Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2014

December 15, 2015 (R44324)
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Introduction
Data Concerns
Data Tables and Visualizations

Tables

Table 1. Annual Maximum Pay for Selected Staff In Senators' Offices, 2001-2014
Table 2. Change in Pay for Selected Staff In Senators' Offices, Selected Periods
Table 3. Administrative Director
Table 4. Casework Supervisor
Table 5. Caseworker
Table 6. Chief of Staff
Table 7. Communications Director
Table 8. Counsel
Table 9. Executive Assistant
Table 10. Field Representative
Table 11. Legislative Assistant
Table 12. Legislative Correspondent
Table 13. Legislative Director
Table 14. Press Secretary
Table 15. Scheduler
Table 16. Specials Director
Table 17. Staff Assistant
Table 18. State Director

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 16 staff position titles that are typically used in Senators' offices. The positions include the following: Administrative Director, Casework Supervisor, Caseworker, Chief of Staff, Communications Director, Counsel, Executive Assistant, Field Representative, Legislative Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Director, Press Secretary, Scheduler, "Specials Director" (a combined category that includes the job titles Director of Projects, Director of Special Projects, Director of Federal Projects, Director of Grants, Projects Director, or Grants Director), Staff Assistant, and State Director.

Tables provide tabular pay data for each of the selected staff positions in a Senator's office. Graphic displays are also included, providing representations of pay from three perspectives, including the following:

a line graph showing change in pay;
a comparison at 5-, 10-, and 14-year intervals from FY2014, depending on data availability, of the cumulative percentage change in pay for that position to changes in pay of Members of Congress and federal civilian workers paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas; and
distributions of FY2014 pay in $10,000 increments.

In the past five years (FY2010 and FY2014), the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 0.78% increase for state directors to a -20.21% decrease for legislative assistants. All staff positions other than state directors saw declines in pay. This may be compared to changes to the pay of Members of Congress, -7.89%, and General Schedule, DC, -6.97%, over approximately the same period (calendar years 2010-2014).

Pay data for staff working in House Member offices are available in CRS Report R44323, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2014. 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 Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2014

Introduction

Levels of pay for congressional staff are a source of recurring questions among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. Senators set the terms and conditions of employment for staff in their offices. This includes job titles and descriptions, rates of pay, subject to minimum and maximum levels,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 information sources do not provide aggregated congressional staff pay data in a readily retrievable form. The most recent publicly available Senate staff compensation report was issued in 2006,³ and relied on anonymous, self-reported survey data. Data in this report are based on official Senate reports, which afford the opportunity to use consistently collected data. Pay⁴ information in this report is based on the Senate's Report of the Secretary of the Senate, published semiannually, in periods from April 1 to September 30, and October 1 to March 31,⁵ as collated by LegiStorm, a private entity that provides some congressional data by subscription.⁶ Additionally, this report provides annual data, which allows for observations about the nature of Senators' personal staff compensation over time.

This report provides pay data for 16 staff position titles that are typically used in Senators' offices.⁷ The positions include the following:

Administrative Director⁸
Casework Supervisor⁹
Caseworker¹⁰
Chief of Staff
Communications Director
Counsel¹¹
Executive Assistant
Field Representative¹²
Legislative Assistant
Legislative Correspondent
Legislative Director
Press Secretary
Scheduler
"Specials Director," a combined category that includes the job titles Director of Projects, Director of Special Projects, Director of Federal Projects, Director of Grants, Projects Director, or Grants Director
Staff Assistant
State Director

Senators' staff pay data for FY2001-FY2014 were derived from a random sampling of Senators' offices in which at least one staff member worked in a position in each year. For each fiscal year, FY2001-FY2014, a random sample¹³ of 25 Senators' offices was taken for each position. In order to be included, Senate staff had to hold a position with the same job title in the Senator's office for the entire fiscal year examined, and not receive pay from any other congressional employing authority. For some positions, it was not possible to identify 25 offices that employed staff for an entire year. In circumstances when data for 14 or fewer staff were identified for a position, this report provides no data. Every recorded payment ascribed in the LegiStorm data to those staff for the fiscal year is included.¹⁴ Data collected for this report may differ from an employee's stated annual salary due to the inclusion of overtime, bonuses, or other payments¹⁵ in addition to base salary paid in the course of a year. Generally, each position has no more than one observation per Senator's office each fiscal 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 findings or their interpretation. Some of the concerns include the following:

