Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2018

Updated June 11, 2019 (R44323)
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Introduction
Data Concerns
Data Tables and Visualizations
House Member Office Staff Pay Tables

Tables

Table 1. Annual Maximum Pay for Selected Staff In House Members' Offices, 2001-2019
Table 2. Change in Median Pay for Selected Staff In House Members' Offices, Selected Periods
Table 3. Caseworker
Table 4. Chief of Staff
Table 5. Communications Director
Table 6. Constituent Services Representative
Table 7. Counsel, 2010-2018
Table 8. District Director
Table 9. Executive Assistant
Table 10. Field Representative
Table 11. Legislative Assistant
Table 12. Legislative Correspondent
Table 13. Legislative Director
Table 14. Office Manager
Table 15. Press Secretary
Table 16. Scheduler
Table 17. Staff Assistant

Summary

Levels of pay for congressional staff are 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 15 staff position titles that are typically used in House Members' offices. The positions include the following: Caseworker, Chief of Staff, Communications Director, Constituent Services Representative, Counsel, District Director, Executive Assistant, Field Representative, Legislative Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Director, Office Manager, Press Secretary, Scheduler, and Staff Assistant. The following table provides the change in median pay levels for these positions in constant 2019 dollars, between 2017 and 2018.

Percentage Change in Median Pay for Selected Staff In House Members' Offices, 2017-2018

	2017-2018		2017-2018
Caseworker	4.68%	Legislative Assistant	-4.88%
Chief of Staff	-0.61%	Legislative Correspondent	12.03%
Communications Director	-5.52%	Legislative Director	-1.83%
Constituent Services Representative	2.60%	Office Manager	-5.37%
Counsel	2.75%	Press Secretary	-2.20%
District Director	-5.15%	Scheduler	-2.93%
Executive Assistant	-4.97%	Staff Assistant	7.39%
Field Representative	-4.92%

Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. Change is based on constant 2019 dollars.

Report tables provide aggregate statistics on pay for each staff position for 2001, 2004, 2009, and 2014-2018, including quartiles, the median, and average pay. Complete data, 2001-2018, are available to congressional requesters upon request. Graphic displays are also included, providing representations of pay from two perspectives, including the following:

a line graph showing change in median pay, 2001-2018, in nominal (current) and constant 2019 dollars; and
distributions of 2018 pay in constant 2019 dollars, in $10,000 increments.

The Congressional Research Service provides a number of products on staffing issues. These can be found in CRS Report R44688, Congressional Staff: CRS Products on Size, Pay, and Job Tenure.

Introduction

Levels of pay for congressional staff are 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. These include 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, publicly available 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 Statement of Disbursements of the House (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, authoritative 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 15 staff position titles that are typically used in House Members' offices.⁷ The positions include the following:

Caseworker⁸
Chief of Staff
Communications Director
Constituent Services Representative
Counsel⁹
District Director
Executive Assistant
Field Representative
Legislative Assistant
Legislative Correspondent
Legislative Director
Office Manager
Press Secretary
Scheduler
Staff Assistant

The collection of House Members' staff pay data for the years 2001-2018 proceeded as follows. For each year, a random sample¹⁰ of 45 offices was taken for each position. House staff had to hold a position with the same job title in the Member's office for the entire calendar year examined, and not receive pay from any other congressional employing authority to be included. Generally, each position has no more than one observation per House Member's office each year.

Every recorded payment ascribed in the LegiStorm data to those staff for the calendar year is included.¹¹ Data collected for this report may differ from an employee's stated annual salary due to the inclusion of overtime, bonuses, or other payments¹² 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.

The Congressional Research Service provides a number of products on staffing issues. These can be found in CRS Report R44688, Congressional Staff: CRS Products on Size, Pay, and Job Tenure.

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:

No 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 when new Members typically take office.¹³
The SOD reports monies paid directly by the House to staff, but does not provide the individual value of other components of compensation, which might include paid leave or employer contributions to various insurance and retirement benefits.
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 15 job position titles, or whose pay data were not reported consistently,¹⁴ are excluded.
Potential differences could exist in the job duties of positions with the same title. Aggregation of pay by job title rests in part 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 2019 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 2019 dollars.¹⁵

Table 2 provides available percentage changes in median pay in constant 2019 dollars for each of the 15 positions, Members of Congress,¹⁶ salaries paid under the General Schedule in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas, and in the Rest of the United States (RUS) area.¹⁷ Table 3 through Table 17 provide tabular pay data for each staff position for 2001, 2004, 2009, and 2014-2018, including data distributed by quartile, including the median, and average pay. The numbers of staff for which data were counted are identified as "Number" in the data tables. Staff pay tables also provide a comparison, at various intervals to 2018, based on data availability, of the cumulative percentage change in median pay for that position, in constant, 2019 dollars.

