Legislative Branch Staffing, 1954-2007

Legislative Branch Staffing, 1954-2007

ȱ
Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ǯȱ›’ŒȱŽ?Ž›œŽ—ȱ
—Š•¢œ?ȱ’—ȱ–Ž›’ŒŠ—ȱŠ?’˜—Š•ȱ ˜ŸŽ›—–Ž—?ȱ
Œ?˜‹Ž›ȱŗśǰȱŘŖŖŞȱ
˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
ŝȬśŝŖŖȱ
   ǯŒ›œǯ?˜Ÿȱ
ŚŖŖśŜȱ
ȱŽ™˜›?ȱ?˜›ȱ˜—?›Žœœ
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
ž––Š›¢ȱ
This report provides data and analysis concerning legislative branch staffing levels since 1954.
Legislative branch staff include congressional staff, who work in the House or Senate, and
legislative agency staff, who work in a legislative branch agency. Legislative branch staff are
counted by full-time equivalent (FTE) positions or payroll positions. FTE positions are based on
an estimate of time needed to carry out the work of an agency, which is used to compute an
estimated level of staffing. The second method considers staff on the payroll, a Ahead count@
method that counts the number of people actually carrying out the work of an agency. Because of
their consistency and availability, payroll data are used for this report. FTE data are used in a few
cases when payroll data are unavailable.
At present, there is no legislation pending before Congress to change existing staff arrangements
in Congress or legislative branch agencies. As policies and issues before Congress continue to
proliferate in volume and complexity, new proposals for change in staffing levels or changes in
the balance between congressional staff and legislative agency staff may emerge.
This report, which will be updated annually, is one of several CRS products focusing on various
aspects of congressional operations and administration. Others include CRS Report RL34619,
Use of the Capitol Rotunda and Capitol Grounds: Concurrent Resolutions, 101st to 110th
Congress, by Matthew Eric Glassman and Jacob R. Straus; CRS Report RL33220, Support
Offices in the House of Representatives: Roles and Authorities, by Ida A. Brudnick; and CRS
Report RL34545, Congressional Staff: Duties and Functions of Selected Positions, by R. Eric
Petersen.

˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
˜—?Ž—?œȱ
Counting Positions: Full Time Equivalent and Payroll Positions.................................................... 2
FTE Positions ............................................................................................................................ 2
Payroll Positions........................................................................................................................ 3
Legislative Branch Staffing Trends, 1954-2007.............................................................................. 3
Potential Staffing Issues for Congress............................................................................................. 6

’?ž›Žœȱ
Figure 1. Legislative Branch Staffing, 1954-2007 .......................................................................... 1
Figure 2. Distribution of Legislative Branch Staff, 1955-2005 ....................................................... 2
Figure 3. House and Senate Staffing, 1975-2007 ........................................................................... 4
Figure 4. Distribution of Legislative Branch Staff, 1975-2005 ....................................................... 5
Figure 5. Selected Legislative Agency Staffing, 1954-2007 ........................................................... 6

Š‹•Žœȱ
Table 1. Change in Legislative Branch Staffing, 1955-2005........................................................... 3
Table 2. Legislative Branch Employment, 2001-2007 .................................................................... 7
Table 3. Legislative Branch Employment, 1991-2000 .................................................................... 8
Table 4. Legislative Branch Employment, 1981-1990 .................................................................... 9
Table 5. Legislative Branch Employment, 1971-1980 .................................................................. 10
Table 6. Legislative Branch Employment, 1961-1970 ...................................................................11
Table 7. Legislative Branch Employment, 1954-1960 .................................................................. 12

˜—?ŠŒ?œȱ
Author Contact Information .......................................................................................................... 13
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 13

˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
his report provides data and analysis of legislative branch staffing levels since 1954.
Legislative branch staff include congressional staff, who work in the House or Senate, and
T legislative agency staff, who work in a legislative branch agency.1 All staff positions
discussed in this report are funded in the annual legislative branch appropriations act.
Legislative branch staffing levels since 1954 reflect a number of trends and characteristics. From
the mid-1950s, and through the 1960s, staffing levels were characterized by modest, steady
growth. This pattern gave way to a sharper increase in congressional staff throughout the 1970s,
primarily due to the implementation of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 (LRA) and the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA). The LRA mandated enhanced congressional oversight,
including additional congressional staff for House and Senate committees and increased staff in
some legislative agencies. The CBA established the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the
Senate and House Committees on the Budget. Agency staff levels were essentially flat from the
mid-1970s until the mid-1980s, when they began to decline. In the 1980s, congressional staff
levels were also flat, resulting in a small overall decrease in legislative staff employment.
Congressional staff levels began to decrease in the early 1990s, and the rate of legislative agency
decline accelerated. The decreases were due in part to reductions in House committee staff, the
General Accounting Office (GAO), and other legislative branch entities, and the abolition of the
Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). Decreases continued in the early 2000s, but appear to
show slight increases in the past few years. Figure 1 provides an overview of legislative branch
staffing trends.
Figure 1. Legislative Branch Staffing, 1954-2007
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
4
59
64
9
74
9
84
89
4
99
04
195
19
19
196
19
197
19
19
199
19
20
Year
Congress
Legislative Branch Agencies
Total, Legislative Branch

Source: Office of Personnel Management (OPM), or its predecessor agency, U.S. Civil Service Civil
Commission, except for the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), which is included in the data since 2003. From 1954-
1968, federal employment statistics were published in the Monthly Report of Federal Employment. For the period
1969-1985, statistics were published in Federal Civilian Manpower Statistics – Monthly Release. Since 1986, OPM

1 In 2008, legislative branch agencies include the Office of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC); U.S. Botanic Garden
(USBG); U.S. Capitol Police (USCP); Congressional Budget Office (CBO); Government Accountability Office
(GAO); Government Printing Office; (GPO); Library of Congress (LOC); Congressional Research Service (CRS); and
Office of Compliance (OOC).
˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
ŗȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
statistics have been published bimonthly in Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, Employment and Trends. Data
collected by OPM since 1997 are available at http://www.opm.gov/feddata/html/empt.asp. For USCP data, see
U.S. Congress, House, Subcommittee on Legislative, Legislative Branch Appropriations for 2004, pt. 1 (Washington:
GPO, 2003), p. 1140; and Ibid, Legislative Branch Appropriations for 2009, pt. 1 (Washington: GPO, 2008), p. 236.
Notes: Data for all entities except USCP are based on payroll information as of December in each year, except
2007, which are as of September, the latest data available from OPM. USCP data are full-time equivalent (FTE)
positions reported by that agency in appropriations requests. Before 2007, data include legislative branch entities
in existence at that time.
During the same period, the distribution of
Figure 2. Distribution of Legislative
legislative branch employees shifted between
Branch Staff, 1955-2005
legislative agencies and Congress. In 1954,
Congressional and Legislative Agency Staff
approximately three-fourths of legislative
branch staff worked in agencies. The
percentage of staff working for Congress
100%
90%
grew slowly and steadily and by the mid-
80%
1980s accounted for approximately half of
70%
legislative branch employment. In 2007,
60%
approximately 56% of legislative branch
50%
employees worked in the House or Senate,
40%
30%
with the remainder distributed throughout the
20%
legislative agencies. The data show that
10%
Senate and House staffs have grown from
0%
approximately 17% and 29%, respectively, in
1955
1965
1975
1985
1995
2005
1975, to approximately 21% and 34%,
Congress
Legislative Agencies
respectively, of legislative branch staff in