Data are lacking for first-term Senators in the first session of a Congress. The periods of time covered by the Report of the Secretary of the Senate overlap the end of one Congress and convening of the next. This report provides no data for first-term Senators in the first nine months of their service.¹⁶
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.
Staff could be based in Washington, DC, state offices, or both.
Potential differences might 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 same or 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. Acknowledging the imprecision inherent in congressional job titles, an older edition of the Senate Handbook states, "Throughout the Senate, individuals with the same job title perform vastly different duties."¹⁷

Data Tables and Visualizations

Tables in this section provide background information on Senate pay practices, comparative data for each position, and detailed data and visualizations for each position. Table 1 provides the maximum payable rates for staff in Senators' offices 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.¹⁸

Table 2 provides the available cumulative percentage changes in pay in constant 2015 dollars for each of the 16 positions, Members of Congress,¹⁹ and salaries paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas.²⁰ Table 3-Table 18 provide tabular pay data for Senators' staff positions. The numbers of staff whose 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, depending on data availability, in nominal (current) and constant 2015 dollars;
a comparison at 5-, 10-, and 14-year intervals from FY2014,²¹ depending on data availability, of the cumulative percentage change in pay of 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 FY2014 pay, in 2015 dollars, in $10,000 increments.

Between FY2010 and FY2014, the change in median²² pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 0.78% increase for state directors to a -20.21% decrease for legislative assistants. All staff positions other than state directors saw declines in pay. This may be compared to changes in the pay of Members of Congress, -7.89%, and General Schedule, DC, -6.97%, over approximately the same period (calendar years 2010-2014).

Between FY2005 and FY2014, the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 7.07% increase for field representatives to a -26.51% decrease for press secretaries. Of the 16 staff positions, 5 saw pay increases while 11 saw declines. This may be compared to changes in the pay of Members of Congress, -11.45%, and General Schedule, DC, -0.80%, over approximately the same period (calendar years 2005-2014).

Between FY2001 and FY2014, the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 19.91% increase for state directors to a -29.36% decrease for press secretaries. Of 15 staff positions for which data were available in FY2010 and FY2014,²³ 7 saw pay increases while 8 saw declines. This may be compared to changes in the pay of Members of Congress, -10.29%, and General Schedule, DC, 6.42%, over approximately the same period (calendar years 2001-2014).

Table 1. Annual Maximum Pay for Selected Staff In Senators' Offices, 2001-2014

Year	Nominal $	Constant 2015 $
2001	$140,559	$187,802
2002	$145,459	$191,324
2003	$150,159	$193,105
2004	$153,559	$192,355
2005	$157,559	$190,898
2006	$160,659	$188,571
2007	$160,659	$183,349
2008	$164,759	$181,075
2009	$169,459	$186,906
2010	$169,459	$183,890
2011	$169,459	$178,263
2012	$169,459	$174,648
2013	$169,459	$172,127
2014	$169,459	$169,380

Source: 2 U.S.C. 4575, note, CRS calculations. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 2. Change in Pay for Selected Staff In Senators' Offices, Selected Periods

	5 Years FY10-14	10 Years FY05-14	14 Years FY01-14
Administrative Director	-6.05%	3.05%	—
Casework Supervisor	-14.34%	-4.27%	9.30%
Caseworker	-1.52%	-5.04%	0.58%
Chief of Staff	-8.10%	-9.18%	-6.07%
Communications Director	-14.75%	-3.81%	-2.62%
Counsel	-8.05%	-8.09%	-8.89%
Executive Assistant	-17.69%	-13.84%	-2.15%
Field Representative	-11.48%	7.07%	2.18%
Legislative Assistant	-20.21%	-5.98%	-7.24%
Legislative Correspondent	-5.88%	3.92%	4.15%
Legislative Director	-9.60%	-8.79%	1.81%
Press Secretary	-17.33%	-26.51%	-29.36%
Scheduler	-9.50%	4.58%	11.00%
Specials Director	-15.89%	-7.74%	-16.36%
Staff Assistant	-5.59%	-17.08%	-5.67%
State Director	0.78%	2.17%	19.91%
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 18 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. No data were available for administrative directors for FY2001. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 3. Administrative Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY04

