Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2015

November 9, 2016 (R44323)
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Introduction
Data Concerns
Data Tables and Visualizations

Tables

Table 1. House Member Office Staff Pay, Annual Maximums, 2001-2015
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, 2001-2015;
a comparison, at 5-, 10-, and 15-year intervals from 2015, 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 2015 pay in $10,000 increments.

In the past five years (2011-2015), the change in median pay, in constant 2016 dollars, increased for one position, office manager, by 0.22%, and decreased for 11 staff positions, ranging from a -3.53% decrease for field representatives to a -25.83% decrease for executive assistants. This may be compared to changes over the same period to Members of Congress, -5.10%, and General Schedule, DC, -3.19%.

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.

Information about the duration of staff employment is available in CRS Report R44683, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in House Committees, 2006-2016, CRS Report R44685, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in Senate Committees, 2006-2016, CRS Report R44682, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2006-2016, and CRS Report R44684, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, 2006-2016.

Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2015

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 from a single source. 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 2001-2015 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-December 31. The aggregate pay of those five periods equals the annual pay of a congressional staff member.

For each year, 2001-2015, 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.¹⁵
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,¹⁶ 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 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 2016 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, 2016 dollars.¹⁷

Table 2 provides the available cumulative percentage changes in pay in constant 2016 dollars for each of the 12 positions, Members of Congress,¹⁸ and salaries paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas.¹⁹ 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, 2001-2015, in nominal (current) and constant 2016 dollars;
a comparison, at 5-, 10-, and 15- year intervals from 2015,²⁰ of the cumulative percentage change in median pay for that position to changes in pay, in constant 2016 dollars, of Members of Congress and federal civilian workers paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas; and
distributions of 2015 pay in 2016 dollars, in $10,000 increments.

Between 2011 and 2015, the change in median²¹ pay, in constant 2016 dollars, increased for one position, office manager, by 0.22%, and decreased for 11 staff positions, ranging from a -3.53% decrease for field representatives to a -25.83% decrease for executive assistants. This may be compared to changes over the same period to Members of Congress, -5.10%, and General Schedule, DC, -3.19%.

Between 2006 and 2015, the change in median pay, in constant 2016 dollars, decreased for all 12 staff positions, ranging from a -1.99% decrease for legislative directors to a -24.82% decrease for executive assistants. This may be compared to changes over the same period to Members of Congress, -10.41%, and General Schedule, DC, -0.13%.

Between 2001 and 2015, the change in median pay, in constant 2016 dollars, ranged from a 4.27% increase for chiefs of staff to a -23.35% decrease for executive assistants. Of the 12 positions, one saw a pay increase, while 11 saw declines. This may be compared to changes over the same period to the pay of Members of Congress, -10.40%, and General Schedule, DC, 7.36%.

Table 1. House Member Office Staff Pay, Annual Maximums, 2001-2015

Year	Nominal $	Constant 2016 $
2001	$140,451	$189,369
2002	$145,226	$192,759
2003	$149,728	$194,306
2004	$153,022	$193,430
2005	$156,848	$191,769
2006	$159,828	$189,306
2007	$159,828	$184,063
2008	$163,795	$181,657
2009	$168,411	$187,443
2010	$168,411	$184,418
2011	$168,411	$178,775
2012	$168,411	$175,151
2013	$168,411	$172,622
2014	$168,411	$169,866
2015	$168,411	$169,665

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 (Based on Constant, 2016 Dollars)
	5 Years 2011-2015	10 Years 2006-2015	15 Years 2001-2015
Caseworker	-15.41%	-12.42%	-4.67%
Chief of Staff	-8.47%	-7.09%	4.27%
District Director	-4.14%	-4.91%	-3.10%
Executive Assistant	-25.83%	-24.82%	-23.35%
Field Representative	-3.53%	-14.09%	-2.76%
Legislative Assistant	-5.99%	-15.55%	-11.99%
Legislative Correspondent	-4.85%	-8.11%	-5.25%
Legislative Director	-6.07%	-1.99%	-3.16%
Office Manager	0.22%	-14.46%	-19.67%
Press Secretary/Communication Director	-16.95%	-9.49%	-4.59%
Scheduler	-8.46%	-15.39%	-15.96%
Staff Assistant	-5.73%	-16.31%	-16.60%
Members of Congress	-5.10%	-10.41%	-10.40%
General Schedule, DC	-3.19%	-0.13%	7.36%

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."