Graphic displays are also included for each position, providing representations of pay from two perspectives, including the following:

distributions of 2018 pay in 2019 dollars, in $10,000 increments; and
a line graph showing change in median pay, 2001-2018, in nominal (current) and constant 2019 dollars.

Table 1. Annual Maximum Pay for Selected Staff In House Members' Offices, 2001-2019

Year	Nominal $	Constant 2019 $
2001	$140,451	$201,598
2002	$145,226	$205,207
2003	$149,728	$206,854
2004	$153,022	$205,921
2005	$156,848	$204,153
2006	$159,828	$201,531
2007	$159,828	$195,950
2008	$163,795	$193,388
2009	$168,411	$199,548
2010	$168,411	$196,328
2011	$168,411	$190,320
2012	$168,411	$186,461
2013	$168,411	$183,770
2014	$168,411	$180,836
2015	$168,411	$180,622
2016	$168,411	$178,372
2017	$168,411	$174,649
2018	$168,411	$170,487
2019	$168,411	$168,411

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

Table 2. Change in Median Pay for Selected Staff In House Members' Offices, Selected Periods

	Change Based on Constant 2019 Dollars
	2017-2018	2014-2018	2009-2018	2004-2018	2001-2018
Caseworker	4.68%	17.35%	2.75%	-10.79%	9.49%
Chief of Staff	-0.61%	4.99%	-1.58%	-6.11%	4.70%
Communications Director	-5.52%	-5.03%	-15.00%	-16.31%	-19.45%
Constituent Services Representative	2.60%	2.85%	-2.73%	1.85%	5.12%
Counsel	2.75%	8.93%	-9.63%	—	—
District Director	-5.15%	-1.49%	-10.49%	-9.77%	-10.46%
Executive Assistant	-4.97%	4.93%	-9.46%	-11.74%	-19.12%
Field Representative	-4.92%	-6.09%	-9.85%	-9.51%	-5.67%
Legislative Assistant	-4.88%	0.79%	-10.98%	-9.52%	-9.69%
Legislative Correspondent	12.03%	10.68%	3.81%	2.34%	6.39%
Legislative Director	-1.83%	-0.96%	-9.93%	-4.76%	-5.26%
Office Manager	-5.37%	2.07%	-17.89%	-26.54%	-23.92%
Press Secretary	-2.20%	-5.42%	-16.69%	-15.50%	-14.44%
Scheduler	-2.93%	-5.31%	-18.20%	-16.24%	-16.24%
Staff Assistant	7.39%	6.10%	-7.07%	-15.29%	-7.19%
Members of Congress	-2.38%	-5.72%	-14.56%	-17.21%	-15.43%
General Schedule, DC	-0.14%	1.66%	-4.77%	1.16%	8.19%
General Schedule, Rest of U.S.	-0.75%	-0.46%	-7.29%	-5.91%	-0.34%
Congressional Staff Positions Pay Change Summary
Increase	5	9	2	2	4
Decrease	10	6	13	12	10

Source: CRS calculations, based on pay data provided in Table 3 through Table 17 for congressional positions in constant 2019 dollars; CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by Ida A. Brudnick, for Members of Congress; and the Office of Personnel Management for federal civilian workers in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas, and rest of the U.S., various years. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations."

House Member Office Staff Pay Tables

Interpreting Pay Tables: Statistics Describing Pay Data

For each year that data are available, statistical values for staff positions are included in Table 3 through Table 17, including the following:

