Science
and
Technology
79 77 92 93 102 93 92 51 54 55 53
Smal
Business
52 47 49 41 45 32 36 27 27 27 25
Standards
10 9 8 11 8 8 8 7 9 8 11
Transportation
and
Infrastructure 126 139 132 142 150 144 137 119 119 116 121
Veterans’
Affairs
39 33 34 37 39 44 40 25 28 28 15
Ways
and
Means
86 85 87 94 96 92 92 61 65 64 60
Intelligence
31 34 36 21 25 24 25 20 24 23 24
Aging
35
36
34
36
38 - - - - - -
Children,
Youth
and
Families 17
15
18
16
15 - - - - - -
District
of
Columbia
38 38 39 38 34 23 34 - - - -
Hunger
15
15
14
15
16 - - - - - -
Merchant
Marine
and
Fisheries 81 84 83 86 81 75 73 - - - -
Narcotics
17
18
16
17
15 - - - - - -
CRS-21
Committee
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
Organization
of
Congress
- - - - - 13 - 13 - - -
Post Office and Civil Service
97
92
92
85
92
68
80
-
-
-
-
Source: House telephone directories, CRS calculations
Notes: Committees are listed by names used in the 111th Congress, or most recent year in which the committee existed. “-”indicates that no staff were listed for that
year. In some instances this was because the committee did not exist. In other instances, a directory listing for a panel was identified, but did not list any staff.
Table 6. House Committee Staff, 1977-1987
Committee
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Agriculture
50 55 58 69 62 56 60 55 58 56 55
Appropriations
76 134 129 133 122 142 143 166 183 204 205
Armed
Services
48 49 48 46 49 48 51 54 58 59 62
Budget
111 78 82 96 80 97 95 94 100 100 104
Education
and
Labor
103 106 102 119 105 112 109 113 102 106 110
Energy
and
Commerce
136 143 135 156 122 147 147 152 144 138 135
Financial
Services
102 106 102 94 77 81 92 88 89 84 85
Foreign
Affairs
85 99 84 81 81 85 84 85 91 93 93
House
Administration
41 47 50 60 44 46 48 50 47 49 46
Judiciary
86 83 83 80 76 72 78 84 85 81 76
Natural
Resources
103 107 103 105 91 103 110 107 95 98 103
Oversight
and
Government
Reform
125 80 73 82 78 80 79 85 87 84 75
Rules
24 25 34 47 48 43 44 44 41 37 39
Science
and
Technology
77 85 86 87 58 73 77 73 84 76 76
Smal
Business
40 43 40 54 46 56 53 49 51 49 56
Standards
35 35 11 17 9 9 7 10 9 9 10
Transportation
and
Infrastructure
85 86 80 78 82 98 99 102 100 100 109
Veterans’
Affairs
33 37 33 33 32 34 30 32 31 32 36
Ways
and
Means
87 90 90 89 82 84 84 85 91 85 79
CRS-22
Committee
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Intelligence
3 38 35 40 36 32 30 27 32 27 29
Aging
35 36 36 38 35 38 33 37 35 37 33
Assassinations
96
118 - - - - - - - - -
Children, Youth and Families
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
17
18
16
17
Committees
- - 3 - - - - - - - -
Congressional
Operations
34
33 - - - - - - - - -
Covert
Arms
Sales
to
Iran
- - - - - - - - - - 38
District
of
Columbia
44 45 33 50 38 38 39 42 39 39 40
Ethics
9 6 - - - - - - - - -
Hunger
- - - - - - - - 14
15
14
Merchant
Marine
and
Fisheries 64 69 86 91 80 84 78 89 84 75 78
Narcotics
26 27 25 22 - 15 17 21 14 17 16
Outer
Continental
Shelf
20 - 17
17 - - - - - - -
Post
Office
and
Civil
Service
55 70 66 65 67 57 55 89 89 92 92
Source: House telephone directories, CRS calculations
Notes: Committees are listed by names used in the 111th Congress, or most recent year in which the committee existed. “-”indicates that no staff were listed for that
year. In some instances this was because the committee did not exist. In other instances, a directory listing for a panel was identified, but did not list any staff.
