Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senate Committees, FY2001-FY2014

December 15, 2015 (R44325)
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Introduction
Data Concerns
Data Tables and Visualizations

Tables

Table 1. Senate Committee Staff Positions and Availability of Pay Data Since FY2001
Table 2. Senate Committee Pay, Annual Maximums, 2001-2014
Table 3. Selected Senate Committee Staff Change in Pay, Selected Periods
Table 4. Chief Clerk, FY2001-FY2014
Table 5. Chief Counsel, FY2001-FY2014
Table 6. Communications Director, FY2007-F20Y13
Table 7. Counsel, FY2001-FY2014
Table 8. Legislative Assistant, FY2010-FY2014
Table 9. Minority Chief Counsel, FY2010-FY2014
Table 10. Minority Staff Director, FY2005-FY2014
Table 11. Press Secretary, FY2009-FY2014
Table 12. Professional Staff Member, FY2001-FY2014
Table 13. Senior Counsel, FY2005-FY2014
Table 14. Staff Assistant, FY2001-2014
Table 15. Staff Director, FY2001-FY2014
Table 16. Systems Administrator, FY2001-FY2014

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 committee offices; or comparison of congressional staff pay levels with those of other federal government pay systems.

This report provides pay data for 13 staff position titles used in Senate committees. The positions include the following: Chief Clerk, Chief Counsel, Communications Director, Counsel, Legislative Assistant, Minority Chief Counsel, Minority Staff Director, Press Secretary, Professional Staff Member, Senior Counsel, Staff Assistant, Staff Director, and Systems Administrator.

Tables provide tabular pay data for each Senate committee staff position. 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;
a comparison at 5-, 10-, and 14-year intervals from FY2014, depending on data availability, of the cumulative percentage change of pay for that position, to the change 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, when available, in $10,000 increments.

In the past five years (FY2010 and FY2014), the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 2.92% increase for systems administrators to a -24.41% decrease for counsels. Of 11 staff positions for which data were available in FY2010 and FY2014, 2 saw pay increases while 9 saw declines (data are not available in FY2010 or FY2014 for communications directors and press secretaries). This may be compared to changes over approximately the same period (calendar years 2010-2014) to the pay of Members of Congress, -7.89%, and General Schedule, DC, -6.97%.

Pay data for staff working in House committee offices are available in CRS Report R44322, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Committees, 2001-2014. Data describing the pay of congressional staff working in the personal offices of Senators and Members of the House are available in CRS Report R44324, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2014, and CRS Report R44323, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2014, respectively.

Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senate Committees, FY2001-FY2014

Introduction

The level of pay for congressional staff is a source of recurring questions among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. In Senate committees, the chair and ranking Member set the terms and conditions of employment for majority and minority staff, respectively. This includes job titles and descriptions; rates of pay, subject to minimum and maximum levels;¹ and resources available to staff 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 committee 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. Data in this report are based on official Senate reports, which afford the opportunity to use consistently collected data. Pay³ 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 31,⁴ as collected and organized by LegiStorm, a private entity that provides some congressional data by subscription.⁵ Additionally, this report provides annual data by fiscal year, which allows for observations about the nature of Senate committee staff compensation over time.

This report provides pay data for 13 staff position titles that are used in Senate committees, and for which sufficient data could be identified. Position titles and the years for which data are available since FY2001 are provided in Table 1. Titles were identified through a two-step process. The first step identified 302 job titles used in Senate committees in FY2014. Of those titles, 277, or 91.7%, were filled by only one staff member. In the second step, the remaining 25 titles were assessed to determine how many of the 20 Senate committees for which data were available⁶ employed staff with each title. Twelve position titles that were used by six or fewer panels (five for minority positions) were excluded.

Pay data were then collected for the remaining 13 positions. In order to be included, annual pay data for each position needed to be available from at least five committees (four for minority positions). When committees had more than one staff member with the same job title, data for no more than two staff per committee were collected.⁷ Senate committee staff had to hold a position with the same job title in the same committee for the entire fiscal year examined, and not receive pay from any other congressional employing authority for their data to be included. Every recorded payment ascribed in the LegiStorm data to those staff for the fiscal year is tabulated. Data collected for this report may differ from an employee's stated annual salary due to the inclusion of overtime, bonuses, or other payments⁸ in addition to base salary paid in the course of a year.

