Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2014

December 15, 2015 (R44323)
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Introduction
Data Concerns
Data Tables and Visualizations

Tables

Table 1. House Member Office Staff Pay, Annual Maximums, 2001-2014
Table 2. Selected House Member Staff Change in Pay, Selected Periods
Table 3. Caseworker
Table 4. Chief of Staff
Table 5. District Director
Table 6. Executive Assistant
Table 7. Field Representative
Table 8. Legislative Assistant
Table 9. Legislative Correspondent
Table 10. Legislative Director
Table 11. Office Manager
Table 12. Press Secretary/Communications Director
Table 13. Scheduler
Table 14. Staff Assistant

Summary

The level of pay for congressional staff is a source of recurring questions among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. There may be interest in congressional pay data from multiple perspectives, including assessment of the costs of congressional operations; guidance in setting pay levels for staff in Member offices; or comparison of congressional staff pay levels with those of other federal government pay systems.

This report provides pay data for 12 staff position titles that are typically used in House Members' offices. The positions include the following: Caseworker, Chief of Staff, District Director, Executive Assistant, Field Representative, Legislative Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Director, Office Manager, Press Secretary, Scheduler, and Staff Assistant.

Tables provide tabular pay data for each House Member office staff position. Graphic displays are also included, providing representations of pay from three perspectives, including the following:

a line graph showing change in pay, 2001-2014;
a comparison, at 5-, 10-, and 14-year intervals from 2014, of the cumulative percentage change in pay of that position to changes in pay of Members of Congress and salaried federal civilian workers paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas; and
distributions of 2014 pay in $10,000 increments.

In the past five years (2010 and 2014), the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, decreased for all 12 staff positions, ranging from a -1.38% decrease for press secretary/communications directors to a -21.81% decrease for executive assistants. This may be compared to changes over the same period to the pay of Members of Congress, -7.89%, and General Schedule, DC, -6.97%.

Pay data for staff working in Senators' offices are available in CRS Report R44324, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2014. Data describing the pay of congressional staff working in House and Senate committee offices are available in CRS Report R44322, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Committees, 2001-2014, and CRS Report R44325, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senate Committees, FY2001-FY2014, respectively.

Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2014

Introduction

The level of pay for congressional staff is a source of recurring questions among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. Members of the House of Representatives typically set the terms and conditions of employment for staff in their offices. This includes job titles, duties, and rates of pay, subject to a maximum level,¹ and resources available to them to carry out their official duties.² There may be interest in congressional pay data from multiple perspectives, including assessment of the costs of congressional operations; guidance in setting pay levels for staff in Member offices; or comparison of congressional staff pay levels with those of other federal government pay systems.

Publicly available resources do not provide aggregated congressional staff pay data in a readily retrievable form. The most recent staff compensation report was issued in 2010,³ which, like previous compensation reports, relied on anonymous, self-reported survey data. Pay⁴ information in this report is based on the House Statement of Disbursements (SOD), published quarterly by the Chief Administrative Officer,⁵ as collated by LegiStorm, a private entity that provides some congressional data by subscription.⁶ Data in this report are based on official House reports, which afford the opportunity to use consistently collected data. Additionally, this report provides annual data, which allows for observations about the nature of House Member staff compensation over time.

This report provides pay data for 12 staff position titles that are typically used in House Members' offices.⁷ The positions include the following:

Caseworker⁸
Chief of Staff
District Director
Executive Assistant
Field Representative
Legislative Assistant
Legislative Correspondent
Legislative Director
Office Manager
Press Secretary⁹
Scheduler
Staff Assistant

House Member staff pay data for the years 2001-2014 were developed based on a random sampling of staff for each position in each year. In order to be included, House staff had to hold a position with the same job title in the Member's office for the entire calendar year. For each year, the SOD reports pay data for five time periods: January 1 and 2;¹⁰ January 3-March 31; April 1-June 30; July 1-September 30; and October 1-Dember 31. The aggregate pay of those five periods equals the annual pay of a congressional staff member.