CRS-23
Senate Data Tables
Table 7. Senate Staff Levels by Category, 1977-2010
Year
1977
1978
1979
1980
Senators’
Offices
2,068
2,215
2,173
2,296
Committee
1,084
1,244
1,209
1,307
Leadership
40
91
44
46
Officers
and
Officials
188
200
214
227
Totals
3,380
3,750
3,640
3,876
Year
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Senators’
Offices
2,308 2,385 2,454 2,430 2,409 2,474 3,286 3,393 3,354 3,445
Committee
1,161 1,228 1,200 1,191 1,137 1,177 1,150 1,147 1,167 1,174
Leadership
118 128 134 136 118 128 131 129 126 137
Officers
and
Officials 245 250 256 264 269 293 248 258 260 274
Totals
3,832 3,991 4,044 4,021 3,933 4,072 4,815 4,927 4,907 5,030
Year
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Senators’
Offices
3,612 3,707 3,593 3,826 3,771 3,773 3,678 3,876 3,801 3,823
Committee
1,176
1,216
1,141
1094 915 929 899 955 942 979
Leadership
138 150 143 158 151 151 163 135 135 137
Officers
and
Officials 282 286 323 288 277 166 307 274 260 259
Totals
5,208 5,359 5,200 5,366 5,114 5,019 5,047 5,240 5,138 5,198
Year
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Senators’
Offices
3,639 3,855 3,915 4,091 4,047 4,232 4,044 4,221 4,029 4,346
Committee
915 1,071 1,047 1,126 1,078 1,146 1,147 1,182 1,153 1,246
Leadership
146 158 164 162 182 214 203 179 178 176
Officers
and
Officials 226 240 247 245 255 287 297 319 327 331
Totals
4,926 5,324 5,373 5,624 5,562 5,879 5,691 5,901 5,687 6,099
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations.
Notes: Al categories are based on a ful count of directory listings. Senate telephone directories published in 1981, 1996, and 2009 provided listings for 99 Senators’
offices.
CRS-24
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Table 8. Staff Working in Senators’ Offices, 1977-2010
DC-Based
State-Based
Total Member
Year
Staff
Staff
Staff
DC %
State %
1977 2,068
1978 2,215
1979 2,173
1980 2,296
1981 2,308
1982 2,385
1983 2,454
1984 2,430
1985 2,409
1986 2,474
1987 2,351 935 3,286 71.55% 28.45%
1988 2,449 944 3,393 72.18% 27.82%
1989 2,381 973 3,354 70.99% 29.01%
1990 2,430 1,015 3,445 70.54% 29.46%
1991 2,439 1,173 3,612 67.52% 32.48%
1992 2,473 1,234 3,707 66.71% 33.29%
1993 2,332 1,261 3,593 64.90% 35.10%
1994 2,474 1,352 3,826 64.66% 35.34%
1995 2,422 1,349 3,771 64.23% 35.77%
1996 2,397 1,376 3,773 63.53% 36.47%
1997 2,318 1,360 3,678 63.02% 36.98%
1998 2,407 1,469 3,876 62.10% 37.90%
1999 2,375 1,426 3,801 62.48% 37.52%
2000 2,329 1,494 3,823 60.92% 39.08%
2001 2,258 1,381 3,639 62.05% 37.95%
2002 2,334 1,521 3,855 60.54% 39.46%
2003 2,378 1,537 3,915 60.74% 39.26%
2004 2,474 1,617 4,091 60.47% 39.53%
2005 2,436 1,611 4,047 60.19% 39.81%
2006 2,521 1,711 4,232 59.57% 40.43%
2007 2,394 1,650 4,044 59.20% 40.80%
2008 2,496 1,725 4,221 59.13% 40.87%
2009 2,370 1,659 4,029 58.82% 41.18%
2010 2,513 1,833 4,346 57.82% 42.18%
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations.
Notes: The Senate telephone directory did not provide listings for state-based staff prior to 1987. Senate
telephone directories published in 1981, 1996, and 2009 provided listings for 99 Senators’ offices.