Table 1. Senate Committee Staff Positions and Availability of Pay Data Since FY2001

Position Title	Available data
Chief Clerk	FY2001-FY2014
Chief Counsel	FY2001-FY2010, FY2012-FY2014
Communications Director	FY2007-FY2013
Counsel	FY2001-FY2014
Legislative Assistant	FY2010, FY2012-FY2014
Minority Chief Counsel	FY2010-FY2012, FY2014
Minority Staff Director	FY2005-FY2014
Press Secretary	FY2009, FY2011-FY2014
Professional Staff Member	FY2001-FY2014
Senior Counsel	FY2005-FY2014
Staff Assistant	FY2001-FY2014
Staff Director	FY2001-FY2014
Systems Administrator	FY2001-FY2014

Source: CRS. Available data column provides years in which sufficient data (annual pay data for each position from at least five committees, four for minority positions), were available.

Data Concerns

Data presented here are subject to some challenges that could affect findings presented or their interpretation. Some of the concerns include the following:

Given the large number of positions with titles held by one Senate employee, data provided here almost certainly do not represent all of the jobs carried out by Senate committee staff.
The manner in which staff titles are assigned might have implications about the representativeness of the data provided. Of positions for which data were collected, two broad categories emerge. The first category identifies positions titles that usually apply to one staff member per committee,⁹ while the second category includes positions for which committees might hire two or more staff members.¹⁰ Consequently, pay data that include all staff working in that position are likely to be more representative of what Senate committees pay staff in those positions than positions for which a smaller sample of pay data may have been collected.
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.
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."¹¹

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 2 provides the maximum payable rates for Senate committee 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.¹²

Table 3 provides the available cumulative percentage changes in median pay for each of the 13 positions, Members of Congress, and salaries paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas.¹³ Table 4-Table 16 provide tabular pay data for each Senate committee staff position. 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 FY2014,¹⁴ depending on data availability, of the cumulative percentage change 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;¹⁵ and
distributions of FY2014 pay, when available, in 2015 dollars, in $10,000 increments.

Between FY2010 and FY2014, the change in median¹⁶ pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 2.92% increase for systems administrators to a -24.41% decrease for counsels. Of 11 staff positions for which data were available in FY2010 and FY2014,¹⁷ 2 saw pay increases while 9 saw declines. 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).

Between FY2005 and FY2014, the change in median pay, in constant 2015 dollars, ranged from a 14.04% increase for systems administrators to a -13.26% decrease for staff assistants. Of nine staff positions for which data were available in FY2005 and FY2014,¹⁸ two saw pay increases while seven saw declines. This may be compared to changes to 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 45.68% increase for systems administrators to a -19.81% decrease for staff assistants. Of seven staff positions for which data were available in FY2010 and FY2014,¹⁹ four saw pay increases while three saw declines. This may be compared to changes to the pay of Members of Congress, -10.29%, and General Schedule, DC, 6.42%, over approximately the same period (calendar years 2001-2014).

Table 2. Senate Committee Pay, Annual Maximums, 2001-2014

Year	Nominal $	Constant 2015 $
2001	$142,415	$190,282
2002	$147,315	$193,765
2003	$152,015	$195,492
2004	$155,415	$194,680
2005	$159,415	$193,147
2006	$162,515	$190,750
2007	$162,515	$185,467
2008	$166,615	$183,115
2009	$171,315	$188,953
2010	$171,315	$185,904
2011	$171,315	$180,215
2012	$171,315	$176,561
2013	$171,315	$174,012
2014	$171,315	$171,235

Source: 2 U.S.C. 4571, 2 U.S.C. 4575, note, CRS calculations. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 3. Selected Senate Committee Staff Change in Pay, Selected Periods