Table 3. Caseworker

Nominal $

Constant $

Year

Observations

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Median

Maximum

2001

$21,750

$35,841

$34,231

$61,572

$29,325

$48,324

$46,154

$83,016

2002

$23,846

$37,733

$37,358

$100,500

$31,651

$50,083

$49,586

$133,394

2003

$27,000

$38,492

$36,500

$63,333

$35,039

$49,953

$47,367

$82,189

2004

$27,500

$42,439

$43,160

$63,900

$34,762

$53,646

$54,557

$80,774

2005

$27,250

$42,527

$39,386

$76,836

$33,317

$51,996

$48,155

$93,943

2006

$21,500

$43,963

$42,417

$66,867

$25,465

$52,071

$50,240

$79,199

2007

$20,733

$43,694

$42,500

$72,500

$23,877

$50,319

$48,944

$83,493

2008

$22,500

$44,331

$44,409

$60,000

$24,954

$49,165

$49,251

$66,543

2009

$25,000

$45,806

$44,363

$86,210

$27,825

$50,983

$49,377

$95,953

2010

$28,405

$47,592

$44,000

$82,062

$31,105

$52,115

$48,182

$89,862

2011

$31,200

$49,697

$49,000

$83,155

$33,120

$52,755

$52,015

$88,273

2012

$30,135

$50,182

$47,492

$72,000

$31,341

$52,190

$49,393

$74,881

2013

$24,000

$49,805

$50,000

$84,353

$24,600

$51,050

$51,250

$86,462

2014

$26,250

$47,823

$46,000

$88,833

$26,445

$48,180

$46,343

$89,495

2015

$28,500

$46,269

$44,000

$84,667

$28,500

$46,269

$44,000

$84,667

Change

5 Years, 2011-2015

-15.41%

10 Years, 2006-2015

-12.42%

15 Years, 2001-2015

-4

.67%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2015 Pay Distribution

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 2016 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	45	$76,361	$106,313	$104,250	$137,020	$102,957	$143,341	$140,559	$184,742
2002	45	$65,000	$113,580	$115,089	$145,226	$86,275	$150,756	$152,758	$192,759
2003	45	$81,000	$114,406	$110,750	$148,978	$105,116	$148,468	$143,723	$193,332
2004	45	$86,500	$122,278	$124,000	$151,974	$109,342	$154,567	$156,744	$192,105
2005	45	$70,196	$129,013	$130,000	$156,827	$85,825	$157,736	$158,944	$191,743
2006	45	$94,000	$135,327	$133,180	$159,828	$111,337	$160,286	$157,743	$189,306
2007	45	$96,833	$138,937	$141,652	$159,828	$111,517	$160,005	$163,132	$184,063
2008	45	$93,508	$145,683	$149,972	$163,795	$103,705	$161,569	$166,327	$181,657
2009	45	$42,708	$133,877	$134,344	$168,411	$47,535	$149,007	$149,527	$187,443
2010	45	$98,500	$143,697	$147,000	$168,411	$107,862	$157,355	$160,972	$184,418
2011	45	$103,124	$146,853	$150,833	$168,411	$109,470	$155,890	$160,116	$178,775
2012	45	$98,220	$143,040	$144,000	$168,411	$102,151	$148,765	$149,763	$175,151
2013	45	$90,501	$142,480	$143,800	$168,411	$92,764	$146,043	$147,395	$172,622
2014	45	$89,401	$140,803	$138,968	$168,411	$90,067	$141,851	$140,003	$169,665
2015	45	$114,173	$147,650	$146,561	$168,411	$114,173	$147,650	$146,561	$168,411
						Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-8.47%
							10 Years, 2006-2015		-7.09%
							15 Years, 2001-2015		4.27%
Median Pay				Change in Pay			2015 Pay Distribution
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 5. District Director