$33,750

$83,942

$83,080

$142,968

$42,212

$104,990

$103,912

$178,816

FY05

$33,200

$87,806

$85,875

$150,223

$40,164

$106,224

$103,888

$181,733

FY06

$38,597

$84,438

$86,821

$124,264

$45,234

$98,957

$101,750

$145,631

FY07

$65,453

$95,393

$95,271

$126,242

$74,583

$108,700

$108,560

$143,851

FY08

$71,706

$100,159

$98,179

$140,250

$78,687

$109,911

$107,738

$153,905

FY09

$46,459

$96,479

$95,164

$140,250

$51,164

$106,250

$104,802

$154,454

FY10

$64,772

$102,624

$105,167

$150,811

$70,180

$111,194

$113,949

$163,404

FY11

$54,375

$104,195

$107,000

$153,506

$57,113

$109,441

$112,388

$161,235

FY12

$58,000

$104,323

$107,000

$135,521

$59,685

$107,354

$110,109

$139,459

FY13

$42,667

$102,752

$103,200

$169,000

$43,272

$104,211

$104,665

$171,400

FY14

$50,937

$103,458

$107,265

$139,080

$50,836

$103,252

$107,052

$138,803

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-6

.05%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

.05%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Source: Report of the Secretary of the Senate, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. Tabular change is based on change in median pay expressed in constant dollars 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 blue. Change in Pay visualizations for General Schedule, Washington, DC, and Members of Congress are based on calendar year change calculated in constant, 2015 dollars; staff position is based on change by fiscal year. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 4. Casework Supervisor

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$23,928

$50,594

$51,828

$83,000

$31,922

$67,496

$69,142

$110,728

FY02

$28,334

$57,812

$55,667

$87,625

$37,211

$75,925

$73,108

$115,079

FY03

$27,620

$58,399

$60,956

$82,750

$35,466

$74,987

$78,270

$106,255

FY04

$27,500

$60,683

$62,549

$88,679

$34,395

$75,899

$78,232

$110,915

FY05

$33,933

$65,254

$65,250

$137,450

$41,050

$78,941

$78,936

$166,281

FY06

$33,933

$67,610

$70,611

$102,768

$39,767

$79,235

$82,753

$120,439

FY07

$33,741

$69,613

$70,599

$103,461

$38,447

$79,324

$80,448

$117,893

FY08

$50,708

$73,334

$71,789

$109,333

$55,645

$80,474

$78,778

$119,978

FY09

$55,750

$79,269

$79,000

$109,356

$61,396

$87,297

$87,001

$120,432

FY10

$40,773

$80,992

$81,416

$120,697

$44,178

$87,755

$88,215

$130,775

FY11

$40,773

$76,233

$74,154

$122,000

$42,826

$80,071

$77,888

$128,143

FY12

$40,000

$74,940

$76,000

$127,000

$41,162

$77,118

$78,208

$130,690

FY13

$34,187

$68,184

$72,000

$95,583

$34,672

$69,153

$73,022

$96,941

FY14

$35,500

$74,974

$75,719

$113,875

$35,429

$74,824

$75,569

$113,648

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-14

.34%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-4

.27%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.30%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Source: Report of the Secretary of the Senate, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. In the visualizations, position pay information is based on constant 2015 dollars in thousands of dollars, or change in those levels, is presented in blue. Change in Pay visualizations for General Schedule, Washington, DC, and Members of Congress are based on calendar year change calculated in constant, 2015 dollars; staff position is based on median change by fiscal year. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 5. Caseworker

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$23,802

$34,979

$33,197

$50,200

$31,754

$46,664

$44,288

$66,971

FY02

$23,414

$34,963

$33,500

$59,968

$30,750

$45,917

$43,996

$78,757

FY03

$25,985

$37,602

$35,135

$58,964

$33,366

$48,283

$45,116

$75,713

FY04

$25,896

$39,605

$38,822

$63,100

$32,389

$49,535

$48,556

$78,922

FY05

$25,251

$39,871

$38,777

$57,500

$30,547

$48,234

$46,911

$69,561

FY06

$29,956

$44,725

$43,000

$74,313

$35,107

$52,415

$50,394

$87,091

FY07

$26,833

$43,262

$41,503

$65,603

$30,576

$49,297

$47,292

$74,754

FY08

$26,601

$46,851

$44,685

$72,337

$29,190

$51,413

$49,035

$79,379

FY09

$19,583

$44,897

$42,629

$76,847

$21,567

$49,444

$46,946

$84,630

FY10

$23,500

$47,926

$41,745

$90,800

$25,462

$51,928

$45,231

$98,382

FY11

$28,237

$44,809

$41,603

$87,450

$29,659

$47,065

$43,698

$91,853

FY12

$30,000

$44,187

$43,365

$87,465

$30,872

$45,471

$44,625

$90,006

FY13

$30,000

$46,201

$44,125

$85,000

$30,426

$46,857

$44,751

$86,207

FY14

$32,500

$48,662

$44,633

$89,179

$32,435

$48,566

$44,544

$89,001

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-1

.52%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-5

.04%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.58%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 6. Chief of Staff

