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 for multiple reasons, 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 In Focus provides 2024 pay data, provided in constant, 2025 dollars, for 17 staff position titles that are typically used in House Members' offices (see Table 1) and 13 staff position titles that are used in House committees (see Table 2).
Table 1. 2024 Median Pay, Selected Positions in House Member Offices, and Change, 2023-2024, Constant, 2025 Dollars
|
Median 2024, 2025$ |
Change 2023-2024 |
|
|
Caseworker |
$68,907 |
2.59% |
|
Chief of Staff |
$192,456 |
0.29% |
|
Communications Director |
$103,106 |
-6.57% |
|
Constituent Services Director |
$89,324 |
-10.30% |
|
Constituent Services Rep. |
$63,590 |
-3.66% |
|
Deputy Chief of Staff |
$138,717 |
3.32% |
|
District Deputy Director |
$91,519 |
-1.79% |
|
District Director |
$122,085 |
-1.08% |
|
Field Representative |
$66,866 |
-2.49% |
|
Legislative Assistant |
$78,605 |
6.16% |
|
Legislative Correspondent |
$66,866 |
0.60% |
|
Legislative Director |
$120,715 |
3.95% |
|
Operations Director |
$94,281 |
-5.32% |
|
Press Secretary |
$78,605 |
5.47% |
|
Scheduler |
$75,032 |
-5.22% |
|
Senior Legislative Assistant |
$86,466 |
-6.51% |
|
Staff Assistant |
$58,920 |
-0.72% |
Data were collected in the manner described in CRS Report R44322, House Committee Staff Pay, Selected Positions, 2001-2023, and CRS Report R44323, Staff Pay, Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2023.
Table 2. 2024 Median Pay, Selected Positions in House Committees, and Change, 2023-2024, Constant, 2025 Dollars
|
Median 2024, 2025$ |
Change 2023-2024 |
|
|
Chief Counsel |
$194,982 |
1.14% |
|
Communications Director |
$168,440 |
-4.31% |
|
Counsel |
$147,428 |
7.02% |
|
Deputy Staff Director |
$214,591 |
-1.73% |
|
Digital Director |
$120,469 |
— |
|
General Counsel |
$213,768 |
6.57% |
|
Minority Professional Staff Mbr. |
$129,393 |
— |
|
Professional Staff Member |
$120,873 |
-7.31% |
|
Senior Counsel |
$160,364 |
6.91% |
|
Senior Professional Staff Mbr. |
$153,127 |
-11.06% |
|
Staff Assistant |
$68,597 |
0.10% |
|
Staff Director |
$216,522 |
-1.35% |
|
Subcommittee Staff Director |
$189,699 |
-3.96% |
Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as collated by LegiStorm, and CRS calculations. Data and change, 2023-2024, based on 2025 dollars per the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), Half1, 2025. "—" indicates pay data are unavailable for 2023.
Senate staff pay information is available in CRS In Focus IF13074, Staff Pay, Selected Positions in Senators' and Senate Committee Offices, FY2024, CRS Report R44324, Staff Pay, Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2023, and CRS Report R44325, Senate Committee Staff Pay, Selected Positions, FY2001-FY2023. Information on staff duties and qualifications is available in CRS Report R46262, Congressional Staff: Duties and Qualifications Identified by Members of Congress for Selected Positions.