		Nominal $				Constant $
Year	Observations	Minimum	Average	Median	Maximum	Minimum	Average	Median	Maximum
2001	45	$49,538	$70,062	$72,844	$101,624	$66,792	$94,464	$98,215	$137,019
2002	45	$45,000	$73,706	$72,925	$106,487	$59,729	$97,831	$96,794	$141,340
2003	45	$44,400	$76,558	$76,045	$122,450	$57,619	$99,352	$98,686	$158,907
2004	45	$42,500	$77,877	$77,100	$116,568	$53,723	$98,442	$97,459	$147,350
2005	45	$49,583	$83,325	$83,904	$123,500	$60,623	$101,877	$102,584	$150,996
2006	45	$53,000	$86,077	$84,501	$141,100	$62,775	$101,953	$100,086	$167,124
2007	45	$50,000	$90,807	$86,631	$148,500	$57,582	$104,577	$99,767	$171,018
2008	45	$52,042	$89,141	$87,599	$138,083	$57,717	$98,862	$97,152	$153,141
2009	45	$60,000	$90,238	$88,274	$120,450	$66,781	$100,436	$98,250	$134,062
2010	45	$48,100	$95,323	$92,545	$136,003	$52,672	$104,384	$101,341	$148,930
2011	45	$68,000	$99,733	$93,519	$165,000	$72,185	$105,871	$99,275	$175,154
2012	45	$52,500	$91,280	$88,795	$163,564	$54,601	$94,932	$92,348	$170,109
2013	45	$48,333	$90,637	$87,247	$162,600	$49,542	$92,903	$89,429	$166,666
2014	45	$45,000	$93,519	$88,500	$144,667	$45,335	$94,215	$89,159	$145,744
2015	45	$59,433	$97,911	$95,167	$162,600	$59,433	$97,911	$95,167	$162,600
						Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-4.14%
							10 Years, 2006-2015		-4.91%
							15 Years, 2001-2015		-3.10%
Median Pay				Change in Pay			2015 Pay Distribution
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