For each year, 2001-2014, a random sample¹¹ of 45 staff for each position, and who did not receive pay from any other congressional employing authority, was taken. Every recorded payment ascribed to those staff for the calendar year is included.¹² Data collected for this report may differ from an employee's stated annual salary due to the inclusion of overtime, bonuses, or other payments¹³ in addition to base salary paid in the course of a year. For some positions, it was not possible to identify 45 employees who held that title for the entire year. In circumstances when data for 18 or fewer staff were identified for a position, this report provides no data. Generally, data provided in this report are based on no more than three observations per Member office per year, and only one per office per position each year.

Data Concerns

There may be some advantages to relying on official salary expenditure data instead of survey findings, but data presented here are subject to some challenges that could affect the findings or their interpretation. Some of the concerns include the following:

There is a lack of data for first-term Members in the first session of a Congress. Authority to use the Member Representational Allowance (MRA) for the previous year expires January 2, and new MRA authority begins on January 3. As a consequence, no data are available for first-term Members of the House in the first session of a Congress.¹⁴
Pay data provide no insight into the education, work experience, position tenure, full- or part-time status of staff, or other potential explanations for levels of compensation.
Data do not differentiate between staff based in Washington, DC, district offices, or both.
Member offices that do not utilize any of the 12 job position titles or their variants, or whose pay data were not reported consistently,¹⁵ are excluded.
Potential differences could exist in the job duties of positions with the same title. Aggregation of pay by job title rests on the assumption that staff with the same title carry out the similar tasks. Given the wide discretion congressional employing authorities have in setting the terms and conditions of employment, there may be differences in the duties of similarly titled staff that could have effects on their levels of pay.

Data Tables and Visualizations

Tables in this section provide background information on House pay practices, comparative data for each position, and detailed pay data and visualizations for each position. Table 1 provides the maximum payable rates for House Member staff since 2001 in both nominal (current) and constant 2015 dollars.

Constant dollar calculations throughout the report are based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for various years, expressed in constant, 2015 dollars.¹⁶

Table 2 provides the available cumulative percentage changes in pay in constant 2015 dollars for each of the 12 positions, Members of Congress,¹⁷ and salaries paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas.¹⁸ Table 3-Table 14 provide tabular pay data for each House Member office staff position. The numbers of staff for which data were counted are identified as observations in the data tables. Graphic displays are also included, providing representations of pay from three perspectives, including the following:

a line graph showing change in pay, 2001-2014, in nominal (current) and constant 2015 dollars;
a comparison, at 5-, 10-, and 14- year intervals from 2014,¹⁹ of the cumulative percentage change in median pay for that position to changes in pay, in constant 2015 dollars, of Members of Congress and federal civilian workers paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas; and
distributions of 2014 pay in 2015 dollars, in $10,000 increments.

Between 2010 and 2014, the change in median²⁰pay, in constant 2015 dollars, decreased for all 12 staff positions, ranging from a -1.38% decrease for press secretary/communications directors to a -21.81% decrease for executive assistants. This may be compared to changes over the same period to Members of Congress, -7.89%, and General Schedule, DC, -6.97%.

Between 2005 and 2014, the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, decreased for all 12 staff positions, ranging from a -3.02% decrease for legislative directors to a -17.63% decrease for executive assistants. This may be compared to changes over the same period to Members of Congress, -11.45%, and General Schedule, DC, -0.80%.

Between 2001 and 2014, the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 3.42% increase for press secretary/communications directors to a -25.46% decrease for office managers. Of the 12 positions, 3 saw increases and 9 saw declines. This may be compared to changes over the same period to the pay of Members of Congress, -10.29%, and General Schedule, DC, 6.42%.