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$103,657

$130,841

$134,630

$139,609

$138,286

$174,551

$179,606

$186,249

FY02

$109,875

$133,309

$136,241

$144,234

$144,300

$175,076

$178,927

$189,424

FY03

$124,000

$140,044

$144,234

$148,984

$159,222

$179,823

$185,203

$191,303

FY04

$100,000

$145,165

$151,576

$152,709

$125,074

$181,563

$189,582

$190,999

FY05

$107,100

$148,145

$153,559

$156,742

$129,565

$179,219

$185,769

$189,619

FY06

$130,600

$152,445

$157,486

$160,659

$153,056

$178,658

$184,565

$188,284

FY07

$138,871

$156,287

$160,659

$158,242

$178,088

$183,070

FY08

$145,833

$158,701

$159,863

$163,734

$160,032

$174,152

$175,427

$179,675

FY09

$147,960

$164,532

$166,926

$167,305

$162,945

$181,196

$183,832

$184,249

FY10

$156,930

$166,654

$169,428

$169,459

$170,035

$180,571

$183,576

$183,610

FY11

$138,500

$166,692

$169,459

$145,474

$175,086

$177,991

FY12

$140,417

$166,399

$169,459

$144,496

$171,234

$174,383

FY13

$128,844

$161,550

$166,500

$169,459

$130,673

$163,844

$168,864

$171,865

FY14

$141,050

$164,932

$169,042

$169,459

$140,769

$164,604

$168,706

$169,122

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-8

.10%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-9

.18%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-6

.07%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 7. Communications Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$42,189