Congressional Research Service
25
Table 9. Senate Committee Staff by Committee, 2001-2010
Committee
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Agriculture,
Nutrition,
and
Forestry
22 32 27 33 22 29 30 35 32 43
Appropriations
102 90 101 118 120 118 124 121 116 114
Armed
Services
44 51 47 48 46 48 51 53 49 50
Banking,
Housing,
and
Urban
Affairs
38 60 41 46 47 46 41 46 48 60
Budget
46 52 50 49 47 49 50 49 45 54
Commerce,
Science,
and
Transportation 48 59 72 69 64 68 69 69 69 65
Energy
and
Natural
Resources
38 43 42 42 46 43 42 44 47 52
Environment
and
Public
Works
33 49 53 56 51 50 41 40 45 44
Finance
52 56 60 62 53 63 82 83 84 84
Foreign
Relations
55 54 49 56 57 53 52 46 47 66
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
76
72
74
90
95
92
77
90
89
91
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
74
92
82
86
71
109
89
100
112
127
Judiciary
82 112 115 129 127 137 143 121 106 120
Rules
and
Administration
16 18 16 16 19 18 22 22 20 23
Smal
Business
and
Entrepreneurship
22 29 21 22 24 28 25 32 31 29
Veterans
Affairs
18 19 20 17 22 23 24 25 26 27
Select
Ethics
11 11 9 9 10 10 11 11 15 15
Indian
Affairs
18 21 19 18 16 11 16 20 20 21
Select
Intelligence
31 32 30 34 28 42 37 43 39 42
Select
Aging
10 25 20 19 12 15 23 23 13 20
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations
Notes: Committees are listed by names used in the 111th Congress, or most recent year in which the committee existed. “-”indicates that no staff were listed for that
year. In some instances this was because the committee did not exist. In other instances, a directory listing for a panel was identified, but did not list any staff.
CRS-26
Table 10. Senate Committee Staff by Committee, 1991-2000
Committee
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Agriculture,
Nutrition,
and
Forestry
40 36 36 35 31 31 26 27 23 27
Appropriations
79 81 78 72 71 61 63 61 87 89
Armed
Services
50 48 47 49 43 43 45 45 43 47
Banking,
Housing,
and
Urban
Affairs
50 51 49 48 40 42 41 41 44 42
Budget
58 55 56 52 46 39 44 45 44 48
Commerce,
Science,
and
Transportation 70 72 73 67 59 61 54 58 51 56
Energy
and
Natural
Resources
50 51 49 48 42 44 40 38 37 40
Environment
and
Public
Works
47 47 37 39 37 37 34 36 36 43
Finance
58 57 49 49 47 53 45 52 52 46
Foreign
Relations
69 67 66 58 47 51 48 51 49 54
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
106
102
93
108
81
79
76
85
98
86
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
93
96
96
86
61
63
78
76
65
85
Judiciary
105 119 106 106 86 93 85 93 84 98
Rules
and
Administration
27 28 27 25 18 18 21 19 15 16
Smal
Business
and
Entrepreneurship
21 21 19 22 19 20 19 17 18 20
Veterans
Affairs
24 26 21 21 18 17 21 38 19 16
Select
Ethics
11 10 11 12 11 9 8 11 10 11
Indian
Affairs
22 28 20 20 14 16 18 15 16 20
Select
Intelligence
40 41 32 36 24 30 27 34 33 29
Select
Aging
33 32 26 23 16 20 18 20 18 17
Select
POW/MIA
Affairs
- 15 - - - - - - - -
Select
Year
2000
Technology
Problem
- - - - - - - - 15 -
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations
Notes: Committees are listed by names used in the 111th Congress, or most recent year in which the committee existed. “-”indicates that no staff were listed for that
year. In some instances this was because the committee did not exist. In other instances, a directory listing for a panel was identified, but did not list any staff.