$37,190

$76,748

$71,642

$140,447

2002

$21,667

$54,469

$52,667

$111,517

$28,758

$72,297

$69,905

$148,017

2003

$27,354

$58,093

$55,500

$113,500

$35,498

$75,389

$72,024

$147,292

2004

$27,446

$55,603

$51,933

$87,602

$34,694

$70,286

$65,647

$110,734

2005

$27,000

$60,504

$54,837

$97,275

$33,011

$73,975

$67,047

$118,933

2006

$34,167

$65,704

$61,672

$109,617

$40,468

$77,822

$73,046

$129,834

2007

$33,513

$67,000

$62,542

$145,849

$38,595

$77,159

$72,025

$167,964

2008

$26,750

$60,839

$59,231

$107,037

$29,667

$67,473

$65,690

$118,709

2009

$30,000

$58,062

$57,500

$108,047

$33,390

$64,623

$63,998

$120,257

2010

$20,500

$67,102

$64,500

$134,278

$22,448

$73,480

$70,631

$147,041

2011

$27,000

$67,839

$69,750

$138,000

$28,662

$72,014

$74,043

$146,493

2012

$28,000

$61,871

$58,500

$122,609

$29,121

$64,347

$60,841

$127,516

2013

$33,750

$61,167

$53,500

$121,109

$34,594

$62,696

$54,838

$124,137

2014

$32,000

$55,748

$54,750

$89,167

$32,238

$56,163

$55,158

$89,831

2015

$21,000

$55,918

$54,917

$92,426

$21,000

$55,918

$54,917

$92,426

Change

5 Years, 2011-2015

-25.83%

10 Years, 2006-2015

-24.82%

15 Years, 2001-2015

-23

.35%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2015 Pay Distribution

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

$29,838

$51,562

$47,864

$101,492

2002

$24,720

$41,209

$40,500

$66,333

$32,811

$54,697

$53,756

$88,044

2003

$21,344

$41,594

$40,775

$74,501

$27,699

$53,978

$52,915

$96,682

2004

$26,017

$42,892

$39,472

$78,967

$32,887

$54,218

$49,895

$99,819

2005

$25,805

$43,791

$40,750

$72,000

$31,550

$53,540

$49,823

$88,030

2006

$24,750

$47,080

$45,743

$90,454

$29,315

$55,763

$54,179

$107,136

2007

$25,928

$45,483

$42,901

$66,502

$29,859

$52,380

$49,406

$76,585

2008

$26,750

$60,839

$59,231

$107,037

$29,667

$67,473

$65,690

$118,709

2009

$34,033

$47,299

$45,000

$81,917

$37,879

$52,644

$50,085

$91,174

2010

$28,917

$48,932

$48,033

$77,311

$31,665

$53,582

$52,599

$84,659

2011

$21,000

$46,732

$45,450

$72,992

$22,292

$49,608

$48,247

$77,484

2012

$30,167

$47,153

$46,920

$79,159

$31,374

$49,040

$48,798

$82,327

2013

$32,125

$47,466

$48,783

$77,988

$32,928

$48,653

$50,002

$79,938

2014

$25,750

$48,428

$47,667

$94,625

$25,942

$48,789

$48,022

$95,330

2015

$22,100

$49,031

$46,544

$100,000

$22,100

$49,031

$46,544

$100,000

Change

5 Years, 2011-2015

-3.53%

10 Years, 2006-2015

-14.09%

15 Years, 2001-2015

-2

.76%

Median Pay

Change in Pay

2015 Pay Distribution

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	$40,656	$58,641	$55,403	$94,380
2002	45	$29,068	$44,295		$43,333	$61,296	$38,582	$58,793	$57,517	$81,358
2003	45	$29,025	$45,828		$42,542	$121,750	$37,667	$59,472	$55,208	$157,998
2004	45	$30,081	$46,008		$43,750	$95,585	$38,024	$58,158	$55,303	$120,826
2005	45	$29,542	$50,609		$45,208	$104,290	$36,119	$61,877	$55,274	$127,509
2006	45	$35,994	$50,584		$48,750	$69,631	$42,633	$59,914	$57,741	$82,474
2007	45	$32,750	$50,261		$45,600	$120,136	$37,716	$57,882	$52,515	$138,353
2008	45	$35,267	$53,668		$49,389	$94,841	$39,113	$59,521	$54,775	$105,183
2009	45	$34,000	$49,982		$50,500	$63,500	$37,842	$55,630	$56,207	$70,676
2010	45	$37,637	$54,346		$51,427	$114,814	$41,214	$59,511	$56,315	$125,727
2011	45	$32,500	$50,506		$48,863	$96,400	$34,500	$53,614	$51,870	$102,333
2012	45	$29,000	$49,916		$49,250	$78,833	$30,161	$51,914	$51,221	$81,988
2013	45	$29,500	$48,395		$47,917	$72,802	$30,238	$49,605	$49,115	$74,623
2014	45	$31,333	$50,854		$49,219	$90,833	$31,567	$51,233	$49,586	$91,510
2015	45	$30,000	$49,860		$48,760	$83,336	$30,000	$49,860	$48,760	$83,336
							Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-5.99%
								10 Years, 2006-2015		-15.55%
								15 Years, 2001-2015		-11.99%
Median Pay				Change in Pay				2015 Pay Distribution
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 9. Legislative Correspondent