$83,784

$83,186

$128,974

$56,283

$111,774

$110,976

$172,062

FY02

$48,999

$88,399

$89,500

$134,826

$64,351

$116,096

$117,541

$177,069

FY03

$45,451

$89,453

$84,860

$140,191

$58,362

$114,862

$108,964

$180,013

FY04

$56,908

$92,741

$85,733

$142,726

$71,177

$115,995

$107,230

$178,513

FY05

$58,083

$94,798

$92,875

$147,206

$70,267

$114,683

$112,356

$178,083

FY06

$74,431

$103,309

$101,108

$152,000

$87,229

$121,073

$118,493

$178,136

FY07

$53,068

$98,056

$95,917

$150,942

$60,471

$111,735

$109,296

$171,997

FY08

$72,500

$102,827

$97,798

$146,878

$79,559

$112,838

$107,320

$161,178

FY09

$75,400

$111,197

$109,296

$156,687

$83,036

$122,459

$120,365

$172,556

FY10

$90,875

$115,873

$116,996

$167,500

$98,464

$125,549

$126,766

$181,487

FY11

$90,000

$113,114

$108,562

$168,547

$94,532

$118,809

$114,029

$177,034

FY12

$91,855

$115,597

$117,500

$147,184

$94,524

$118,956

$120,914

$151,460

FY13

$80,333

$116,213

$115,575

$164,568

$81,474

$117,863

$117,216

$166,905

FY14

$80,000

$112,337

$108,288

$157,137

$79,841

$112,114

$108,072

$156,824

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-14

.75%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-3

.81%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-2

.62%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 8. Counsel

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$25,000

$67,125

$69,875

$93,833

$33,352

$89,550

$93,218

$125,181

FY02

$32,886

$67,720

$67,536

$144,234

$43,189

$88,937

$88,696

$189,424

FY03

$25,000

$81,319

$82,900

$148,984

$32,101

$104,417

$106,448

$191,303

FY04

$45,000

$84,890

$81,127

$152,526

$56,283

$106,175

$101,469

$190,770

FY05

$45,000

$81,559

$76,386

$134,375

$54,439

$98,666

$92,408

$162,561

FY06

$42,458

$86,828

$78,454

$144,792

$49,759

$101,758

$91,944

$169,689

FY07

$45,000

$92,050

$88,167

$145,000

$51,277

$104,890

$100,465

$165,227

FY08

$45,000

$92,195

$91,167

$128,570

$49,381

$101,171

$100,043

$141,088

FY09

$45,000

$88,826

$89,000

$129,788

$49,558

$97,822

$98,014

$142,933

FY10

$45,000

$86,043

$85,250

$141,500

$48,758

$93,228

$92,369

$153,316

FY11

$45,000

$81,035

$81,663

$138,000

$47,266

$85,115

$85,775

$144,948

FY12

$49,750

$87,312

$80,868

$151,275

$51,196

$89,849

$83,218

$155,671

FY13

$55,250

$83,353

$83,200

$109,000

$56,034

$84,537

$84,381

$110,548

FY14

$53,250

$90,638

$85,100

$153,120

$53,144

$90,457

$84,931

$152,816

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-8

.05%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-8

.09%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-8

.89%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 9. Executive Assistant

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$36,000

$65,378

$60,480

$124,583

$48,027

$87,219

$80,685

$166,204

FY02

$32,880

$62,934

$57,608

$139,492

$43,182

$82,652

$75,658

$183,196

FY03

$29,926

$70,414

$66,040

$148,984

$38,427

$90,415

$84,798

$191,303

FY04

$32,262

$76,616

$75,250

$152,709

$40,351

$95,826

$94,118

$190,999

FY05

$34,000

$72,919

$75,750

$107,705

$41,132

$88,214

$91,639

$130,297

FY06

$36,375

$73,189

$78,417

$120,500

$42,630

$85,774

$91,900

$141,220

FY07

$37,176

$83,038

$81,880

$160,659

$42,362

$94,622

$93,302

$183,070

FY08

$40,928

$87,763

$85,833

$163,563

$44,913

$96,308

$94,190

$179,488

FY09

$42,272

$91,183

$86,817

$167,305

$46,553

$100,418

$95,610

$184,249

FY10

$33,458

$90,428

$88,531

$169,459

$36,252

$97,979

$95,924

$183,610

FY11

$37,500

$84,788

$77,000

$169,459

$39,388

$89,057

$80,877

$177,991

FY12

$37,500

$87,805

$86,000

$169,459

$38,589

$90,357

$88,499

$174,383

FY13

$37,667

$85,565

$81,372

$169,459

$38,201

$86,780

$82,528

$171,865

FY14

$32,750

$85,535

$79,110

$169,459

$32,685

$85,364

$78,953

$169,122

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-17

.69%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-13

.84%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-2

.15%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 10. Field Representative

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$20,519

$42,290

$41,337

$70,466

$27,374

$56,418

$55,146

$94,007

FY02

$22,746

$38,968

$38,625

$56,250

$29,873

$51,177

$50,727

$73,874

FY03

$23,898

$43,528

$45,292

$73,897

$30,686

$55,892

$58,157

$94,887

FY04

$21,518

$46,831

$49,562

$87,500

$26,913

$58,574

$61,990

$109,440

FY05

$26,228

$44,154

$43,500

$68,608

$31,729

$53,415

$52,624

$82,999

FY06

$29,199

$47,152

$43,875

$73,075

$34,220

$55,260

$51,419

$85,640

FY07

$19,562

$49,139

$47,931

$76,250

$22,291

$55,994

$54,617

$86,886

FY08

$36,113

$53,956

$52,859

$80,750

$39,629

$59,210

$58,005

$88,612

FY09

$29,495

$55,405

$53,500

$91,750

$32,483

$61,017

$58,918

$101,042

FY10

$30,712

$58,025

$58,750

$102,500

$33,277

$62,870

$63,656

$111,059

FY11

$32,250

$54,968

$54,504

$74,927

$33,874

$57,736

$57,248

$78,700

FY12

$31,750

$55,790

$53,768

$79,670

$32,673

$57,411

$55,330

$81,985

FY13

$33,500

$55,482

$53,000

$83,000

$33,976

$56,270

$53,753

$84,179

FY14

$34,833

$60,554

$56,458

$93,948

$34,764

$60,434

$56,346

$93,762

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-11

.48%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

.07%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.18%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 11. Legislative Assistant

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$31,916

$55,641

$54,032

$83,533

$42,578

$74,230

$72,082

$111,439

FY02

$32,706

$54,456

$52,592

$92,917

$42,954

$71,517

$69,069

$122,029

FY03

$29,996

$57,178

$52,337

$117,500

$38,516

$73,419

$67,204

$150,876

FY04

$30,203

$66,495

$58,500

$135,000

$37,776

$83,167

$73,168

$168,850

FY05

$38,933

$62,584

$58,788

$113,636

$47,100

$75,711

$71,119

$137,471

FY06

$35,376

$64,299

$60,625

$129,356

$41,459

$75,355

$71,049

$151,599

FY07

$40,333

$64,727

$68,000

$128,270

$45,960

$73,756

$77,486

$146,163

FY08

$49,688

$69,144

$66,971

$106,532

$54,525

$75,876

$73,491

$116,904

FY09

$50,042

$69,293

$66,125

$106,916

$55,110

$76,310

$72,822

$117,744

FY10

$55,021

$75,900

$77,344

$110,528

$59,615

$82,238

$83,803

$119,758

FY11

$46,042

$70,272

$70,396

$112,078

$48,360

$73,810

$73,940

$117,721

FY12

$46,667

$73,228

$74,000

$120,828

$48,022

$75,355

$76,150

$124,339

FY13

$42,333

$65,043

$65,640

$87,750

$42,934

$65,967

$66,572

$88,996

FY14

$30,333

$66,806

$67,000

$87,500

$30,273

$66,673

$66,867

$87,326

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-20

.21%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-5

.98%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-7

.24%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 12. Legislative Correspondent