	Change
	5 Years FY10-14	10 Years FY05-14	14 Years FY01-14
Chief Clerk	-8.08%	2.65%	27.34%
Chief Counsel	2.47%	-10.94%	16.25%
Communications Director	—	—	—
Counsel	-24.41%	-15.17%	-9.42%
Legislative Assistant	-12.19%	—	—
Minority Chief Counsel	-2.84%	—	—
Minority Staff Director	-8.52%	-11.06%
Press Secretary	—	—	—
Professional Staff Member	-2.59%	-12.94%	0.28%
Senior Counsel	-11.83%	-1.42%	—
Staff Assistant	-10.27%	-13.26%	-19.81%
Staff Director	-7.92%	-9.43%	-3.56%
Systems Administrator	2.92%	14.04%	45.68%
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 4 - Table 16 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. "—" indicates no data available. Insufficient data were available for communications directors for FY2014. Between FY2007 and FY2013, change in pay for that position was -14.85%. Insufficient data were available for press secretaries for FY2010. Between FY2009 and FY2014, change in pay for that position was 38.10%. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 4. Chief Clerk, FY2001-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$61,583

$80,403

$76,604

$103,271

$82,157

$107,264

$102,196

$137,772

FY02

$66,562

$88,542

$86,431

$113,739

$87,417

$116,283

$113,511

$149,375

FY03

$70,431

$94,909

$89,524

$135,000

$90,437

$121,868

$114,953

$173,346

FY04

$34,704

$97,442

$95,339

$149,295

$43,405

$121,874

$119,245

$186,730

FY05

$40,558

$100,062

$104,792

$142,402

$49,066

$121,050

$126,773

$172,271

FY06

$41,878

$100,753

$101,996

$146,260

$49,078

$118,078

$119,534

$171,409

FY07

$69,966

$114,958

$108,688

$162,515

$79,726

$130,994

$123,849

$185,185

FY08

$76,761

$113,709

$113,782

$162,473

$84,234

$124,780

$124,860

$178,292

FY09

$81,166

$126,366

$128,157

$168,757

$89,386

$139,164

$141,137

$185,849

FY10

$83,962

$134,475

$130,663

$171,000

$90,973

$145,704

$141,575

$185,280

FY11

$87,078

$138,801

$135,185

$171,000

$91,462

$145,789

$141,992

$179,610

FY12

$48,227

$132,908

$135,083

$171,000

$49,628

$136,769

$139,008

$175,969

FY13

$119,189

$139,721

$133,680

$171,000

$120,882

$141,705

$135,578

$173,428

FY14

$75,540

$126,002

$130,396

$171,000

$75,390

$125,751

$130,136

$170,660

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-8

.08%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

.65%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.34%

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 5. Chief Counsel, FY2001-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$84,486

$107,951

$101,201

$136,993

$112,711

$144,015

$135,010

$182,759

FY02

$61,650

$113,507

$122,944

$146,090

$80,965

$149,071

$161,465

$191,862

FY03

$90,508

$123,015

$123,692

$150,840

$116,217

$157,957

$158,827

$193,686

FY04

$120,165

$144,151

$152,992

$154,382

$150,295

$180,296

$191,354

$193,091

FY05

$91,457

$136,380

$145,667

$158,032

$110,641

$164,986

$176,222

$191,179

FY06

$79,000

$132,776

$141,617

$161,740

$92,584

$155,607

$165,968

$189,551

FY07

$88,208

$135,139

$139,245

$161,776

$100,513

$153,990

$158,669

$184,342

FY08

$102,844

$140,442

$146,107

$163,542

$112,857

$154,115

$160,332

$179,464

FY09

$115,811

$147,836

$151,134

$168,091

$127,540

$162,808

$166,441

$185,115

FY10

$104,500

$141,385

$141,350

$171,315

$113,226

$153,191

$153,154

$185,621

FY11

—

FY12

$48,227

$144,430

$156,360

$171,000

$49,628

$148,626

$160,903

$175,969

FY13

$117,667

$151,158

$157,650

$171,315

$119,337

$153,304

$159,889

$173,748

FY14

$56,250

$144,077

$157,255

$171,315

$56,138

$143,791

$156,943

$170,974

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

.47%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-10

.94%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.25%

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. "—" indicates insufficient data were available. 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 6. Communications Director, FY2007-F20Y13