		Nominal $					Constant $
Year	Observations	Minimum	Average		Median	Maximum	Minimum	Average	Median	Maximum
2001	31	$24,500	$33,552		$31,313	$84,267	$33,033	$45,238	$42,218	$113,616
2002	45	$25,000	$34,141		$31,983	$52,000	$33,183	$45,315	$42,452	$69,020
2003	45	$23,958	$36,698		$35,614	$64,077	$31,091	$47,624	$46,217	$83,155
2004	40	$25,372	$36,524		$34,720	$66,667	$32,072	$46,168	$43,888	$84,271
2005	37	$26,000	$37,095		$35,250	$60,750	$31,789	$45,353	$43,098	$74,276
2006	45	$27,583	$39,217		$36,750	$73,315	$32,671	$46,450	$43,528	$86,837
2007	45	$28,544	$40,299		$39,617	$56,333	$32,872	$46,410	$45,624	$64,875
2008	45	$28,867	$39,190		$38,500	$55,680	$32,015	$43,464	$42,699	$61,752
2009	45	$29,085	$41,173		$38,875	$75,917	$32,372	$45,826	$43,268	$84,496
2010	45	$28,000	$40,366		$38,542	$75,833	$30,661	$44,203	$42,205	$83,041
2011	45	$28,833	$42,489		$39,600	$86,250	$30,608	$45,104	$42,037	$91,558
2012	45	$26,000	$39,351		$39,000	$65,000	$27,041	$40,926	$40,561	$67,601
2013	45	$28,900	$38,589		$37,500	$65,000	$29,623	$39,554	$38,438	$66,625
2014	45	$30,000	$41,122		$40,233	$63,000	$30,223	$41,428	$40,533	$63,469
2015	45	$25,000	$41,290		$40,000	$77,000	$25,000	$41,290	$40,000	$77,000
							Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-4.85%
								10 Years, 2006-2015		-8.11%
								15 Years, 2001-2015		-5.25%
Median Pay				Change in Pay				2015 Pay Distribution
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 10. Legislative Director

		Nominal $					Constant $
Year	Observations	Minimum	Average		Median	Maximum	Minimum	Average	Median	Maximum
2001	45	$47,000	$66,932		$66,250	$91,412	$63,370	$90,243	$89,324	$123,249
2002	45	$48,399	$71,594		$70,000	$117,000	$64,240	$95,027	$92,911	$155,295
2003	45	$51,048	$72,020		$70,500	$105,000	$66,246	$93,462	$91,490	$136,261
2004	45	$51,761	$73,294		$70,300	$124,833	$65,430	$92,649	$88,864	$157,798
2005	45	$58,963	$75,692		$72,068	$133,833	$72,090	$92,545	$88,113	$163,630
2006	45	$55,542	$76,599		$74,515	$101,917	$65,786	$90,726	$88,258	$120,714
2007	45	$58,000	$81,721		$81,667	$102,683	$66,795	$94,112	$94,050	$118,254
2008	45	$54,500	$82,548		$82,000	$124,333	$60,443	$91,550	$90,942	$137,892
2009	45	$51,500	$85,883		$84,417	$127,411	$57,320	$95,588	$93,957	$141,810
2010	45	$61,303	$87,717		$86,167	$118,000	$67,130	$96,054	$94,357	$129,216
2011	45	$47,075	$85,639		$86,750	$117,500	$49,972	$90,909	$92,089	$124,731
2012	45	$48,400	$82,327		$80,000	$138,000	$50,337	$85,622	$83,202	$143,523
2013	45	$50,736	$79,804		$80,000	$106,000	$52,005	$81,800	$82,000	$108,650
2014	45	$50,417	$87,256		$84,718	$127,000	$50,792	$87,906	$85,349	$127,946
2015	45	$55,133	$84,862		$86,500	$132,800	$55,133	$84,862	$86,500	$132,800
							Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-6.07%
								10 Years, 2006-2015		-1.99%
								15 Years, 2001-2015		-3.16%
Median Pay				Change in Pay				2015 Pay Distribution
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 11. Office Manager