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$22,344

$30,560

$29,250

$41,250

$29,808

$40,770

$39,022

$55,031

FY02

$25,833

$31,677

$29,874

$44,525

$33,927

$41,601

$39,234

$58,475

FY03

$25,391

$32,950

$32,000

$46,853

$32,603

$42,309

$41,090

$60,162

FY04

$25,327

$34,350

$31,994

$56,467

$31,678

$42,963

$40,017

$70,625

FY05

$27,000

$32,787

$32,327

$43,585

$32,663

$39,664

$39,108

$52,727

FY06

$26,823

$34,706

$33,973

$47,070

$31,436

$40,674

$39,815

$55,164

FY07

$30,337

$36,061

$34,689

$44,500

$34,569

$41,091

$39,528

$50,707

FY08

$31,350

$38,316

$38,000

$52,250

$34,403

$42,046

$41,700

$57,337

FY09

$30,156

$38,093

$36,786

$49,750

$33,210

$41,951

$40,511

$54,789

FY10

$30,484

$39,817

$39,850

$50,500

$33,029

$43,142

$43,178

$54,717

FY11

$31,500

$37,460

$37,000

$51,250

$33,086

$39,347

$38,863

$53,830

FY12

$29,250

$37,616

$35,786

$53,417

$30,100

$38,709

$36,826

$54,969

FY13

$34,000

$39,396

$37,787

$49,083

$35,712

$41,380

$39,690

$51,555

FY14

$32,388

$40,412

$40,722

$58,333

$32,324

$40,331

$40,641

$58,217

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-5

.88%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

.92%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.15%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 13. Legislative Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$70,417

$97,697

$96,988

$138,459

$93,941

$130,336

$129,389

$184,715

FY02

$88,750

$106,021

$104,925

$140,542

$116,556

$139,239

$137,799

$184,575

FY03

$63,821

$102,688

$106,396

$130,986

$81,949

$131,857

$136,617

$168,193

FY04

$67,401

$107,803

$105,695

$140,245

$84,301

$134,834

$132,197

$175,410

FY05

$46,028

$114,528

$119,391

$156,559

$55,682

$138,551

$144,434

$189,398

FY06

$87,083

$118,402

$117,038

$152,430

$102,057

$138,762

$137,163

$178,640

FY07

$76,166

$114,607

$117,333

$146,601

$86,791

$130,594

$133,701

$167,051

FY08

$88,042

$125,774

$122,500

$160,395

$96,613

$138,020

$134,427

$176,012

FY09

$98,743

$135,702

$134,583

$167,305

$108,743

$149,445

$148,214

$184,249

FY10

$105,000

$138,951

$134,500

$169,459

$113,768

$150,554

$145,731

$183,610

FY11

$96,458

$129,435

$130,000

$169,459

$101,315

$135,952

$136,546

$177,991

FY12

$99,667

$133,606

$131,500

$169,459

$102,562

$137,488

$135,321

$174,383

FY13

$94,854

$128,555

$130,000

$156,205

$96,201

$130,380

$131,846

$158,423

FY14

$100,000

$128,618

$132,000

$155,750

$99,801

$128,362

$131,737

$155,440

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-9

.60%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-8

.79%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.81%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 14. Press Secretary