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY07

$73,556

$107,862

$109,160

$134,132

$83,817

$122,909

$124,387

$152,842

FY08

$85,026

$119,613

$122,042

$145,043

$93,304

$131,259

$133,924

$159,164

FY09

$96,248

$131,961

$135,050

$158,855

$105,996

$145,326

$148,728

$174,943

FY10

$100,995

$139,589

$142,102

$163,230

$109,429

$151,246

$153,968

$176,861

FY11

$116,096

$128,866

$125,214

$153,024

$121,942

$135,354

$131,519

$160,729

FY12

$45,555

$122,498

$134,026

$171,000

$46,879

$126,057

$137,920

$175,969

FY13

$85,000

$139,038

$144,026

$171,000

$86,207

$141,012

$146,071

$173,428

FY14

—

Change

8 Years, FY07-FY13:

-14

.85%

Median Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 7. Counsel, FY2001-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$45,667

$82,655

$84,134

$113,854

$60,923

$110,268

$112,241

$151,890

FY02

$64,750

$88,242

$86,862

$133,302

$85,037

$115,889

$114,077

$175,068

FY03

$46,625

$94,565

$92,492

$144,254

$59,869

$121,426

$118,764

$185,229

FY04

$52,750

$96,079

$94,462

$149,251

$65,977

$120,169

$118,148

$186,674

FY05

$58,926

$100,903

$99,076

$158,248

$71,286

$122,068

$119,858

$191,442

FY06

$57,500

$107,137

$103,245

$161,611

$67,387

$125,559

$120,998

$189,400

FY07

$51,083

$108,590

$104,969

$151,620

$58,209

$123,738

$119,612

$172,770

FY08

$82,694

$120,259

$122,423

$155,544

$90,745

$131,967

$134,342

$170,687

FY09

$68,347

$118,728

$118,751

$168,189

$75,269

$130,753

$130,778

$185,223

FY10

$53,125

$115,834

$124,146

$161,504

$57,561

$125,506

$134,513

$174,990

FY11

$65,587

$115,139

$108,961

$171,147

$68,889

$120,937

$114,447

$179,764

FY12

$62,167

$112,031

$107,330

$157,000

$63,973

$115,286

$110,448

$161,562

FY13

$53,000

$113,373

$105,000

$160,300

$53,753

$114,983

$106,491

$162,576

FY14

$53,000

$103,676

$101,875

$148,087

$52,894

$103,469

$101,672

$147,793

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-24

.41%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-15

.17%

14 Years, FY01-FY14

-9

.42%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 8. Legislative Assistant, FY2010-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY10

$44,000

$54,821

$52,795

$75,698

$47,674

$59,399

$57,204

$82,019

FY11

—

FY12

$44,167

$51,990

$49,285

$69,091

$45,450

$53,501

$50,717

$71,098

FY13

$34,500

$45,915

$46,186

$60,623

$34,990

$46,567

$46,842

$61,484

FY14

$38,262

$51,101

$50,333

$75,250

$38,186

$51,000

$50,233

$75,100

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14

-12

.19%

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. "—" indicates insufficient data were available. 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 9. Minority Chief Counsel, FY2010-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY10

$155,750

$160,401

$158,359

$169,136

$168,756

$173,795

$171,583

$183,260

FY11

$38,642

$161,337

$160,054

$62,000

$40,588

$169,461

$168,113

$65,122

FY12

$159,030

$164,649

$164,125

$171,315

$163,651

$169,433

$168,894

$176,293

FY13

—

FY14

$50,000

$142,659

$167,041

$171,315

$49,900

$142,375

$166,709

$170,974

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-2

.84%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 10. Minority Staff Director, FY2005-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY05

