Inflation-Adjusted House Member Office Staff Pay Levels, Selected Positions, March 2022

Inflation-Adjusted House Member Office Staff Pay Levels, Selected Positions, March 2022

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INSIGHTi

Inflation-Adjusted House Member Office
Staff Pay Levels, Selected Positions, March
2022
April 27, 2022
P.L. 117-103, the FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act, enacted on March 15, 2022, provided an
approximately 21% increase in the House Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA). The MRA
provides funding for Member office activities including staff (see CRS Report R40962, Members’
Representational Allowance: History and Usage), pursuant to rules issued by the Committee on House
Administration. Some have suggested that part of the increase could be dedicated to increasing salaries of
staff working in Member offices. Members of Congress have broad discretion to set the terms and
conditions of employment in their offices, including staff pay. Under an order of the Speaker issued
August 12, 2021 (Speaker’s Pay Order), the maximum pay for House staff is set at $199,300 per year.
Table 1 provides summary 2021 Member office pay data for selected positions in constant, March 2022
dollars. (See CRS Report R44323, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices,
2001-2019 for discussion of data collection and analysis methods.) Constant dollar figures represent the
approximate value of 2021 pay levels in current inflation-adjusted dollars, based on the Consumer Price
Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which is computed monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS).
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, Job Tenure, and Duties.

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Table 1. House Member Staff Pay, 2021, in Constant, 2022 (March) Dollars
Nominal, Current $
Constant 2022 $
Position
Minimum
Median
Maximum Average
Minimum
Median
Maximum Average
Caseworker
$35,200
$56,067
$83,333
$55,682
$37,348
$59,488
$88,418
$59,080
Chief of Staff
$126,487 $168,046 $184,483 $164,212 $134,205 $178,300 $195,740 $174,232
Communications Director
$60,000
$85,500
$129,008
$87,658
$63,661
$90,717
$136,880
$93,006
Constituent Services Representative
$24,060
$52,500
$70,500
$52,157
$25,528
$55,703
$74,802
$55,339
Deputy Chief of Staff
$72,500
$117,583 $178,858 $108,065
$76,924
$124,758 $189,772 $114,659
District Deputy Director
$45,583
$79,772
$102,000
$76,438
$48,365
$84,640
$108,224
$81,102
District Director
$74,900
$99,833
$179,000 $105,009
$79,470
$105,925 $189,922 $111,417
Field Representative
$35,000
$54,500
$79,600
$55,726
$37,136
$57,825
$84,457
$59,126
Legislative Assistant
$40,700
$59,190
$95,417
$61,575
$43,183
$62,802
$101,239
$65,332
Legislative Correspondent
$38,667
$54,487
$54,583
$52,023
$41,026
$57,812
$57,914
$55,198
Legislative Director
$75,667
$95,021
$127,000
$95,449
$80,284
$100,819 $134,749 $101,274
Scheduler
$30,867
$59,000
$131,333
$60,932
$32,750
$62,600
$139,347
$64,650
Senior Legislative Assistant
$42,325
$67,250
$109,000
$69,995
$44,908
$71,353
$115,651
$74,266
Staff Assistant
$24,583
$44,383
$66,000
$44,646
$26,083
$47,091
$70,027
$47,370
Source: Statement of Disbursements of the House, as col ated by LegiStorm, and CRS calculations.
Notes: Data in table are based on a random sampling of House offices. See CRS Report R44323, Staff Pay Levels for
Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2019 for detailed discussion of data collection and analysis.

Author Information

R. Eric Petersen

Specialist in American National Government

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