Minimum & Maximum	The smallest and largest pay level, respectively, for each position
Average (Mean)	The mean is the average of a list of numbers, in which the sum of all the values is divided by the total number of values. For example, if three salaries, $30,000, $45,000, and $90,000 were identified for a given staff position, the average (mean) would be ($30,000 + $45,000 + $90,000) ÷ 3 = $55,000.
Median	The midpoint at which half of the numbers in a list are higher and the other half lower. For example, if three salaries, $30,000, $45,000, and $90,000 were identified for a given staff position, the midpoint (median) would be $45,000.
Statistical Quartiles	Statistical values that divide data into quarters for more detailed analysis. In a list of numbers, Quartile 1 (Q1) is a number that falls in the middle between the lowest number, or minimum, and the median. For example, if Q1 for a given staff position was $50,000, this would indicate that 25% of employees in that position make $50,000 or less. Quartile 2 (Q2) is also the median. Quartile 3 (Q3) is a number that falls in the middle between the median and the highest number in the list, or maximum. Numbers between Q1 and Q3 compose the interquartile range, the difference between the largest and smallest values in the middle 50% of a list of numbers. Quartiles might also be described as percentiles, as shown below.

Statistical Measures Used in Pay Tables

Minimum	Quartile1 (Q1)	Quartile2 (Q2) Median	Quartile3 (Q3)	Maximum	Average
Lowest number in a list	25^th Percentile	50^th Percentile	75^th percentile	Highest number in a list	The mean, or number expressing the central value in a set of data
	25% of staff make less than Q1	50% of staff make less than Q2	75% of staff make less than Q3
	Middle number between Minimum and Median	Median-midpoint at which half of the numbers in a list are higher and the other half lower	Middle number between Median and Maximum
	Lower Quartile	Interquartile Range = Q3-Q1	Upper Quartile

Table 3. Caseworker

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$21,750	$30,000	$35,229	$40,122	$61,572	$36,189	$31,219	$43,061		$50,567	$57,590		$88,377	$51,945
2004	45	$28,333	$37,804	$46,120	$50,000	$63,900	$44,992	$38,128	$50,873		$62,064	$67,285		$85,990	$60,545
2009	45	$28,919	$38,750	$45,475	$53,375	$86,210	$47,751	$34,266	$45,914		$53,883	$63,243		$102,149	$56,580
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$27,833	$40,075	$43,937	$51,000	$85,000	$46,984	$29,887	$43,032		$47,179	$54,763		$91,271	$50,451
2015	45	$28,000	$40,058	$44,500	$54,500	$84,667	$48,081	$30,030	$42,963		$47,726	$58,452		$90,806	$51,567
2016	45	$29,667	$40,544	$50,300	$56,837	$89,100	$50,290	$31,421	$42,942		$53,275	$60,198		$94,370	$53,265
2017	45	$30,000	$42,750	$51,000	$58,000	$92,567	$51,283	$31,111	$44,333		$52,889	$60,148		$95,995	$53,182
2018	45	$35,000	$47,500	$55,000	$64,000	$94,036	$55,985	$35,233	$47,816		$55,366	$64,425		$94,661	$56,357
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			4.68% 17.35% 2.75% -10.79% 9.49%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. Percentage change in pay is based on the change in median pay (expressed in constant, March 2019 dollars) for the periods noted. In the visualizations, position pay information based on constant 2019 dollars in thousands of dollars, or change in those levels, are presented in solid green. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations." Data provided here are partial; complete data, 2001-2018, are available to congressional requesters upon request.

Table 4. Chief of Staff

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$76,361	$95,000	$104,250	$114,833	$137,020	$106,313	$109,606	$136,359		$149,636	$164,827		$196,673	$152,598
2004	45	$86,500	$110,952	$124,000	$134,524	$151,974	$122,278	$116,403	$149,307		$166,866	$181,029		$204,511	$164,549
2009	45	$42,708	$123,350	$134,344	$153,136	$168,411	$133,877	$50,605	$146,156		$159,183	$181,449		$199,548	$158,629
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$89,401	$124,167	$138,968	$161,091	$168,411	$140,803	$95,997	$133,328		$149,221	$172,975		$180,836	$151,191
2015	45	$114,173	$137,924	$146,561	$160,000	$168,411	$147,650	$122,451	$147,925		$157,188	$171,601		$180,622	$158,356
2016	45	$116,534	$133,820	$148,902	$159,700	$168,411	$147,637	$123,427	$141,735		$157,708	$169,145		$178,372	$156,369
2017	45	$112,320	$139,444	$152,000	$160,834	$168,411	$150,185	$116,480	$144,609		$157,630	$166,791		$174,649	$155,748
2018	45	$99,917	$137,000	$155,637	$168,000	$168,411	$149,871	$100,581	$137,911		$156,671	$169,117		$169,530	$150,867
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-0.61% 4.99% -1.58% -6.11% 4.70%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 5. Communications Director