2007. Figure 2 displays changes in the
Source: Office of Personnel Management, CRS
distribution of legislative branch staff
calculations.
between 1955 and 2005.
Table 2 through Table 7 provide legislative branch staffing data between 1954 and 2007.
˜ž—?’—?ȱ˜œ’?’˜—œǱȱž••ȱ’–Žȱšž’ŸŠ•Ž—?ȱŠ—?ȱ
Š¢›˜••ȱ˜œ’?’˜—œȱ
Legislative branch staff are counted by full-time equivalent (FTE) positions or payroll positions.
FTE positions are based on an estimate of time needed to carry out the work of an agency, which
is used to compute an estimated level of staffing. The second method considers staff on the
payroll, a Ahead count@ method that counts the number of people actually carrying out the work of
an agency. FTEs capture the long-term staffing expectations of an agency, while head counts
represent on-board personnel at a specific moment in time.
ȱ˜œ’?’˜—œȱ
According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), FTEs are determined by a formula
that adds the total number of hours worked by all employees of agencies during a year and then
divides that total by 2,080, which is the number of scheduled work hours in a work year. The
2,080 hours can be worked by one employee who works a full time schedule of 40 hours each
˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
Řȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
week for 52 weeks, or two or more part-time employees who work a total of 2,080 hours between
or among them. This method provides the means for an agency to determine its long term staffing
expectations and the impact of those expectations on the agency=s future budgets. FTE estimates
do not reflect the actual number of people needed to carry out the work of the agency.2 While
OPM requires federal executive branch agencies to estimate their staffing needs in FTEs, no
standard has been explicitly mandated by Congress for legislative entities to use for staff
planning. Nevertheless, FTE estimates appear to be widely employed. Regular references to
legislative branch staff in terms of FTEs were made by the House Committee on Appropriations
beginning in the early 1990s, according to a survey of its hearings and reports.
Š¢›˜••ȱ˜œ’?’˜—œȱ
A second method of calculating employment levels considers staff on payroll. While the FTE
method provides an estimate of the long-term staff needs of an agency, the payroll method
captures the actual number of employees working at any one time. Payroll data are supplied by
the legislative branch entities to OPM on a monthly basis and made available as a public
document.3 Because of their consistency and availability, payroll data are used for this report.
FTE data are used in a few cases when payroll data are unavailable.
Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ȱ›Ž—?œǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
Between 1954 and 2007, total legislative branch staff increased by 44.50%. Most of this growth
occurred among congressional staff, which more than tripled over the five-decade period, while
legislative agency staff decreased by 13.28%. Table 1 summarizes changes in legislative branch
staffing between 1955 and 2005.
Table 1. Change in Legislative Branch Staffing, 1955-2005
Total,
Legislative
Legislative
Year Congress
%
Agencies
%
Branch
%
1955 5,706
-
15,761 -
21,467 -
1960 6,866 20.33% 15,651 -0.70%
22,517 4.89%
1965 8,754 27.50% 16,278 4.01%
25,032 11.17%
1970 11,127 27.11%
18,523 13.79%
29,811 19.09%
1975 17,039 53.13%
20,264 9.40%
37,303 25.13%
1980 18,838 10.56%
19,862 -1.98%
38,700 3.75%
1985 19,488 3.45%
18,590 -6.40%
38,078 -1.61%