Table 1. House Member Office Staff Pay, Annual Maximums, 2001-2014

Year	Nominal $	Constant, 2015 $
2001	$140,451	$187,658
2002	$145,226	$191,018
2003	$149,728	$192,551
2004	$153,022	$191,683
2005	$156,848	$190,037
2006	$159,828	$187,596
2007	$159,828	$182,401
2008	$163,795	$180,016
2009	$168,411	$185,750
2010	$168,411	$182,752
2011	$168,411	$177,160
2012	$168,411	$173,568
2013	$168,411	$171,063
2014	$168,411	$168,332

Source: 2 U.S.C. 4532 note, CRS calculations. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 2. Selected House Member Staff Change in Pay, Selected Periods

	Change
	5 Years 2010-2014	10 Years 2005-2014	14 Years 2001-2014
Caseworker	-3.70%	-3.65%	0.53%
Chief of Staff	-12.92%	-11.81%	-0.28%
District Director	-11.92%	-12.98%	-9.11%
Executive Assistant	-21.81%	-17.63%	-22.92%
Field Rep	-8.59%	-3.50%	0.45%
Legislative Assistant	-11.84%	-10.18%	-10.39%
Legislative Correspondent	-3.85%	-5.84%	-3.88%
Legislative Director	-9.44%	-3.02%	-4.34%
Office Manager	-13.53%	-12.59%	-25.46%
Press Secretary/Communication Director	-1.38%	-8.62%	3.42%
Scheduler	-2.01%	-6.44%	-11.54%
Staff Assistant	-16.00%	-13.00%	-12.52%
Members of Congress	-7.89%	-11.45%	-10.29%
General Schedule, DC	-6.97%	-0.80%	6.42%

Source: CRS calculations, based on data provided in Table 3-Table 14 for congressional positions, CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by [author name scrubbed], for Members of Congress, and the Office of Personnel Management for federal civilian workers in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas, various years. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

T able 3. Caseworker

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$21,750

$35,841

$34,231

$61,572

$29,016

$47,815

$45,667

$82,141

2002

$23,846

$37,733

$37,358

$100,500

$31,317

$49,555

$49,063

$131,988

2003

$27,000

$38,492

$36,500

$63,333

$34,669

$49,426

$46,868

$81,323

2004

$27,500

$42,439

$43,160

$63,900

$34,395

$53,081

$53,982

$79,922

2005

$27,250

$42,527

$39,386

$76,836

$32,966

$51,448

$47,648

$92,953

2006

$21,500

$43,963

$42,417

$66,867

$25,197

$51,522

$49,710

$78,364

2007

$20,733

$43,694

$42,500

$72,500

$23,626

$49,789

$48,428

$82,613

2008

$22,500

$44,331

$44,409

$60,000

$24,691

$48,647

$48,732

$65,842

2009

$25,000

$45,806

$44,363

$86,210

$27,532

$50,445

$48,856

$94,941

2010

$28,405

$47,592

$44,000

$82,062

$30,777

$51,566

$47,674

$88,914

2011

$31,200

$49,697

$49,000

$83,155

$32,771

$52,199

$51,467

$87,342

2012

$30,135

$50,182

$47,492

$72,000

$31,011

$51,640

$48,872

$74,092

2013

$24,000

$49,805

$50,000

$84,353

$24,341

$50,512

$50,710

$85,551

2014

$26,250

$47,823

$46,000

$88,833

$26,198

$47,728

$45,908

$88,657

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-3

.70%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-3

.65%

14 Years, 2001-2014

.53%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. Tabular change is based on change in median pay for the periods noted. In the visualizations, position pay information based on constant 2015 dollars in thousands of dollars, or change in those levels, is presented in green. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 4. Chief of Staff

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$76,361

$106,313

$104,250

$137,020

$101,872

$141,830

$139,078

$182,795

2002

$65,000

$113,580

$115,089

$145,226

$85,365

$149,167

$151,148

$190,727

2003

$81,000

$114,406

$110,750

$148,978

$104,008

$146,903

$142,208

$191,295

2004

$86,500

$122,278

$124,000

$151,974

$108,189

$152,938

$155,092

$190,080

2005

$70,196

$129,013

$130,000

$156,827

$84,920

$156,074

$157,268

$189,722

2006

$94,000

$135,327

$133,180

$159,828

$110,163

$158,597

$156,080

$187,310

2007

$96,833

$138,937

$141,652

$159,828

$110,341

$158,318

$161,412

$182,123

2008

$93,508

$145,683

$149,972

$163,795

$102,612

$159,866

$164,574

$179,742

2009

$42,708

$133,877

$134,344

$168,411

$47,034

$147,436

$147,950

$185,467

2010

$98,500

$143,697

$147,000

$168,411

$106,725

$155,697

$159,275

$182,474

2011

$103,124

$146,853

$150,833

$168,411

$108,316

$154,247

$158,428

$176,891

2012

$98,220

$143,040

$144,000

$168,411

$101,074

$147,196

$148,184

$173,304

2013

$90,501

$142,480

$143,800

$168,411

$91,786

$144,503

$145,842

$170,802

2014

$89,401

$140,803

$138,968

$168,411

$89,223

$140,523

$138,692

$168,076

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-12

.92%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-11

.81%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-0

.28%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 5. District Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$49,538