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	32	$35,233	$51,118	$63,563	$72,000	$99,020	$63,538	$50,573	$73,372		$91,235	$103,346		$142,129	$91,200
2004	45	$39,000	$56,489	$65,250	$69,567	$106,690	$65,201	$52,482	$76,017		$87,807	$93,616		$143,572	$87,740
2009	45	$48,233	$64,617	$72,961	$83,273	$128,992	$77,048	$57,151	$76,563		$86,451	$98,670		$152,841	$91,293
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$42,500	$63,000	$72,061	$82,000	$115,000	$72,485	$45,636	$67,648		$77,378	$88,050		$123,484	$77,833
2015	45	$43,878	$61,678	$68,078	$77,937	$102,918	$70,327	$47,059	$66,150		$73,014	$83,588		$110,380	$75,427
2016	45	$48,000	$58,546	$68,125	$82,680	$120,300	$73,690	$50,839	$62,008		$72,154	$87,570		$127,415	$78,048
2017	45	$46,500	$69,000	$75,000	$84,250	$106,733	$76,784	$48,222	$71,556		$77,778	$87,371		$110,687	$79,628
2018	45	$52,000	$63,333	$73,001	$89,986	$124,000	$77,436	$52,346	$63,754		$73,486	$90,584		$124,824	$77,951
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-5.52% -5.03% -15.00% -16.31% -19.45%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. Percentage change in pay is based on the change in median pay (expressed in constant, March 2019 dollars) for the periods noted. In the visualizations, position pay information based on constant 2019 dollars in thousands of dollars, or change in those levels, are presented in solid blue. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations." Data provided here are partial; complete data, FY2001-FY2018, is available to congressional requesters upon request.

Table 6. Constituent Services Representative

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	30	$25,894	$28,789	$32,791	$37,401	$46,880	$33,815	$37,168	$41,322		$47,067	$53,684		$67,290	$48,537
2004	45	$24,247	$30,300	$36,100	$42,667	$63,333	$36,983	$32,629	$40,775		$48,580	$57,416		$85,227	$49,768
2009	45	$27,125	$33,833	$42,928	$52,000	$86,558	$43,815	$32,140	$40,089		$50,865	$61,614		$102,562	$51,915
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$26,250	$35,000	$44,800	$50,833	$88,833	$46,912	$28,187	$37,582		$48,105	$54,584		$95,387	$50,373
2015	45	$28,500	$36,000	$44,000	$50,322	$77,250	$44,186	$30,566	$38,610		$47,190	$53,971		$82,851	$47,389
2016	45	$22,903	$39,775	$44,000	$56,400	$74,417	$46,874	$24,257	$42,127		$46,602	$59,736		$78,818	$49,647
2017	45	$20,425	$41,000	$46,500	$52,500	$64,000	$47,104	$21,182	$42,519		$48,222	$54,445		$66,371	$48,849
2018	45	$23,833	$42,925	$49,150	$54,972	$73,567	$49,145	$23,992	$43,210		$49,477	$55,338		$74,056	$49,472
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			2.60% 2.85% -2.73% 1.85% 5.12%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 7. Counsel, 2010-2018

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2010	30	$45,250	$61,013	$75,502	$87,724	$127,981	$76,884	$52,751	$71,126		$88,017	$102,266		$149,196	$89,628
2011	23	$34,792	$58,250	$74,417	$79,500	$100,375	$70,824	$39,318	$65,828		$84,098	$89,842		$113,433	$80,038
2012	20	$49,236	$60,804	$72,167	$81,640	$130,833	$73,390	$54,513	$67,321		$79,902	$90,390		$144,856	$81,256
2013	19	$41,667	$51,125	$58,692	$71,750	$126,546	$63,416	$45,467	$55,787		$64,044	$78,293		$138,087	$69,199
2014	19	$45,200	$52,917	$62,250	$77,500	$119,868	$67,088	$48,535	$56,821		$66,843	$83,218		$128,711	$72,038
2015	23	$41,000	$61,000	$70,678	$80,324	$108,142	$71,155	$43,973	$65,423		$75,802	$86,148		$115,983	$76,314
2016	28	$44,500	$53,425	$60,333	$68,000	$91,097	$61,538	$47,132	$56,585		$63,902	$72,022		$96,485	$65,178
2017	21	$29,000	$52,000	$68,333	$77,841	$88,000	$64,413	$30,074	$53,926		$70,864	$80,725		$91,259	$66,799
2018	25	$46,000	$61,750	$72,333	$81,333	$99,000	$70,871	$46,306	$62,160		$72,814	$81,874		$99,658	$71,342
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018			2.75% 8.93%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 8. District Director