2 Office of Personnel Management, Employment and Trends of Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, September 2007,
available at http://www.opm.gov/feddata/html/2007/september/intro.asp. According to the Government Accountability
Office (GAO), annual leave, sick leave, compensatory time off, and other approved leave categories are considered to
be “hours worked” for purposes of defining FTE employment. See Government Accountability Office, A Glossary of
Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process (Washington: GPO, 2005), p. 57.
3 Office of Personnel Management, Employment and Trends of Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, available at
http://www.opm.gov/feddata/html/empt.asp.
˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
řȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
Total,
Legislative
Legislative
Year Congress
%
Agencies % Branch %
1990 19,181 -1.58% 17,551 -5.59%
36,732 -3.53%
1995 17,453 -9.01% 14,601 -16.81%
32,054 -12.74%
2000 16,504 -5.44% 14,325 -1.89%
30,829 -3.82%
2005 17,376 5.28% 14,248 -0.54%
31,620 2.57%
Source: Office of Personnel Management, CRS calculations.
Since 1954, there have been changes not only in the size but also in the deployment of legislative
branch staff. From the mid-1950s through the 1970s, there were considerably more legislative
agency employees than congressional staff. In 1954, 16,051 employees served in legislative
agencies, compared to 5,621 congressional staff. By 1970, the gap decreased with legislative
agencies comprising 18,523 employees and Congress having 11,127 staff members. During the
1980s, legislative branch employees were effectively evenly divided between Congress and
legislative branch agencies, with 1985 staffing levels of 18,590 in legislative agency offices and
19,488 in congressional offices. In the 1990s, both congressional staff and agency staff numbers
declined significantly, but the decline was higher for agency staff. In 2000, legislative branch
agencies accounted for 14,325 employees; congressional staff was 16,504. In the past several
years, legislative agency staff numbers have continued to decrease, but at a slower pace than
during the 1990s, while congressional staff levels have grown slightly. In 2007, the latest
available data from OPM show 13,390 employees working in legislative agencies, and 17, 396
staff members in congressional offices.
The growth of congressional staff was likely
Figure 3. House and Senate Staffing,
due to a number of factors. These include a
1975-2007
steady increase in the volume and complexity
of issues addressed by Congress,4 which
14,000
required the acquisition of specialized
12,000
congressional staff, and legislative changes,
10,000
including the implementation of the LRA and
8,000
6,000
CBA. It appears from available data that
4,000
between 1954 and the mid-1980s, staff levels
2,000
in the House increased at a slightly higher
0
rate than the Senate. During the 1990s, staff
75
77
79
81
85
87
89
91
93
95
97
99
01
03
05
07
19
19
19
19
1983 19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
levels in both chambers decreased, with larger
Senate
House
decreases occurring in the House. Since then,

staff changes have been proportional in both
Source: Office of Personnel Management, CRS
chambers. Figure 3 provides an overview of
calculations.
House and Senate staffing trends between
1975 and 2007. Figure 4 provides the distribution of legislative branch staff in the House, Senate,
and legislative agencies between 1975 and 2005.

4 See, for example, Nelson W. Polsby, “The Institutionalization of the U.S. House of Representatives,” The American
Political Science Review, vol. 62, no. 1 (March 1968), pp. 144-168.
˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
Śȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
Figure 4. Distribution of Legislative Branch Staff, 1975-2005
House, Senate, and Legislative Agency Staff
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
House
Senate
Legislative Agencies

Source: Office of Personnel Management, CRS calculations.
The overall downward trend in legislative agency staffing, displayed in Figure 2, has not affected
every agency. Figure 5 provides staffing levels for four legislative agencies that have operated
continuously between 1954 and 2007: the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), GAO, the Government
Printing Office (GPO), and the Library of Congress (LOC). Staffing levels in two of the agencies,
AOC and LOC, appear to reflect trends similar to that of the legislative branch as a whole. By
contrast, both GAO and GPO had fewer staff in 2007 than in 1954. GAO staff levels appear to
have fallen until the 1970s before growing in the years after passage of the LRA and the General
Accounting Office Act of 1974. Relatively small growth continued at GAO until the mid-1990s,
when the agency’s staff levels were reduced by Congress. Since the mid-1990s, GAO staff levels
have remained flat. GPO staff levels grew continuously between 1954 and 1975, but have
declined steadily since. This is due in part to the adoption by the agency of less labor intensive
printing technologies, increased utilization of contracted printing services, and reduced demands
from government clients who have opted to provide their documents through electronic means.
˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
śȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
Figure 5. Selected Legislative Agency Staffing, 1954-2007
Architect of the Capitol, Government Accountability Office,
Government Printing Office, and Library of Congress
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
4
9
4
9
4
9
4
9
4
9
4
195
195
196
196
197
197
198
198
199
199
200
AOC
GAO
GPO
LOC