$153,248

$156,659

$157,487

$158,415

$185,393

$189,519

$190,520

$191,643

FY06

$142,577

$156,150

$158,976

$161,740

$167,094

$183,000

$186,312

$189,551

FY07

$146,354

$158,185

$161,936

$162,515

$166,770

$180,251

$184,525

$185,185

FY08

$86,829

$155,917

$165,419

$165,590

$95,283

$171,097

$181,524

$181,712

FY09

$164,496

$167,310

$167,489

$169,161

$181,156

$184,255

$184,452

$186,293

FY10

$98,583

$162,978

$170,947

$171,315

$106,816

$176,588

$185,222

$185,621

FY11

$103,750

$160,060

$170,900

$171,315

$108,974

$168,119

$179,505

$179,941

FY12

$125,000

$164,312

$171,315

$128,632

$169,086

$176,293

FY13

$143,497

$164,241

$168,276

$171,315

$145,535

$166,573

$170,666

$173,748

FY14

$90,500

$160,094

$169,785

$171,315

$90,320

$159,775

$169,447

$170,974

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

- 8

.52%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-11

.06%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 11. Press Secretary, FY2009-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY09

$45,070

$69,463

$63,500

$108,072

$49,634

$76,498

$69,931

$119,018

FY10

—

FY11

$55,263

$82,915

$86,500

$101,146

$58,046

$87,090

$90,855

$106,239

FY12

$61,333

$89,138

$86,275

$140,225

$63,115

$91,728

$88,782

$144,299

FY13

$48,833

$86,476

$87,000

$141,520

$49,527

$87,703

$88,235

$143,530

FY14

$51,049

$96,271

$96,768

$144,277

$50,947

$96,079

$96,576

$143,990

Change

6 Years, FY09-FY14

.10%

Median 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. "—" indicates insufficient data were available. In the visualizations, position pay information based on constant 2015 dollars in thousands of dollars, or change in those levels, is presented in blue. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

Table 12. Professional Staff Member, FY2001-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$39,833

$77,309

$72,950

$132,792

$53,141

$103,135

$97,321

$177,154

FY02

$45,310

$77,372

$67,750

$142,500

$59,506

$101,614

$88,977

$187,147

FY03

$52,241

$84,021

$75,431

$130,622

$67,080

$107,887

$96,857

$167,725

FY04

$34,065

$85,743

$85,378

$134,736

$42,607

$107,242

$106,786

$168,520

FY05

$43,750

$90,783

$92,670

$146,717

$52,927

$109,825

$112,108

$177,491

FY06

$46,383

$90,325

$95,025

$132,982

$54,359

$105,856

$111,365

$155,848

FY07

$50,011

$88,776

$80,515

$154,750

$56,987

$101,160

$91,747

$176,337

FY08

$50,667

$93,804

$88,375

$160,473

$55,599

$102,937

$96,979

$176,097

FY09

$18,224

$101,308

$96,104

$169,161

$20,070

$111,568

$105,837

$186,293

FY10

$18,952

$94,800

$92,474

$169,839

$20,535

$102,716

$100,196

$184,021

FY11

$20,065

$97,814

$95,228

$171,184

$21,075

$102,739

$100,022

$179,803

FY12

$40,250

$97,808

$94,597

$168,500

$41,419

$100,650

$97,345

$173,396

FY13

$46,089

$102,714

$82,000

$170,837

$46,743

$104,172

$83,164

$173,263

FY14

$19,208

$96,447

$97,792

$165,659

$19,170

$96,255

$97,597

$165,329

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-2

.59%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-12

.94%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.28%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 13. Senior Counsel, FY2005-FY2014