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$49,538	$58,667	$72,844	$78,240	$101,624	$70,062	$71,105	$84,208		$104,558	$112,302		$145,867	$100,564
2004	45	$42,500	$70,750	$77,100	$83,050	$116,568	$77,877	$57,192	$95,208		$103,753	$111,760		$156,865	$104,799
2009	45	$60,000	$80,680	$88,274	$98,115	$120,450	$90,238	$71,093	$95,597		$104,595	$116,255		$142,720	$106,922
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$45,000	$75,400	$88,500	$107,083	$144,667	$93,519	$48,320	$80,963		$95,029	$114,984		$155,340	$100,419
2015	45	$59,433	$78,000	$95,167	$112,000	$162,600	$97,911	$63,743	$83,655		$102,067	$120,121		$174,389	$105,010
2016	45	$58,417	$79,500	$89,750	$105,917	$145,265	$94,988	$61,872	$84,202		$95,058	$112,181		$153,856	$100,606
2017	45	$56,000	$85,638	$95,172	$105,000	$163,028	$97,105	$58,074	$88,810		$98,697	$108,889		$169,066	$100,701
2018	45	$62,200	$81,250	$93,000	$105,000	$138,000	$94,042	$62,613	$81,790		$93,618	$105,698		$138,917	$94,667
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-5.15% -1.49% -10.49% -9.77% -10.46%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 9. Executive Assistant

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$27,583	$44,750	$53,136	$65,917	$104,167	$56,922	$39,592	$64,232		$76,269	$94,614		$149,517	$81,704
2004	45	$27,446	$41,957	$51,933	$68,600	$87,602	$55,603	$36,934	$56,461		$69,887	$92,315		$117,885	$74,824
2009	45	$30,000	$46,000	$57,500	$66,000	$108,047	$58,062	$35,547	$54,505		$68,131	$78,203		$128,023	$68,796
Most Recent Five Years
2014	30	$32,000	$46,625	$54,750	$64,612	$89,167	$55,748	$34,361	$50,065		$58,789	$69,379		$95,745	$59,861
2015	38	$21,000	$44,412	$54,917	$66,125	$92,426	$55,918	$22,523	$47,633		$58,898	$70,919		$99,127	$59,973
2016	42	$21,000	$48,667	$56,799	$64,768	$93,291	$57,936	$22,242	$51,545		$60,158	$68,599		$98,808	$61,362
2017	28	$21,000	$49,125	$62,590	$73,845	$96,500	$61,742	$21,778	$50,945		$64,908	$76,580		$100,074	$64,028
2018	34	$35,041	$49,250	$61,278	$78,246	$166,137	$67,677	$35,274	$49,577		$61,685	$78,766		$167,241	$68,127
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-4.97% 4.93% -9.46% -11.74% -19.12%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 10. Field Representative

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$22,131	$31,250	$35,500	$40,795	$75,275	$38,242	$31,765	$44,855		$50,955	$58,555		$108,047	$54,891
2004	45	$26,017	$35,558	$39,472	$49,000	$78,967	$42,892	$35,011	$47,851		$53,117	$65,939		$106,265	$57,719
2009	45	$34,033	$40,300	$45,000	$51,021	$81,917	$47,299	$40,326	$47,751		$53,320	$60,455		$97,062	$56,044
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$25,750	$42,000	$47,667	$55,417	$94,625	$48,428	$27,650	$45,099		$51,183	$59,505		$101,606	$52,001
2015	45	$22,100	$40,994	$46,544	$55,000	$100,000	$49,031	$23,702	$43,967		$49,919	$58,988		$107,251	$52,586
2016	45	$25,000	$39,050	$47,667	$56,250	$71,890	$48,188	$26,479	$41,360		$50,486	$59,577		$76,142	$51,038
2017	45	$21,500	$44,500	$48,750	$57,489	$81,400	$50,091	$22,296	$46,148		$50,556	$59,618		$84,415	$51,946
2018	45	$29,250	$41,000	$47,750	$54,750	$72,128	$48,707	$29,444	$41,272		$48,067	$55,114		$72,607	$49,031
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-4.92% -6.09% -9.85% -9.51% -5.67%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 11. Legislative Assistant