Source: Office of Personnel Management, CRS calculations.
Notes: LOC data include CRS staff.
˜?Ž—?’Š•ȱ?Š??’—?ȱ œœžŽœȱ?˜›ȱ˜—?›Žœœȱ
At present, there is no legislation pending before Congress to change existing staff arrangements
in Congress or legislative branch agencies. As policies and issues before Congress continue to
proliferate in volume and complexity, new proposals for change in staffing levels or changes in
the balance between congressional staff and legislative agency staff may emerge. Those proposals
may also be incorporated into broader issues, including how to fund additional staff resources,5
and how to accommodate more staff in congressional facilities. Periodically, concerns have been
raised that congressional buildings and facilities on Capitol Hill are overcrowded, or inadequate
to support the work of Congress,6 despite the recent addition of congressional facilities in the
Capitol Visitors’ Center expansion. Any discussion of adding congressional staff would likely
raise questions related to the adequacy of current congressional facilities.

5 See CRS Report RL34490, Legislative Branch: FY2009 Appropriations, by Ida A. Brudnick.
6 U.S. Congress, House Committee on House Administration, Committee Funding, 109th Cong., 1st sess., March 10,
2005 (Washington: GPO, 2005), p. 4; Jennifer Yanchin, “House Panels Request More Funding, Space,” Roll Call,
March 14, 2005, retrieved through nexis.com; Richard Sammon, “A Walk Through the Capitol Illustrates Safety
Concerns,” CQ Weekly, August 6, 1994, p. retrieved from cq.com.; and Sarah Booth Conroy, “Plan for Capitol Hill
Ready: Capital Master Plan Would Limit Staffs, Buildings,” The Washington Post, September 25, 1981, p. A1,
retrieved through nexis.com.
˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
Ŝȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
Table 2. Legislative Branch Employment, 2001-2007

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
U.S.
Senate
6,343 6,414 6,588 6,689 6,803 6,718 6,686
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
10,806 10,890 10,330 10,489 10,573 10,086 10,710
U.S.
Congress
17,149 17,304 16,918 17,178 17,376 16,804 17,396
Legislative Branch Entities

Architect
of
the
Capitol
1,974 2,081 2,156 2,201 2,162 2,235 2,189
U.S.
Botanic
Garden
44 50 53 59 57 57 57
U.S. Capitol Policea
1,481 1,750 1,895 1,993 2,004 2,075 2,083
Congressional
Budget
Office
231 225 229 236 233 234 232
Government Accountability Officeb 3,219 3,357 3,260 3,258 3,204 3,263 3,172
Government
Printing
Office
3,009 3,018 2,663 2,404 2,362 2,359 2,252
Library of Congressc
3,591 3,716 3,749 3,643 3,519 3,333 3,252
Congressional Research Serviced 660 662 693 692 681 669 658
Office
of
Compliance
18 14 18 19 22 23 25
Legislative
Branch
Agencies
14,227 14,873 14,716 14,505 14,244 14,248 13,920
Total,
Legislative
Branch
31,376 32,177 31,634 31,683 31,620 31,052 31,316
Source: Office of Personnel Management (OPM), except for Congressional Research Service (CRS) data, which were provided by that agency, and the U.S. Capitol Police
(USCP), which were taken from agency appropriations requests. OPM statistics since 1986 have been published bimonthly in Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, Employment
and Trends. Data collected by OPM since 1997 are available at http://www.opm.gov/feddata/html/empt.asp. For USCP data, see U.S. Congress, House, Subcommittee on
Legislative, Legislative Branch Appropriations for 2004, pt. 1 (Washington: GPO, 2003), p. 1140; and Ibid, Legislative Branch Appropriations for 2009, pt. 1 (Washington: GPO,
2008), p. 236.
Notes: All entities listed are funded in the annual legislative branch appropriations act. Data for all entities except USCP are based on payroll information as of December
in each year, except 2007, which are as of September, the latest data available from OPM. USCP data are full time equivalent (FTE) positions reported by that agency in
appropriations requests. From time to time, OPM includes in its legislative branch employment numbers entities that are neither part of the legislative branch nor funded in
the annual legislative branch appropriations act. In September 2007, these entities included the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; John C. Stennis Center
for Public Development; Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission; U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals; and
U.S. Tax Court. Employees of these entities are not included in this table.
a. Full time equivalent data. Until FY2003, USCP personnel assigned to duties in the House or Senate were counted in the staff rolls of the respective chamber. USCP
data for years prior to 2004 are not counted in the agency or legislative branch totals because they are included in House or Senate numbers.
Ȭŝȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
b. Prior to 2004, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was called the General Accounting Office. For consistency, the agency is listed as “Government
Accountability Office,” and GAO staff are included in the tables for all years.
c. Data for each year reflect total Library of Congress (LOC) employees reported by OPM less the number provided by CRS for its employees.
d. Data provided by CRS. CRS numbers are not reported separately by OPM; they are included by OPM in LOC figures.
Table 3. Legislative Branch Employment, 1991-2000