CRS-27
Table 11. Senate Committee Staff by Committee, 1977-1990
Committee
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Agriculture,
Nutrition,
and
Forestry
28 37 30 35 33 34 35 32 33 32 30 35 38 45
Appropriations
69 67 74 89 63 76 81 81 80 82 78 78 84 80
Armed
Services
28 29 27 27 36 34 37 39 42 42 46 49 49 49
Banking,
Housing,
and
Urban
Affairs
39 49 43 46 38 39 33 29 29 31 34 31 44 49
Budget
47 79 67 77 63 70 73 74 68 63 61 61 54 58
Commerce,
Science,
and
Transportation
89 91 83 92 77 88 78 78 80 78 76 75 72 70
Energy
and
Natural
Resources
40 51 52 55 49 52 49 51 48 48 44 46 48 50
Environment
and
Public
Works
30 33 38 38 52 51 54 51 49 50 46 47 48 50
Finance
28 34 36 40 45 50 45 53 54 55 54 54 54 54
Foreign
Relations
63 57 55 68 62 62 61 62 60 61 54 57 57 51
Health,
Education,
Labor,
and
Pensions
93 122 118 121 118 123 123 112 101 105 95 107 104 102
Homeland
Security
Governmental
Affairs
108 153 140 156 113 121 120 117 94 99 88 92 97 92
Judiciary
119 144 139 153 120 135 116 119 121 126 101 100 98 111
Rules
and
Administration
27 30 30 31 30 32 29 28 29 28 29 27 27 28
Smal
Business
and
Entrepreneurship
22 21 23 23 22 23 24 21 22 21 22 20 21 22
Veterans
Affairs
18 19 20 23 20 22 22 20 21 25 25 26 25 26
Select
Ethics
2 9 15 12 17 13 12 10 8 8 9 7 9 11
Indian
Affairs
0 25 26 15 13 14 19 20 19 23 23 41 26 23
Select
Intelligence
40 46 43 46 41 41 41 36 32 47 38 40 41 40
Select
Aging
19 19 19 21 28 28 25 34 25 27 24 26 30 32
Select
Impeachment
Trials
- - - - - - - - - - - - 2 -
Select
Investigations
- - - - - - - - - - - - 20 -
Select
Iran-Contra
- - - - - - - - - - 53 - - -
Select
Nutrition
and
Human
Needs
14 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Select
Senate
Committee
Systems
5 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Select
Transition
Staff
for
Former
Postal
Workers 13 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Source: Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations
Notes: Committees are listed by names used in the 111th Congress, or most recent year in which the committee existed. “-”indicates that no staff were listed for that
year. In some instances this was because the committee did not exist. In other instances, a directory listing for a panel was identified, but did not list any staff.
CRS-28
Joint Committee Staff Data
Table 12. Staff of Active Joint Committees, 1977-2010
Joint
Committee Chamber
1977
1978
1979
1980
House 4
50
55
62
Economic
Senate 46
51
53
58
House 1 2 2 2
Library of Congress
Senate - - 2 2
House 3
16
17
16
Printing
Senate 15
15
16
16
House 28
65
63
62
Taxation
Senate -
63
60
63
Joint Committee
Chamber
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
House 44 44 42 44 40 36 34 44 46 42
Economic
Senate 46 43 44 44 40 39 35 45 44 43
House 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2
Library of Congress
Senate 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2
House 14 15 16 17 17 17 18 18 14 16
Printing
Senate 15 16 16 17 17 16 17 17 14 16
House 60 60 60 60 66 66 60 64 63 67
Taxation
Senate 58 59 60 60 62 68 66 64 59 70
Joint Committee
Chamber 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
House 38 40 32 33 33 30 24 25 22 31
Economic
Senate 41 44 45 29 35 32 23 25 23 31
House 2 2 2 2 1 2 59 3 2 2
Library of Congress
Senate 2 2 2 2 2 1 - - - -
House 15 18 18 16 7 7 8 8 2 2
Printing
Senate 14 14 17 16 7 8 9 8 - -
House 66 73 72 71 61 59 - 59 61 60
Taxation
Senate 66 73 73 71 60 61 56 60 62 58
CRS-29
Joint Committee
Chamber 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
House 34 29 34 36 31 33 29 32 7 -
Economic
Senate 21 34 35 36 31 31 35 35 34 34
House 1 1 4 2 2 2 2 2 - -
Library of Congress
Senate - - 2 2 2 2 4 4 - -
House 1 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 - -
Printing
Senate 1 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 - -
House 59 62 61 63 65 58 58 61 52 -
Taxation
Senate 57 58 60 65 64 57 55 66 66 65
Source: House and Senate telephone directories, CRS calculations
Notes: Excludes staff listed at various times since 1977 for the Joint committees on Taxation, Inaugural Ceremonies, Atomic Energy, Defense Production, Internal Revenue
Service, and Organization of Congress. Staff data for those panels is available from the authors upon request. -”indicates that no staff were listed in the relevant chamber for
that year. In some instances, a directory listing for a panel was identified, but did not list any staff.
CRS-30
House and Senate Staff Levels, 1977-2010
Author Contact Information
R. Eric Petersen
Amber Hope Wilhelm
Analyst in American National Government
Graphics Specialist
epetersen@crs.loc.gov, 7-0643
awilhelm@crs.loc.gov, 7-2392
Parker H. Reynolds
Analyst in American National Government
preynolds@crs.loc.gov, 7-5821
Acknowledgments
Ida Brudnick, Analyst on the Congress, and Jennifer Manning, Information Research Specialist, provided
technical assistance with this report.
Congressional Research Service
31