		Nominal $					Constant $
Year	Observations	Minimum	Average		Median	Maximum	Minimum	Average	Median	Maximum
2001	45	$22,949	$44,639		$46,167	$84,750	$30,941	$60,186	$62,246	$114,268
2002	45	$18,260	$47,760		$45,833	$102,292	$24,236	$63,393	$60,835	$135,772
2003	45	$22,500	$49,497		$49,673	$76,500	$29,199	$64,234	$64,462	$99,276
2004	43	$20,024	$52,846		$51,000	$86,650	$25,311	$66,801	$64,467	$109,531
2005	40	$22,041	$47,198		$43,417	$89,688	$26,948	$57,707	$53,083	$109,656
2006	44	$29,150	$50,636		$49,352	$89,329	$34,526	$59,974	$58,454	$105,805
2007	26	$30,750	$51,840		$46,133	$93,389	$35,413	$59,701	$53,129	$107,549
2008	35	$26,989	$52,321		$50,583	$98,566	$29,932	$58,026	$56,099	$109,314
2009	25	$29,983	$55,578		$51,818	$106,877	$33,372	$61,859	$57,674	$118,955
2010	31	$32,250	$51,484		$49,000	$88,333	$35,315	$56,377	$53,657	$96,729
2011	21	$36,000	$52,858		$47,000	$82,500	$38,215	$56,111	$49,892	$87,577
2012	21	$30,103	$54,036		$50,319	$91,333	$31,308	$56,199	$52,333	$94,988
2013	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—	—
2014	27	$33,434	$52,283		$46,000	$116,583	$33,683	$52,673	$46,343	$117,451
2015	23	$35,850	$51,961		$50,000	$85,038	$35,850	$51,961	$50,000	$85,038
							Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		0.22%
								10 Years, 2006-2015		-14.46%
								15 Years, 2001-2015		-19.67%
Median Pay				Change in Pay				2015 Pay Distribution
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 2016 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	45	$29,000	$54,897		$52,083	$99,020	$39,100	$74,016	$70,223	$133,508
2002	45	$37,226	$58,411		$57,625	$95,527	$49,410	$77,530	$76,486	$126,793
2003	45	$32,668	$59,875		$59,000	$93,000	$42,394	$77,701	$76,566	$120,689
2004	45	$32,378	$59,282		$56,000	$93,500	$40,928	$74,936	$70,788	$118,190
2005	45	$41,739	$65,916		$65,000	$101,000	$51,032	$80,592	$79,472	$123,487
2006	45	$29,010	$62,757		$62,500	$111,188	$34,360	$74,332	$74,027	$131,695
2007	45	$36,281	$67,472		$69,000	$110,000	$41,782	$77,703	$79,463	$126,680
2008	45	$40,000	$70,609		$69,948	$112,860	$44,362	$78,309	$77,576	$125,168
2009	45	$40,400	$72,711		$69,174	$128,992	$44,966	$80,928	$76,991	$143,569
2010	45	$46,000	$72,512		$67,250	$132,596	$50,372	$79,404	$73,642	$145,199
2011	45	$48,000	$76,528		$76,000	$120,000	$50,954	$81,238	$80,677	$127,385
2012	45	$29,959	$74,514		$73,167	$121,805	$31,157	$77,496	$76,095	$126,680
2013	45	$36,439	$70,351		$65,000	$124,861	$37,350	$72,110	$66,625	$127,983
2014	45	$42,500	$73,199		$72,000	$124,233	$42,816	$73,744	$72,536	$125,158
2015	45	$43,878	$69,302		$67,000	$108,333	$43,878	$69,302	$67,000	$108,333
							Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-16.95%
								10 Years, 2006-2015		-9.49%
								15 Years, 2001-2015		-4.59%
Median Pay				Change in Pay				2015 Pay Distribution
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 13. Scheduler

		Nominal $					Constant $
Year	Observations	Minimum	Average		Median	Maximum	Minimum	Average	Median	Maximum
2001	19	$34,117	$42,699		$42,286	$57,000	$45,999	$57,571	$57,013	$76,853
2002	27	$29,500	$44,874		$43,483	$61,375	$39,155	$59,561	$57,716	$81,463
2003	31	$26,833	$47,053		$44,393	$104,367	$34,822	$61,062	$57,610	$135,440
2004	25	$30,625	$50,838		$45,100	$104,367	$38,712	$64,262	$57,009	$131,926
2005	37	$28,625	$44,975		$44,090	$69,250	$34,998	$54,988	$53,906	$84,668
2006	42	$30,167	$50,781		$47,817	$83,000	$35,730	$60,147	$56,636	$98,308
2007	29	$32,000	$55,354		$52,167	$93,162	$36,852	$63,747	$60,077	$107,288
2008	45	$32,625	$51,427		$50,481	$82,674	$36,183	$57,036	$55,986	$91,690
2009	41	$32,000	$52,879		$52,450	$93,000	$35,616	$58,855	$58,377	$103,510
2010	41	$31,547	$51,968		$47,000	$110,750	$34,545	$56,907	$51,467	$121,277
2011	26	$35,000	$53,293		$49,309	$90,942	$37,154	$56,573	$52,344	$96,539
2012	36	$34,533	$49,421		$46,333	$80,500	$35,915	$51,399	$48,188	$83,721
2013	26	$31,883	$51,910		$47,500	$85,833	$32,681	$53,208	$48,688	$87,980
2014	45	$29,667	$53,342		$50,000	$96,950	$29,888	$53,739	$50,372	$97,672
2015	45	$33,000	$51,932		$47,917	$96,418	$33,000	$51,932	$47,917	$96,418
							Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-8.46%
								10 Years, 2006-2015		-15.39%
								15 Years, 2001-2015		-15.96%
Median Pay				Change in Pay				2015 Pay Distribution
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 14. Staff Assistant