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
U.S.
Senate
7,495 7,461 7,417 7,207 6,830 6,572 6,768 6,106 6,164 6,085
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
12,714 12,676 12,683 11,516 10,623 10,351 10,477 10,435 10,532 10,419
U.S.
Congress
20,209 20,137 20,100 18,723 17,453 16,923 17,245 16,541 16,696 16,504
Legislative Branch Entities

Architect
of
the
Capitol
2,270 2,430 2,300 2,265 2,001 1,956 1,786 1,855 1,929 1,963
U.S.
Botanic
Garden
54 53 53 53 51 50 46 41 30 33
U. S. Capitol Policea
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
1,240
1,329
1,511
Congressional
Budget
Office
230 231 221 214 236 228 231 216 222 229
Copyright
Royalty
Tribunal
10 9 — — — — — — — —
Government Accountability Officeb 5,378 5,189 4,888 4,461 3,810 3,468 3,270 3,355 3,245 3,115
Government
Printing
Office
4,883 4,894 4,560 4,243 3,942 3,727 3,537 3,363 3,229 3,130
Library of Congressc
4,189 4,111 3,830 3,868 3,806 3,725 3,667 3,632 3,638 3,663
Congressional Research Serviced 831 838 814 763 755 742 721 718 712 664
Office
of
Compliance
— — — — — 18 22 20 19 17
Office
of
Technology
Assessment 197 209 206 198 — — — — — —
Legislative
Branch
Agencies
18,042 17,964 16,872 16,065 14,601 13,914 13,280 14,440 14,353 14,325
Total,
Legislative
Branch
38,251 38,101 36,972 34,788 32,054 30,837 30,525 30,981 31,049 30,829
Source: Office of Personnel Management (OPM), except for Congressional Research Service (CRS) data, which were provided by that agency, and the U.S. Capitol Police
(USCP), which were taken from agency appropriations requests. From 1969-1985, federal employment statistics were published in Federal Civilian Manpower Statistics –
Monthly Release. Since 1986, OPM statistics have been published bimonthly in Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, Employment and Trends. Data collected by OPM since 1997
are available at http://www.opm.gov/feddata/html/empt.asp. For USCP data, see U.S. Congress, House, Subcommittee on Legislative, Legislative Branch Appropriations for
2004, pt. 1 (Washington: GPO, 2003), p. 1140; and Ibid, Legislative Branch Appropriations for 2009, pt. 1 (Washington: GPO, 2008), p. 236.
ȬŞȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
Notes: Data for all entities except USCP are based on payroll information as of December in each year, except 2007, which are as of September, the latest data available
from OPM. USCP data are full time equivalent (FTE) positions reported by that agency in appropriations requests. A dash indicates when a legislative branch entity was not
in existence.
a. Full time equivalent data. Until FY2003, USCP personnel assigned to duties in the House or Senate were counted in the staff rolls of the respective chamber. USCP
data for years prior to 2004 are not counted in the agency or legislative branch totals because they are included in House or Senate numbers. Specific USCP data prior
to 1998 are unavailable, and marked NA for the appropriate years.
b. Prior to 2004, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was called the General Accounting Office. For consistency, the agency is listed as “Government
Accountability Office,” and GAO staff are included in the tables for all years.
c. Data for each year reflect total Library of Congress (LOC) employees reported by OPM less the number provided by CRS for its employees.
d. Data provided by CRS. CRS numbers are not reported separately by OPM; they are included by OPM in LOC figures.
Table 4. Legislative Branch Employment, 1981-1990