$70,062

$72,844

$101,624

$66,087

$93,468

$97,180

$135,575

2002

$45,000

$73,706

$72,925

$106,487

$59,099

$96,800

$95,773

$139,850

2003

$44,400

$76,558

$76,045

$122,450

$57,012

$98,304

$97,646

$157,232

2004

$42,500

$77,877

$77,100

$116,568

$53,156

$97,404

$96,432

$145,797

2005

$49,583

$83,325

$83,904

$123,500

$59,984

$100,803

$101,503

$149,405

2006

$53,000

$86,077

$84,501

$141,100

$62,113

$100,878

$99,031

$165,362

2007

$50,000

$90,807

$86,631

$148,500

$56,975

$103,474

$98,715

$169,215

2008

$52,042

$89,141

$87,599

$138,083

$57,108

$97,820

$96,128

$151,527

2009

$60,000

$90,238

$88,274

$120,450

$66,077

$99,377

$97,214

$132,649

2010

$48,100

$95,323

$92,545

$136,003

$52,117

$103,283

$100,273

$147,360

2011

$68,000

$99,733

$93,519

$165,000

$71,424

$104,755

$98,228

$173,308

2012

$52,500

$91,280

$88,795

$163,564

$54,025

$93,932

$91,375

$168,316

2013

$48,333

$90,637

$87,247

$162,600

$49,020

$91,924

$88,486

$164,909

2014

$45,000

$93,519

$88,500

$144,667

$44,910

$93,333

$88,324

$144,379

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-11

.92%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-12

.98%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-9

.11%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 6. Executive Assistant

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$27,583

$56,922

$53,136

$104,167

$36,798

$75,939

$70,887

$138,966

2002

$21,667

$54,469

$52,667

$111,517

$28,455

$71,535

$69,168

$146,456

2003

$27,354

$58,093

$55,500

$113,500

$35,124

$74,595

$71,265

$145,740

2004

$27,446

$55,603

$51,933

$87,602

$34,328

$69,545

$64,955

$109,567

2005

$27,000

$60,504

$54,837

$97,275

$32,663

$73,195

$66,340

$117,679

2006

$34,167

$65,704

$61,672

$109,617

$40,042

$77,001

$72,276

$128,465

2007

$33,513

$67,000

$62,542

$145,849

$38,188

$76,346

$71,266

$166,194

2008

$26,750

$60,839

$59,231

$107,037

$29,354

$66,762

$64,998

$117,458

2009

$30,000

$58,062

$57,500

$108,047

$33,038

$63,942

$63,324

$118,989

2010

$20,500

$67,102

$64,500

$134,278

$22,212

$72,706

$69,886

$145,491

2011

$27,000

$67,839

$69,750

$138,000

$28,359

$71,255

$73,262

$144,948

2012

$28,000

$61,871

$58,500

$122,609

$28,814

$63,669

$60,200

$126,172

2013

$33,750

$61,167

$53,500

$121,109

$34,229

$62,036

$54,260

$122,829

2014

$32,000

$55,748

$54,750

$89,167

$31,936

$55,637

$54,641

$88,989

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-21

.81%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-17

.63%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-22

.92%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 7. Field Representative