			Nominal $					Constant $
Year	Committees	Observations	Minimum	Average		Median	Maximum	Minimum		Average	Median	Maximum
FY05	5	6	$76,979	$112,844		$110,836	$139,937	$93,126		$136,514	$134,084	$169,289
FY06	5	8	$87,268	$104,884		$99,871	$143,270	$102,274		$122,919	$117,044	$167,905
FY07	7	7	$97,000	$125,969		$125,221	$162,515	$110,531		$143,541	$142,688	$185,185
FY08	6	8	$113,665	$131,615		$130,872	$151,715	$124,732		$144,429	$143,614	$166,486
FY09	8	13	$97,585	$131,288		$134,472	$158,651	$107,468		$144,585	$148,092	$174,719
FY10	5	9	$111,026	$139,345		$138,367	$165,567	$120,298		$150,981	$149,921	$179,393
FY11	6	10	$79,792	$131,807		$139,372	$171,315	$83,809		$138,444	$146,389	$179,941
FY12	7	12	$95,917	$130,086		$130,992	$165,070	$98,703		$133,866	$134,798	$169,866
FY13	7	11	$92,417	$130,145		$134,000	$167,320	$93,729		$131,993	$135,903	$169,696
FY14	8	12	$28,760	$133,079		$127,788	$170,650	$28,702		$132,814	$127,534	$170,310
								Change

Median Pay					Change in Pay				FY14 Distribution of Pay
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 14. Staff Assistant, FY2001-2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$25,750

$40,255

$37,480

$62,500

$34,352

$53,703

$50,001

$83,380

FY02

$15,017

$38,281

$34,275

$67,500

$19,721

$50,275

$45,014

$88,649

FY03

$15,875

$35,769

$33,648

$59,252

$20,384

$45,929

$43,206

$76,082

FY04

$24,374

$40,718

$36,510

$74,208

$30,486

$50,927

$45,664

$92,815

FY05

$27,031

$44,228

$38,210

$74,760

$32,701

$53,505

$46,225

$90,441

FY06

$20,379

$49,025

$42,693

$82,667

$23,883

$57,455

$50,034

$96,881

FY07

$20,379

$49,025

$42,693

$82,667

$23,222

$55,864

$48,648

$94,198

FY08

$18,057

$41,565

$36,767

$82,055

$19,815

$45,612

$40,347

$90,044

FY09

$29,405

$45,395

$39,156

$85,670

$32,383

$49,992

$43,122

$94,346

FY10

$30,250

$46,016

$41,237

$90,145

$32,776

$49,859

$44,680

$97,673

FY11

$32,169

$43,959

$41,793

$87,002

$33,788

$46,173

$43,898

$91,383

FY12

$26,081

$41,748

$38,543

$85,000

$26,839

$42,961

$39,662

$87,470

FY13

$32,750

$45,196

$40,455

$99,000

$33,215

$45,838

$41,029

$100,406

FY14

$30,081

$48,008

$40,174

$99,667

$30,021

$47,913

$40,094

$99,468

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-10

.27%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-13

.26%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-19

.81%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 15. Staff Director, FY2001-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$122,300

$132,763

$131,658

$141,465

$163,158

$177,116

$175,641

$188,725

FY02

$124,538

$141,015

$144,234

$146,090

$163,558

$185,196

$189,424

$191,862

FY03

$70,500

$135,431

$142,182

$150,840

$90,525

$173,900

$182,569

$193,686

FY04

$95,875

$145,224

$152,015

$154,565

$119,915

$181,638

$190,131

$193,321

FY05

$103,500

$148,838

$154,594

$158,415

$125,209

$180,057

$187,020

$191,643

FY06

$101,512

$146,915

$158,261

$161,740

$118,967

$172,177

$185,473

$189,551

FY07

$112,500

$151,560

$159,500

$162,515

$128,193

$172,702

$181,749

$185,185

FY08

$101,790

$148,983

$155,671

$165,590

$111,701

$163,489

$170,827

$181,712

FY09

$108,585

$154,373

$167,386

$169,161

$119,582

$170,008

$184,338

$186,293

FY10

$114,197

$163,801

$169,776

$171,315

$123,734

$177,479

$183,954

$185,621

FY11

$102,000

$160,654

$169,838

$171,315

$107,136

$168,743

$178,389

$179,941

FY12

$115,000

$163,053

$170,647

$171,315

$118,341

$167,790

$175,605

$176,293

FY13

$91,890

$159,899

$170,573

$171,315

$93,195

$162,169

$172,996

$173,748

FY14

$96,250

$153,548

$169,729

$171,315

$96,058

$153,243

$169,392

$170,974

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

-7

.92%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

-9

.43%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

-3

.56%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

FY14 Distribution of Pay

Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 16. Systems Administrator, FY2001-FY2014