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$21,120

$64,528

$66,625

$92,242

$28,176

$86,086

$88,883

$123,058

FY02

$38,042

$69,220

$72,533

$102,667

$49,960

$90,907

$95,258

$134,833

FY03

$41,983

$70,863

$68,893

$100,000

$53,909

$90,992

$88,462

$128,405

FY04

$41,098

$67,127

$62,523

$109,734

$51,403

$83,959

$78,200

$137,248

FY05

$47,280

$73,719

$70,625

$116,347

$57,197

$89,182

$85,439

$140,751

FY06

$38,667

$65,042

$63,917

$112,446

$45,315

$76,227

$74,907

$131,781

FY07

$44,958

$70,928

$61,000

$125,644

$51,230

$80,822

$69,509

$143,171

FY08

$53,333

$70,951

$66,323

$147,569

$58,526

$77,859

$72,780

$161,936

FY09

$38,452

$71,592

$67,453

$131,000

$42,346

$78,843

$74,285

$144,267

FY10

$41,000

$73,021

$70,096

$138,419

$44,424

$79,118

$75,949

$149,977

FY11

$46,808

$65,442

$61,896

$110,591

$49,165

$68,737

$65,012

$116,160

FY12

$40,000

$64,934

$59,083

$118,000

$41,162

$66,821

$60,800

$121,428

FY13

$39,221

$64,690

$59,500

$127,500

$39,778

$65,609

$60,345

$129,310

FY14

$50,333

$71,385

$62,914

$130,000

$50,233

$71,243

$62,789

$129,741

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-17

.33%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-26

.51%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-29

.36%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 15. Scheduler

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$29,690

$50,705

$50,917

$75,308

$39,609

$67,644

$67,927

$100,466

FY02

$31,625

$54,661

$52,875

$83,000

$41,533

$71,788

$69,441

$109,005

FY03

$20,000

$55,495

$51,292

$86,488

$25,681

$71,258

$65,861

$111,054

FY04

$39,583

$64,745

$63,167

$120,280

$49,508

$80,980

$79,005

$150,439

FY05

$35,508

$60,678

$59,594

$93,865

$42,956

$73,406

$72,094

$113,554

FY06

$44,026

$64,998

$64,825

$102,673

$51,596

$76,174

$75,971

$120,327

FY07

$29,021

$61,579

$62,357

$106,447

$33,069

$70,168

$71,056

$121,296

FY08

$37,975

$72,018

$74,594

$112,096

$41,672

$79,030

$81,857

$123,010

FY09

$28,468

$76,762

$78,250

$162,986

$31,351

$84,537

$86,175

$179,493

FY10

$34,916

$78,105

$76,887

$125,701

$37,832

$84,627

$83,308

$136,197

FY11

$38,000

$76,168

$72,500

$159,333

$39,913

$80,003

$76,150

$167,356

FY12

$38,792

$77,970

$76,000

$135,000

$39,919

$80,236

$78,208

$138,922

FY13

$33,641

$72,157

$67,500

$130,000

$34,119

$73,182

$68,458

$131,846

FY14

$35,262

$77,111

$75,546

$131,812

$35,192

$76,957

$75,396

$131,550

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-9

.50%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

.58%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.00%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 16. Specials Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$32,322