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$22,131

$38,242

$35,500

$75,275

$29,524

$51,018

$47,360

$100,423

2002

$24,720

$41,209

$40,500

$66,333

$32,465

$54,120

$53,189

$87,116

2003

$21,344

$41,594

$40,775

$74,501

$27,407

$53,409

$52,357

$95,663

2004

$26,017

$42,892

$39,472

$78,967

$32,540

$53,646

$49,369

$98,767

2005

$25,805

$43,791

$40,750

$72,000

$31,218

$52,976

$49,297

$87,102

2006

$24,750

$47,080

$45,743

$90,454

$29,006

$55,175

$53,608

$106,007

2007

$25,928

$45,483

$42,901

$66,502

$29,545

$51,828

$48,885

$75,778

2008

$26,750

$60,839

$59,231

$107,037

$29,354

$66,762

$64,998

$117,458

2009

$34,033

$47,299

$45,000

$81,917

$37,480

$52,089

$49,558

$90,213

2010

$28,917

$48,932

$48,033

$77,311

$31,332

$53,018

$52,044

$83,767

2011

$21,000

$46,732

$45,450

$72,992

$22,057

$49,085

$47,738

$76,667

2012

$30,167

$47,153

$46,920

$79,159

$31,043

$48,523

$48,283

$81,459

2013

$32,125

$47,466

$48,783

$77,988

$32,581

$48,140

$49,475

$79,095

2014

$25,750

$48,428

$47,667

$94,625

$25,699

$48,332

$47,572

$94,437

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-8

.59%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-3

.50%

14 Years, 2001-2014

.45%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 8. Legislative Assistant

		Nominal $					Constant $
Year	Observations	Minimum	Average	Median		Maximum	Minimum		Average	Median	Maximum
2001	45	$30,154	$43,493	$41,092		$70,000	$40,228		$58,023	$54,819	$93,385
2002	45	$29,068	$44,295	$43,333		$61,296	$38,175		$58,173	$56,910	$80,501
2003	45	$29,025	$45,828	$42,542		$121,750	$37,270		$58,845	$54,626	$156,333
2004	45	$30,081	$46,008	$43,750		$95,585	$37,623		$57,544	$54,720	$119,552
2005	45	$29,542	$50,609	$45,208		$104,290	$35,738		$61,224	$54,691	$126,165
2006	45	$35,994	$50,584	$48,750		$69,631	$42,184		$59,282	$57,133	$81,604
2007	45	$32,750	$50,261	$45,600		$120,136	$37,318		$57,272	$51,961	$136,894
2008	45	$35,267	$53,668	$49,389		$94,841	$38,700		$58,893	$54,197	$104,074
2009	45	$34,000	$49,982	$50,500		$63,500	$37,444		$55,044	$55,615	$69,931
2010	45	$37,637	$54,346	$51,427		$114,814	$40,780		$58,884	$55,721	$124,402
2011	45	$32,500	$50,506	$48,863		$96,400	$34,136		$53,049	$51,323	$101,254
2012	45	$29,000	$49,916	$49,250		$78,833	$29,843		$51,367	$50,681	$81,124
2013	45	$29,500	$48,395	$47,917		$72,802	$29,919		$49,083	$48,597	$73,836
2014	45	$31,333	$50,854	$49,219		$90,833	$31,271		$50,753	$49,122	$90,653
							Change		5 Years, 2010-2014		-11.84%
									10 Years, 2005-2014		-10.18%
									14 Years, 2001-2014		-10.39%
Median Pay					Change in Pay			2014 Distribution of Pay
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 9. Legislative Correspondent