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$30,154	$37,748	$41,092	$45,676	$70,000	$43,493	$43,282	$54,182		$58,981	$65,561		$100,475	$62,428
2004	45	$30,081	$37,813	$43,750	$49,242	$95,585	$46,008	$40,479	$50,884		$58,874	$66,264		$128,628	$61,913
2009	45	$34,000	$44,595	$50,500	$54,950	$63,500	$49,982	$40,286	$52,840		$59,837	$65,110		$75,240	$59,223
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$31,333	$44,667	$49,219	$55,400	$90,833	$50,854	$33,645	$47,962		$52,851	$59,487		$97,535	$54,606
2015	45	$30,000	$43,850	$48,760	$52,667	$83,336	$49,860	$32,175	$47,029		$52,296	$56,485		$89,378	$53,476
2016	45	$36,896	$46,500	$49,400	$59,583	$72,967	$52,276	$39,078	$49,250		$52,322	$63,107		$77,282	$55,367
2017	45	$41,746	$48,833	$54,000	$60,961	$91,033	$56,951	$43,292	$50,642		$56,000	$63,219		$94,405	$59,061
2018	45	$37,163	$50,000	$52,917	$57,500	$96,417	$55,304	$37,410	$50,332		$53,268	$57,882		$97,058	$55,672
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-4.88% 0.79% -10.98% -9.52% -9.69%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 12. Legislative Correspondent

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	31	$24,500	$27,750	$31,313	$33,167	$84,267	$33,552	$35,166	$39,831		$44,945	$47,606		$120,953	$48,160
2004	40	$25,372	$31,933	$34,720	$39,139	$66,667	$36,524	$34,143	$42,971		$46,722	$52,669		$89,713	$49,150
2009	45	$29,085	$35,653	$38,875	$42,689	$75,917	$41,173	$34,463	$42,245		$46,062	$50,582		$89,953	$48,785
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$30,000	$35,000	$40,233	$44,500	$63,000	$41,122	$32,213	$37,582		$43,202	$47,783		$67,648	$44,156
2015	45	$25,000	$36,250	$40,000	$43,750	$77,000	$41,290	$26,813	$38,878		$42,900	$46,922		$82,583	$44,284
2016	45	$25,000	$37,000	$40,255	$43,000	$58,667	$40,713	$26,479	$39,188		$42,636	$45,543		$62,136	$43,121
2017	41	$30,729	$38,000	$41,156	$45,917	$63,000	$42,420	$31,867	$39,408		$42,680	$47,617		$65,333	$43,991
2018	45	$35,833	$42,900	$47,500	$52,125	$78,250	$48,217	$36,071	$43,185		$47,816	$52,471		$78,770	$48,538
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			12.03% 10.68% 3.81% 2.34% 6.39%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 13. Legislative Director

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$47,000	$60,000	$66,250	$72,458	$91,412	$66,932	$67,462	$86,122		$95,093	$104,003		$131,209	$96,071
2004	45	$51,761	$62,667	$70,300	$78,316	$124,833	$73,294	$69,655	$84,330		$94,602	$105,389		$167,988	$98,632
2009	45	$51,500	$77,125	$84,417	$94,750	$127,411	$85,883	$61,022	$91,384		$100,024	$112,268		$150,967	$101,761
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$50,417	$77,750	$84,718	$99,417	$127,000	$87,256	$54,136	$83,486		$90,968	$106,751		$136,370	$93,693
2015	45	$55,133	$76,875	$86,500	$90,083	$132,800	$84,862	$59,131	$82,449		$92,772	$96,615		$142,429	$91,015
2016	45	$63,722	$77,000	$85,500	$94,359	$128,150	$87,306	$67,491	$81,554		$90,557	$99,940		$135,729	$92,470
2017	45	$54,000	$77,123	$88,500	$96,920	$132,167	$87,830	$56,000	$79,980		$91,778	$100,510		$137,062	$91,083
2018	45	$62,500	$82,868	$89,500	$102,500	$139,333	$93,114	$62,916	$83,419		$90,095	$103,181		$140,259	$93,732
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-1.83% -0.96% -9.93% -4.76% -5.26%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 14. Office Manager