		Nominal $					Constant $
Year	Observations	Minimum	Average		Median	Maximum	Minimum	Average	Median	Maximum
2001	45	$21,667	$33,302		$31,000	$79,516	$29,213	$44,900	$41,797	$107,210
2002	45	$24,500	$34,378		$33,000	$62,317	$32,519	$45,631	$43,801	$82,713
2003	45	$20,000	$37,518		$35,917	$74,394	$25,955	$48,688	$46,610	$96,544
2004	45	$21,200	$35,866		$36,227	$52,750	$26,798	$45,336	$45,793	$66,680
2005	45	$22,000	$38,296		$34,375	$105,950	$26,898	$46,822	$42,028	$129,539
2006	45	$21,834	$38,120		$35,167	$63,830	$25,861	$45,151	$41,653	$75,603
2007	45	$24,486	$39,808		$38,400	$60,790	$28,199	$45,844	$44,223	$70,008
2008	45	$25,500	$40,657		$36,156	$73,300	$28,281	$45,091	$40,098	$81,293
2009	45	$20,175	$37,829		$37,504	$67,333	$22,455	$42,105	$41,742	$74,943
2010	45	$25,000	$42,084		$39,750	$93,750	$27,376	$46,084	$43,528	$102,661
2011	45	$26,250	$38,681		$34,833	$87,500	$27,865	$41,061	$36,977	$92,885
2012	45	$22,000	$41,076		$35,767	$167,411	$22,880	$42,720	$37,198	$174,111
2013	45	$21,095	$37,726		$34,986	$67,167	$21,623	$38,669	$35,861	$68,846
2014	45	$21,067	$37,176		$36,250	$88,058	$21,224	$37,452	$36,520	$88,714
2015	45	$25,950	$37,958		$34,857	$69,500	$25,950	$37,958	$34,857	$69,500
							Change	5 Years, 2011-2015		-5.73%
								10 Years, 2006-2015		-16.31%
								15 Years, 2001-2015		-16.60%
Median Pay				Change in Pay				2015 Pay Distribution
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

[author name scrubbed], Research Assistant, provided update support. Jacobo Licona, Brian Hamel, Joe Wisniewski, and Claire Laurence, former CRS interns, collected data for this report. [author name scrubbed], Visual Information Specialist, created the visualizations for this report. Claudia Guidi and Sandra L. Edwards, User Support Specialists, and Alex Marine, Publications Editor, provided formatting and editorial support.

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, CRS Report RL34545, 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.	Information about the duration of staff employment is available in CRS Report R44683, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in House Committees, 2006-2016, CRS Report R44685, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in Senate Committees, 2006-2016, CRS Report R44682, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2006-2016, and CRS Report R44684, Staff Tenure in Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, 2006-2016.
15.	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].
16.	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.
17.	U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables.htm.
18.	Member pay data are taken from CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by [author name scrubbed].
19.	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.
20.	5 years, 2011-2015; 10 years, 2006-2015; and 15 years, 2001-2015.
21.	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, 2001-2015

Contents

Tables

Summary

Introduction

Data Concerns

Data Tables and Visualizations

Footnotes