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$24,500

$33,552

$31,313

$84,267

$32,685

$44,761

$41,773

$112,418

2002

$25,000

$34,141

$31,983

$52,000

$32,833

$44,837

$42,004

$68,292

2003

$23,958

$36,698

$35,614

$64,077

$30,764

$47,122

$45,730

$82,279

2004

$25,372

$36,524

$34,720

$66,667

$31,734

$45,682

$43,426

$83,383

2005

$26,000

$37,095

$35,250

$60,750

$31,454

$44,875

$42,644

$73,493

2006

$27,583

$39,217

$36,750

$73,315

$32,326

$45,960

$43,069

$85,922

2007

$28,544

$40,299

$39,617

$56,333

$32,526

$45,921

$45,143

$64,191

2008

$28,867

$39,190

$38,500

$55,680

$31,678

$43,006

$42,248

$61,101

2009

$29,085

$41,173

$38,875

$75,917

$32,031

$45,343

$42,812

$83,605

2010

$28,000

$40,366

$38,542

$75,833

$30,338

$43,737

$41,760

$82,166

2011

$28,833

$42,489

$39,600

$86,250

$30,285

$44,628

$41,594

$90,593

2012

$26,000

$39,351

$39,000

$65,000

$26,755

$40,495

$40,133

$66,889

2013

$28,900

$38,589

$37,500

$65,000

$29,310

$39,137

$38,033

$65,923

2014

$30,000

$41,122

$40,233

$63,000

$29,940

$41,040

$40,153

$62,875

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-3

.85%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-5

.84%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-3

.88%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 10. Legislative Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$47,000

$66,932

$66,250

$91,412

$62,702

$89,292

$88,383

$121,950

2002

$48,399

$71,594

$70,000

$117,000

$63,563

$94,025

$91,932

$153,658

2003

$51,048

$72,020

$70,500

$105,000

$65,548

$92,477

$90,525

$134,825

2004

$51,761

$73,294

$70,300

$124,833

$64,740

$91,672

$87,927

$156,134

2005

$58,963

$75,692

$72,068

$133,833

$71,330

$91,569

$87,185

$161,905

2006

$55,542

$76,599

$74,515

$101,917

$65,093

$89,770

$87,328

$119,441

2007

$58,000

$85,941

$81,667

$284,300

$66,091

$97,929

$93,059

$323,958

2008

$54,500

$82,548

$82,000

$124,333

$59,806

$90,585

$89,984

$136,438

2009

$51,500

$85,883

$84,417

$127,411

$56,716

$94,581

$92,966

$140,315

2010

$61,303

$87,717

$86,167

$118,000

$66,423

$95,042

$93,362

$127,854

2011

$47,075

$85,639

$86,750

$117,500

$49,445

$89,951

$91,118

$123,416

2012

$48,400

$82,327

$80,000

$138,000

$49,806

$84,720

$82,324

$142,010

2013

$50,736

$79,804

$80,000

$106,000

$51,457

$80,937

$81,136

$107,505

2014

$50,417

$87,256

$84,718

$127,000

$50,316

$87,082

$84,550

$126,747

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-9

.44%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-3

.02%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-4

.34%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 11. Office Manager

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$22,949

$44,639

$46,167

$84,750

$30,615

$59,552

$61,590

$113,063

2002

$18,260

$47,760

$45,833

$102,292

$23,980

$62,724

$60,193

$134,341

2003

$22,500

$49,497

$49,673

$76,500

$28,891

$63,557

$63,782

$98,230

2004

$20,024

$52,846

$51,000

$86,650

$25,045

$66,097

$63,788

$108,377

2005

$22,041

$47,198

$43,417

$89,688

$26,664

$57,098

$52,523

$108,500

2006

$29,150

$50,636

$49,352

$89,329

$34,162

$59,342

$57,838

$104,689

2007

$30,750

$51,840

$46,133

$93,389

$35,039

$59,072

$52,569

$106,416

2008

$26,989

$52,321

$50,583

$98,566

$29,617

$57,415

$55,508

$108,162

2009

$29,983

$55,578

$51,818

$106,877

$33,020

$61,207

$57,066

$117,701

2010

$32,250

$51,484

$49,000

$88,333

$34,943

$55,783

$53,092

$95,710

2011

$36,000

$52,858

$47,000

$82,500

$37,813

$55,519

$49,367

$86,654

2012

$30,103

$54,036

$50,319

$91,333

$30,978

$55,606

$51,781

$93,987

2013

—

2014

$33,434

$52,283

$46,000

$116,583

$33,367

$52,179

$45,909

$116,351

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-13

.53%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-12

.59%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-25

.46%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. "—" indicates insufficient data available. Tabular change is based on change in median pay for the periods noted. In the visualizations, position pay information based on constant 2015 dollars in thousands of dollars, or change in those levels, is presented in green. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 12. Press Secretary/Communications Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$29,000

