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 fiscal year 2024 pay data, provided in constant, 2025 dollars, for 24 staff position titles that are typically used in Senate Members' offices, see Table 1, and 15 staff position titles that are used in Senate committees, see Table 2.
Table 1. FY24 Median Pay, Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, and Change, FY2023-FY2024, Constant, 2025 Dollars
|
Median FY2024, 2025$ |
Change FY2023-FY2024 |
|
|
Administrative Director |
$153,942 |
-1.71% |
|
Caseworker |
$66,289 |
0.16% |
|
Chief of Staff |
$219,928 |
6.23% |
|
Communications Director |
$158,231 |
0.69% |
|
Constituent Services Director |
$102,936 |
3.12% |
|
Constituent Services Rep. |
$63,596 |
2.25% |
|
Deputy Chief of Staff |
$183,264 |
-3.58% |
|
Deputy Press Secretary |
$67,541 |
-0.73% |
|
Digital Director |
$88,801 |
14.97% |
|
Executive Assistant |
$72,770 |
-- |
|
Field Representative |
$70,954 |
-0.25% |
|
Legislative Aide |
$72,101 |
3.04% |
|
Legislative Assistant |
$89,860 |
0.59% |
|
Legislative Correspondent |
$60,195 |
-0.48% |
|
Legislative Director |
$167,164 |
-3.60% |
|
Press Assistant |
$61,353 |
1.33% |
|
Press Secretary |
$90,677 |
0.38% |
|
Regional Director |
$93,875 |
13.45% |
|
Regional Representative |
$72,164 |
3.99% |
|
Scheduler |
$94,939 |
1.85% |
|
Scheduling Director |
$122,808 |
-0.27% |
|
Speechwriter |
$93,996 |
1.64% |
|
Staff Assistant |
$55,891 |
-1.13% |
|
State Director |
$171,476 |
4.33% |
Source: Report of the Secretary of the Senate, as collated by LegiStorm, and CRS calculations. Data and change, 2023-2024, based on 2025 dollars per the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), Half1, 2025. "—" indicates pay data are unavailable for FY2023.
Data were collected in the manner described in CRS Report R44324, Staff Pay, Selected Positions in Senators' Offices, FY2001-FY2023, and CRS Report R44325, Senate Committee Staff Pay, Selected Positions, FY2001-FY2023 .
Table 2. FY2024 Median Pay, Selected Positions in Senate Committees, and Change, FY2023-FY2024, Constant, 2025 Dollars
|
Median FY2024, 2025$ |
Change FY2023-FY2024 |
|
|
Chief Clerk |
$185,135 |
0.16% |
|
Chief Counsel |
$183,472 |
0.53% |
|
Communications Director |
$159,342 |
-3.50% |
|
Counsel |
$132,455 |
7.50% |
|
Deputy Chief Clerk |
$135,801 |
12.13% |
|
Deputy Staff Director |
$186,305 |
-4.82% |
|
General Counsel |
$185,922 |
0.61% |
|
Legislative Aide |
$75,288 |
-14.50% |
|
Professional Staff Member |
$111,404 |
-18.18% |
|
Research Assistant |
$67,227 |
-2.22% |
|
Senior Counsel |
$153,127 |
1.27% |
|
Sr. Professional Staff Member |
$154,554 |
14.65% |
|
Staff Assistant |
$60,005 |
2.45% |
|
Staff Director |
$221,065 |
1.18% |
|
Systems Administrator |
$105,573 |
1.28% |
Source: Report of the Secretary of the Senate, as collated by LegiStorm, and CRS calculations. Data and change, 2023-2024, is based on 2025 dollars per the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), Half1, 2025.
House staff pay information is available in CRS In Focus IF13073, Staff Pay, Selected Positions in House Member and Committee Offices, 2024, CRS Report R44323, Staff Pay, Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2023, and CRS Report R44322, House Committee Staff Pay, Selected Positions, 2001-2023. 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.