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Committees

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

FY01

$37,766

$55,418

$53,000

$79,902

$50,383

$73,932

$70,706

$106,595

FY02

$41,866

$53,576

$55,982

$65,386

$54,984

$70,362

$73,522

$87,872

FY03

$46,175

$60,691

$59,910

$72,926

$59,291

$77,931

$76,928

$93,640

FY04

$57,215

$65,508

$64,965

$75,258

$71,561

$81,934

$81,254

$94,128

FY05

$66,000

$75,151

$74,667

$84,447

$79,844

$90,914

$90,329

$102,160

FY06

$61,917

$79,205

$78,318

$104,374

$72,563

$92,825

$91,785

$122,321

FY07

$70,677

$86,261

$85,579

$104,631

$80,536

$98,294

$97,517

$119,227

FY08

$66,755

$87,822

$86,062

$104,286

$73,254

$96,372

$94,441

$114,239

FY09

$70,344

$93,240

$94,181

$112,571

$77,468

$102,683

$103,720

$123,972

FY10

$75,788

$93,062

$92,375

$109,958

$82,117

$100,833

$100,089

$119,140

FY11

$79,802

$95,981

$95,578

$112,625

$83,820

$100,814

$100,390

$118,296

FY12

$75,802

$98,218

$97,083

$116,773

$78,004

$101,072

$99,904

$120,166

FY13

—

FY14

$77,563

$98,631

$103,212

$124,791

$77,408

$98,435

$103,007

$124,543

Change

5 Years, FY10-FY14:

.92%

10 Years, FY05-FY14:

.04%

14 Years, FY01-FY14:

.68%

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 and Brian Hamel, 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 Senate committee staff has since 2009 been $171,315, 2 U.S.C. 4571, 2 U.S.C. 4575. Maximum payable rates for Senate committee staff since 2001 are available in Table 2.
2.	For discussion of resources available to committees, and their distribution, see CRS Report R43160, Senate Committee Funding: Description of Process and Analysis of Disbursements, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]
3.	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.
4.	The Report of the Secretary of the Senate since April, 2011, is available at https://www.senate.gov/legislative/common/generic/report_secsen.htm.
5.	http://www.legistorm.com/.
6.	The Reports of the Secretary provided data for the following panels in FY2014: Aging; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Budget; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Environment and Public Works; Ethics; Finance; Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Indian Affairs; Intelligence; Judiciary; Rules and Administration; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and Veterans' Affairs.
7.	The numbers of staff whose data were counted are identified as observations in the data tables.
8.	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.
9.	Positions that typically employ one staff member per committee include staff director and systems administrator.
10.	Positions that typically employ two or more staff members per committee include counsel, staff assistant, and professional staff member.
11.	U.S. Senate, Committee on Rules and Administration, Senate Handbook (Washington: 1996), pp. I-13, available from the authors.
12.	U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables.htm.
13.	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.
14.	5 years, FY2010-FY2014; 10 years, FY2005-FY2014; and 14 years, FY2001-FY2014.
15.	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.
16.	The median is the midpoint at which half of the numbers in a list are higher and the other half lower.
17.	Sufficient data are not available in FY2010 and FY2014 for communications directors and press secretaries.
18.	Sufficient data are not available in FY2005 and FY2014 for communications directors, legislative assistants, minority chief counsels, and press secretaries.
19.	Sufficient data are not available in FY 2001 and FY 2014 for communications directors, legislative assistants, minority chief counsels, minority staff directors, senior counsels, and press secretaries.

Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senate Committees, FY2001-FY2014

Contents

Tables

Summary

Introduction

Data Concerns

Data Tables and Visualizations

Footnotes