$54,897

$52,083

$99,020

$38,688

$73,236

$69,483

$132,100

2002

$37,226

$58,411

$57,625

$95,527

$48,889

$76,712

$75,680

$125,457

2003

$32,668

$59,875

$59,000

$93,000

$41,947

$76,882

$75,759

$119,417

2004

$32,378

$59,282

$56,000

$93,500

$40,496

$74,146

$70,042

$116,944

2005

$41,739

$65,916

$65,000

$101,000

$50,494

$79,743

$78,634

$122,185

2006

$29,010

$62,757

$62,500

$111,188

$33,998

$73,549

$73,247

$130,307

2007

$36,281

$67,472

$69,000

$110,000

$41,342

$76,884

$78,625

$125,344

2008

$40,000

$70,609

$69,948

$112,860

$43,894

$77,484

$76,759

$123,848

2009

$40,400

$72,711

$69,174

$128,992

$44,492

$80,075

$76,180

$142,056

2010

$46,000

$72,512

$67,250

$132,596

$49,841

$78,567

$72,866

$143,668

2011

$48,000

$76,528

$76,000

$120,000

$50,417

$80,382

$79,827

$126,042

2012

$29,959

$74,514

$73,167

$121,805

$30,829

$76,679

$75,293

$125,345

2013

$36,439

$70,351

$65,000

$124,861

$36,956

$71,350

$65,923

$126,634

2014

$42,500

$73,199

$72,000

$124,233

$42,415

$73,053

$71,857

$123,986

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-1

.38%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-8

.62%

14 Years, 2001-2014

.42%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 13. Scheduler

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$34,117

$42,699

$42,286

$57,000

$45,514

$56,964

$56,412

$76,042

2002

$29,500

$44,874

$43,483

$61,375

$38,743

$58,934

$57,107

$80,605

2003

$26,833

$47,053

$44,393

$104,367

$34,455

$60,418

$57,003

$134,012

2004

$30,625

$50,838

$45,100

$104,367

$38,304

$63,585

$56,408

$130,536

2005

$28,625

$44,975

$44,090

$69,250

$34,629

$54,408

$53,338

$83,775

2006

$30,167

$50,781

$47,817

$83,000

$35,354

$59,513

$56,039

$97,272

2007

$32,000

$55,354

$52,167

$93,162

$36,464

$63,075

$59,444

$106,157

2008

$32,625

$51,427

$50,481

$82,674

$35,801

$56,434

$55,395

$90,723

2009

$32,000

$52,879

$52,450

$93,000

$35,241

$58,234

$57,762

$102,419

2010

$31,547

$51,968

$47,000

$110,750

$34,181

$56,307

$50,925

$119,998

2011

$35,000

$53,293

$49,309

$90,942

$36,762

$55,976

$51,792

$95,521

2012

$34,533

$49,421

$46,333

$80,500

$35,537

$50,857

$47,680

$82,839

2013

$31,883

$51,910

$47,500

$85,833

$32,336

$52,647

$48,175

$87,052

2014

$29,667

$53,342

$50,000

$96,950

$29,608

$53,236

$49,901

$96,757

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-2

.01%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-6

.44%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-11

.54%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 14. Staff Assistant

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$21,667

$33,302

$31,000

$79,516

$28,905

$44,427

$41,356

$106,080

2002

$24,500

$34,378

$33,000

$62,317

$32,176

$45,150

$43,339

$81,841

2003

$20,000

$37,518

$35,917

$74,394

$25,681

$48,174

$46,119

$95,526

2004

$21,200

$35,866

$36,227

$52,750

$26,516

$44,859

$45,310

$65,977

2005

$22,000

$38,296

$34,375

$105,950

$26,615

$46,328

$41,585

$128,173

2006

$21,834

$38,120

$35,167

$63,830

$25,588

$44,675

$41,214

$74,806

2007

$24,486

$39,808

$38,400

$60,790

$27,902

$45,361

$43,757

$69,270

2008

$25,500

$40,657

$36,156

$73,300

$27,983

$44,615

$39,676

$80,437

2009

$20,175

$37,829

$37,504

$67,333

$22,218

$41,661

$41,302

$74,153

2010

$25,000

$42,084

$39,750

$93,750

$27,088

$45,598

$43,069

$101,579

2011

$26,250

$38,681

$34,833

$87,500

$27,572

$40,628

$36,587

$91,906

2012

$22,000

$41,076

$35,767

$167,411

$22,639

$42,269

$36,806

$172,275

2013

$21,095

$37,726

$34,986

$67,167

$21,395

$38,261

$35,483

$68,120

2014

$21,067

$37,176

$36,250

$88,058

$21,025

$37,102

$36,178

$87,883

Change

5 Years, 2010-2014

-16

.00%

10 Years, 2005-2014

-13

.00%

14 Years, 2001-2014

-12

.52%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2014 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Author Contact Information

[author name scrubbed], Coordinator, Specialist in American National Government ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

[author name scrubbed], Research Assistant ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Acknowledgments

Jacobo Licona, Brian Hamel, Joe Wisniewski and Claire Laurence, former CRS interns, collected data for this report.