$55,308

$49,538

$107,883

$43,119

$73,785

$66,087

$143,924

FY02

$25,167

$54,933

$49,498

$116,095

$33,052

$72,144

$65,006

$152,470

FY03

$26,667

$53,825

$47,619

$122,214

$34,241

$69,114

$61,145

$156,928

FY04

$33,040

$55,154

$49,082

$98,051

$41,324

$68,983

$61,389

$122,636

FY05

$30,508

$57,955

$49,525

$133,860

$36,907

$70,111

$59,914

$161,938

FY06

$34,875

$58,483

$52,598

$105,933

$40,872

$68,539

$61,642

$124,148

FY07

$32,753

$63,093

$58,978

$109,000

$37,322

$71,895

$67,205

$124,205

FY08

$39,700

$63,145

$58,167

$123,875

$43,566

$69,293

$63,830

$135,935

FY09

$16,810

$64,690

$59,246

$134,557

$18,513

$71,242

$65,246

$148,185

FY10

$25,088

$63,544

$60,653

$139,788

$27,183

$68,851

$65,718

$151,461

FY11

$38,000

$67,259

$70,500

$96,655

$39,913

$70,645

$74,050

$101,522

FY12

$33,825

$65,481

$60,962

$97,083

$34,808

$67,383

$62,733

$99,904

FY13

$40,600

$60,860

$55,000

$105,083

$41,176

$61,724

$55,781

$106,575

FY14

$39,338

$64,122

$55,386

$129,000

$39,260

$63,995

$55,276

$128,743

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-15

.89%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-7

.74%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-16

.36%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 17. Staff Assistant

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$22,000

$31,205

$28,985

$51,275

$29,350

$41,630

$38,669

$68,405

FY02

$21,746

$34,269

$31,500

$67,250

$28,559

$45,006

$41,369

$88,320

FY03

$21,500

$37,073

$34,095

$72,250

$27,607

$47,604

$43,779

$92,773

FY04

$21,000

$36,668

$36,107

$62,917

$26,266

$45,862

$45,161

$78,692

FY05

$21,153

$38,744

$36,365

$66,333

$25,590

$46,871

$43,993

$80,247

FY06

$22,781

$39,231

$35,954

$84,136

$26,698

$45,977

$42,136

$98,603

FY07

$25,962

$41,297

$39,275

$83,998

$29,584

$47,058

$44,754

$95,715

FY08

$19,600

$44,694

$40,104

$81,750

$21,508

$49,046

$44,008

$89,709

FY09

$18,683

$37,386

$35,216

$56,500

$20,575

$41,172

$38,782

$62,222

FY10

$18,781

$36,566

$35,661

$61,500

$20,349

$39,619

$38,639

$66,636

FY11

$27,668

$37,963

$35,083

$59,300

$29,061

$39,874

$36,850

$62,286

FY12

$22,000

$37,968

$33,583

$72,000

$22,639

$39,071

$34,559

$74,092

FY13

$24,431

$35,959

$35,062

$60,300

$24,778

$36,469

$35,560

$61,156

FY14

$28,114

$39,920

$36,551

$75,000

$28,058

$39,840

$36,478

$74,851

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-5

.59%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-17

.08%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-5

.67%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 18. State Director

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$56,000

$82,660

$79,521

$122,533

$74,708

$110,275

$106,087

$163,469

FY02

$61,604

$87,459

$84,567

$130,104

$80,905

$114,861

$111,063

$170,868

FY03

$57,083

$85,785

$88,700

$109,667

$73,298

$110,152

$113,895

$140,817

FY04

$70,000

$96,097

$99,000

$123,126

$87,552

$120,193

$123,823

$153,998

FY05

$77,017

$104,232

$102,927

$139,312

$93,172

$126,095

$124,516

$168,534

FY06

$54,398

$104,504

$101,328

$159,755

$63,752

$122,474

$118,751

$187,224

FY07

$79,146

$106,843

$99,707

$160,659

$90,186

$121,747

$113,615

$183,070

FY08

$73,750

$112,563

$110,006

$163,563

$80,930

$123,522

$120,717

$179,488

FY09

$81,132

$118,890

$113,975

$167,305

$89,349

$130,931

$125,518

$184,249

FY10

$79,429

$120,986

$116,496

$169,459

$86,062

$131,089

$126,225

$183,610

FY11

$81,500

$126,386

$123,557

$169,459

$85,604

$132,749

$129,779

$177,991

FY12

$83,500

$123,006

$116,500

$169,459

$85,926

$126,580

$119,885

$174,383

FY13

$56,167

$125,491

$120,400

$169,459

$56,964

$127,273

$122,110

$171,865

FY14

$78,833

$132,613

$127,467

$169,459

$78,676

$132,350

$127,213

$169,122

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

.78%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

.17%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.91%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 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 2014, the minimum level of gross pay has been $2,267 for Senate staff. The maximum annual pay for staff in a Senator's personal office has since 2009 been $169,459, 2 U.S.C. 4575. Maximum payable rates for staff in a Senator's office since 2001 are available in Table 1.
2.	For discussion of resources available to Members to carry out their official duties, see, Congressional Salaries and Allowances, by [author name scrubbed].
3.	U.S. Senate, Secretary of the Senate, 2006 U.S. Senate Employment, Compensation, Hiring and Benefits Study (Washington: 2006).
4.	In this report, pay refers to monies paid by the Senate to staff, and excludes other components of total compensation, which might include paid leave or employer contributions to various insurance and retirement benefits.
5.	The Report of the Secretary of the Senate since April 2011 is available at https://www.senate.gov/legislative/common/generic/report_secsen.htm.
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 Office Manager, Office Administrator, and Administrative Manager. No data are available for administrative directors in FY2001-FY2003.
9.	Other job titles which may indicate similar duties, and for which pay data were collected for this category, include Casework Director, Casework Coordinator, and Director of Constituent Services.
10.	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.
11.	Other job titles which may indicate similar duties, and for which pay data were collected for this category, include Legal Counsel, Legislative Counsel, Senior Counsel, Chief Counsel, and General Counsel.
12.	Another job title which may indicate similar duties, and for which pay data were collected for this category, was Regional Representative.
13.	Obtaining the salaries of every congressional staff member from every Senator's office listed in the Report of the Secretary of the Senate was beyond the capacity of available resources. Each year, a different, random sample of Senators' offices was taken for each position. The large random samples of positions in Senators' offices mean 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.
14.	The numbers of staff whose data were counted are identified as observations in the data tables.
15.	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.
16.	For information on the number of first-term Members in each Congress, see, First-Term Members of the House of Representatives and Senate, 64^th - 113^th Congresses, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
17.	U.S. Senate, Committee on Rules and Administration, Senate Handbook (Washington: 1996), pp. I-13.
18.	U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables.htm.
19.	Member pay data are taken from CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by [author name scrubbed].
20.	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.
21.	5 years, FY2010-FY2014; 10 years, FY2005-FY2014; and 14 years, FY2001-FY2014.
22.	The median is the midpoint at which half of the numbers in a list are higher and the other half lower.
23.	Data are not available in FY2001 for administrative directors.

Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2014

Contents

Tables

Summary

Introduction

Data Concerns

Data Tables and Visualizations

Footnotes