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$22,949	$33,583	$46,167	$51,500	$84,750	$44,639	$32,939	$48,204		$66,266	$73,921		$121,647	$64,073
2004	43	$20,024	$41,846	$51,000	$61,192	$86,650	$52,846	$26,946	$56,312		$68,630	$82,345		$116,605	$71,115
2009	25	$29,983	$45,992	$51,818	$63,667	$106,877	$55,578	$35,527	$54,495		$61,398	$75,438		$126,637	$65,854
Most Recent Five Years
2014	27	$33,434	$40,046	$46,000	$60,404	$116,583	$52,283	$35,900	$43,001		$49,394	$64,861		$125,185	$56,141
2015	23	$35,850	$43,114	$50,000	$60,684	$85,038	$51,961	$38,449	$46,240		$53,625	$65,084		$91,204	$55,729
2016	31	$31,900	$42,250	$50,000	$62,827	$84,738	$52,830	$33,787	$44,749		$52,957	$66,543		$89,750	$55,955
2017	25	$33,175	$44,167	$51,375	$66,042	$91,258	$55,366	$34,404	$45,803		$53,278	$68,488		$94,638	$57,416
2018	27	$35,833	$43,500	$50,083	$64,018	$96,821	$56,300	$36,072	$43,789		$50,416	$64,443		$97,464	$56,674
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-5.37% 2.07% -17.89% -26.54% -23.92%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as collated by LegiStorm, various years, and CRS calculations. Percentage change in pay is based on the change in median pay (expressed in constant, March 2019 dollars) for the periods noted. In the visualizations, position pay information based on constant 2019 dollars in thousands of dollars, or change in those levels, are presented in solid green. Detailed information about data sources is available above in "Data Tables and Visualizations." Data provided here are partial; complete data, 2001-2012, and 2014-2018 (no data are available for 2013), are available to congressional requesters upon request.

Table 15. Press Secretary

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$29,000	$45,167	$50,000	$57,250	$85,913	$52,726	$41,625	$64,830		$71,768	$82,174		$123,316	$75,680
2004	45	$32,378	$45,653	$54,000	$66,390	$93,500	$56,927	$43,571	$61,435		$72,668	$89,341		$125,823	$76,606
2009	41	$36,000	$55,750	$62,208	$77,300	$117,400	$65,998	$42,656	$66,057		$73,710	$91,592		$139,106	$78,200
Most Recent Five Years
2014	28	$43,500	$53,458	$60,464	$68,196	$124,233	$63,049	$46,709	$57,402		$64,925	$73,227		$133,399	$67,700
2015	28	$40,500	$51,500	$57,875	$68,117	$116,458	$63,689	$43,436	$55,234		$62,072	$73,056		$124,902	$68,307
2016	44	$36,898	$52,390	$61,658	$69,625	$121,213	$62,365	$39,080	$55,489		$65,305	$73,743		$128,382	$66,054
2017	22	$42,000	$53,558	$60,542	$70,244	$90,333	$62,869	$43,556	$55,542		$62,784	$72,845		$93,679	$65,198
2018	21	$40,000	$55,667	$61,000	$70,800	$93,000	$63,188	$40,266	$56,037		$61,405	$71,271		$93,618	$63,608
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-2.20% -5.42% -16.69% -15.50% -14.44%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 16. Scheduler

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	19	$34,117	$37,125	$42,286	$45,066	$57,000	$42,699	$48,970	$53,288		$60,695	$64,686		$81,815	$61,288
2004	25	$30,625	$42,750	$45,100	$54,000	$104,367	$50,838	$41,212	$57,528		$60,691	$72,668		$140,446	$68,412
2009	41	$32,000	$42,981	$52,450	$57,098	$93,000	$52,879	$37,916	$50,927		$62,147	$67,655		$110,194	$62,655
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$29,667	$42,583	$50,000	$62,167	$96,950	$53,342	$31,855	$45,725		$53,689	$66,753		$104,103	$57,277
2015	45	$33,000	$42,917	$47,917	$58,333	$96,418	$51,932	$35,393	$46,028		$51,391	$62,563		$103,408	$55,697
2016	45	$35,000	$44,940	$51,202	$56,604	$92,500	$52,758	$37,070	$47,598		$54,231	$59,952		$97,971	$55,879
2017	45	$37,000	$46,965	$50,500	$57,444	$84,000	$53,683	$38,370	$48,705		$52,370	$59,572		$87,111	$55,671
2018	45	$36,259	$44,000	$50,500	$58,500	$98,000	$53,571	$36,500	$44,292		$50,836	$58,889		$98,651	$53,927
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			-2.93% -5.31% -18.20% -16.24% -16.24%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Table 17. Staff Assistant