Footnotes

1.	Since 2009, the maximum annual pay for staff in House Member offices has been $168,411. See Order of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, January 9, 2009, set out as a note following 2 U.S.C. 4532. Maximum payable rates for House Member office staff since 2001 are available in Table 1.
2.	For discussion of resources available to Members to carry out their official duties, see CRS Report RL30064, Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief, by [author name scrubbed].
3.	ICF International, 2010 House Compensation Study: Guide for the 112^th Congress, prepared for the Chief Administrative Officer, House of Representatives (Washington: 2010).
4.	In this report, pay refers to monies paid by the House to staff, and excludes other components of total compensation, which might include paid leave or employer contributions to various insurance and retirement benefits.
5.	Volumes of the Statement of Disbursements since July 2009 are available at http://disbursements.house.gov/.
6.	http://www.legistorm.com/.
7.	For a discussion of staff roles in Members' offices, see, Congressional Staff: Duties and Functions of Selected Positions, by [author name scrubbed].
8.	Other job titles which may indicate similar duties, and for which pay data were collected for this category, include Constituent Services Representative and Federal Caseworker.
9.	Another job title which may indicate similar duties and for which pay data were collected for this category, was Communications Director.
10.	The brief reporting period accommodates accounting of the Member Representational Allowance (MRA), which authorizes expenditures from January 3 to January 2 of the following year. For a discussion of MRA usage, see CRS Report R40962, Members' Representational Allowance: History and Usage, by [author name scrubbed].
11.	Obtaining the salaries of every congressional staff member listed in the SOD was beyond the capacity of available resources. Each year, a different, random sample of Members' offices was taken for each position. The large random sample of each position means that a full accounting would be unlikely to yield significantly different results. At the same time, a study that examines pay data based on different job titles, or which combines pay data from positions of similar titles or duties (e.g., legislative assistant and senior legislative assistant, or executive assistants, schedulers, and executive assistant/schedulers), could result in findings that are different from those provided here.
12.	The numbers of staff for which data were counted are identified as observations in the data tables.
13.	Other forms of payment do not appear to be recorded in a consistent manner. Sometimes overtime and other pay is listed as separate entries and in other instances, significant one-time changes in a quarterly total may suggest payments in addition to regular salary.
14.	Staff of all Members who serve an entire calendar year may be included in the data. For information on the number of first-term Members in each Congress, see CRS Report R41283, First-Term Members of the House of Representatives and Senate, 64th - 113th Congresses, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
15.	Some offices reported pay data that excluded the January 1 and 2 period, or included those days in reports including the period from October 1 of the previous year.
16.	U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables.htm.
17.	Member pay data are taken from CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by [author name scrubbed].
18.	General Schedule pay change is based on changes in pay levels, and not the pay of individuals. General Schedule pay tables are available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2015/general-schedule/. For a complete description of areas covered under the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA locality pay table, see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2014/locality-pay-area-definitions/#w.
19.	5 years, 2010-2014; 10 years, 2005-2014; and 14 years, 2001-2014.
20.	The median is the midpoint at which half of the numbers in a list are higher and the other half lower.

Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2014

Contents

Tables

Summary

Introduction

Data Concerns

Data Tables and Visualizations

Footnotes