		Nominal, Current $						Constant, 2019, $
Year	Number	Minimum	Q1	Q2, Median	Q3	Maximum	Average	Minimum	Q1		Q2, Median	Q3		Maximum	Average
2001	45	$21,667	$28,750	$31,000	$35,166	$79,516	$33,302	$31,099	$41,267		$44,496	$50,476		$114,134	$47,800
2004	45	$21,200	$30,499	$36,227	$41,178	$52,750	$35,866	$28,529	$41,042		$48,750	$55,413		$70,986	$48,264
2009	45	$20,175	$30,333	$37,504	$43,583	$67,333	$37,829	$23,905	$35,942		$44,438	$51,641		$79,782	$44,824
Most Recent Five Years
2014	45	$21,067	$31,500	$36,250	$40,020	$88,058	$37,176	$22,621	$33,824		$38,924	$42,973		$94,555	$39,918
2015	45	$25,950	$32,000	$34,857	$39,967	$69,500	$37,958	$27,831	$34,320		$37,384	$42,864		$74,539	$40,710
2016	45	$19,000	$30,000	$33,413	$38,139	$64,183	$34,941	$20,124	$31,774		$35,389	$40,395		$67,979	$37,008
2017	45	$21,000	$33,250	$37,083	$43,251	$54,750	$38,071	$21,778	$34,482		$38,457	$44,853		$56,778	$39,481
2018	45	$31,000	$36,767	$41,025	$45,989	$58,754	$42,303	$31,206	$37,011		$41,298	$46,295		$59,145	$42,585
2018 Pay Distribution					Median Pay					Change
										2017-2018 2014-2018 2009-2018 2004-2018 2001-2018			7.39% 6.10% -7.07% -15.29% -7.19%
Dollars in figures are in thousands.

Author Contact Information

R. Eric Petersen, Coordinator, Specialist in American National Government ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Raymond T. Williams, Research Assistant ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Acknowledgments

In addition to the listed authors, a number of CRS staff made substantial contributions to this report. Sandra L. Edwards, User Support Specialist, and Michael M. McCarthy, Editor, provided formatting and editorial support. Amber Hope Wilhelm, Visual Information Specialist, created the visualizations. Lara Chausow, former Research Assistant, was a coauthor of this report and collected some of the data provided. Casey Burgat, former Research Assistant, provided update support. Claudia Guidi, formerly a User Support Specialist, and Alex Marine, former Publications Editor, provided formatting and editorial support. Jacobo Licona, Brian Hamel, Joe Wisniewski, and Claire Laurence, former CRS interns, collected data for this report.

Footnotes

1.	Since 2009, the maximum annual pay for staff in House Member offices has been $168,411. See Order of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, January 9, 2009, set out as a note following 2 U.S.C. 4532. Maximum payable rates for House Member office staff since 2001 are available in Table 1.
2.	For discussion of resources available to Members to carry out their official duties, see CRS Report RL30064, Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief, by Ida A. Brudnick.
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.	See 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 R. Eric Petersen.
8.	Other job titles which may indicate similar duties, and for which pay data were collected for this category, include Federal Caseworker.
9.	Data for offices that employed Counsels are available 2010-2018.
10.	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 offices employing staff in 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), or estimates of pay using different data collection criteria, could result in findings that are different from those provided here.
11.	The numbers of staff for which data were counted are identified as observations in the data tables.
12.	For each year, the SOD reports pay data for five time periods: January 1 and 2; 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. 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 Ida A. Brudnick. 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.
13.	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-114th Congresses, by Jennifer E. Manning and R. Eric Petersen.
14.	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.
15.	U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables.htm.
16.	Member pay data are taken from CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by Ida A. Brudnick.
17.	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/2019/general-schedule/. For a complete description of areas covered under the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA locality pay table, see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2019/locality-pay-area-definitions/#DC. For areas covered by the RUS, see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2019/locality-pay-area-definitions/#US.