1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
U.S.
Senate
6,940 7,060 7,151 7,062 7,168 6,811 7,219 7,044 7,232 7,217
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
12,163 12,003 12,514 12,318 12,320 11,554 12,047 11,929 12,039 11,964
U.S.
Congress
19,103 19,063 19,665 19,380 19,488 18,365 19,266 18,973 19,271 19,181
Legislative
Branch
Entities

Architect
of
the
Capitol
2,018 2,128 2,256 2,266 2,141 2,095 2,120 2,190 2,211 2,224
U.S.
Botanic
Garden
57 57 56 56 54 51 54 54 53 57
Congressional
Budget
Office
207 208 206 220 213 220 212 216 219 234
Copyright
Royalty
Tribunal
8 8 6 7 8 7 7 7 8 10
Government Accountability Officea 5,269 5,186 5,311 5,339 5,374 5,164 5,382 5,319 5,284 5,283
Government
Printing
Office
6,310 5,936 5,742 5,558 5,391 5,223 5,202 5,126 4,997 4,934
Library of Congressb
4,303 4,415 4,402 4,444 4,363 4,036 4,172 3,992 3,915 3,822
Congressional Research Servicec 859 825 873 893 852 768 819 858 829 797
Office
of
Technology
Assessment 150 172 186 207 194 198 202 201 196 190
Legislative
Branch
Agencies
19,181 18,935 19,038 18,990 18,590 17,762 18,170 17,963 17,712 17,551
Total,
Legislative
Branch
38,284 37,998 38,703 38,370 38,078 36,127 37,436 36,936 36,983 36,732
Source: Office of Personnel Management (OPM), except for Congressional Research Service (CRS) data, which were provided by that agency. From 1969-1985, federal
employment statistics were published in Federal Civilian Manpower Statistics – Monthly Release. Since 1986, OPM statistics have been published bimonthly in Federal Civilian
Workforce Statistics, Employment and Trends.
Ȭşȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
Notes: Data for all entities are based on payroll information as of December for each year. A dash indicates when a legislative branch entity was not in existence.
a. Prior to 2004, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was called the General Accounting Office. Before FY1968, the agency was funded in appropriations for
independent offices, and has since been funded in annual appropriations for the legislative branch. For consistency, the agency is listed as “Government Accountability
Office,” and GAO staff are included in the tables for all years.
b. Data for each year reflect total Library of Congress (LOC) employees reported by OPM less the number provided by CRS for its employees.
c. Data provided by CRS. CRS numbers are not reported separately by OPM; they are included by OPM in LOC figures.
Table 5. Legislative Branch Employment, 1971-1980

1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
U.S.
Senate
NA NA NA NA 6,351 6,573 6,424 6,540 6,957 6,995
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
NA NA NA NA 10,688 10,744 11,352 11,384 11,680 11,843
U.S. Congressa
12,571 12,971 14,675 14,694 17,039 17,317 17,776 17,924 18,637 18,838
Legislative
Branch
Entities

Architect
of
the
Capitol
1,666 1,723 1,778 1,903 2,036 2,129 2,219 2,239 2,231 2,081
U.S.
Botanic
Garden
55 57 55 57 62 56 57 57 56 55
Congressional
Budget
Office
— — — — — 197 205 203 207 210
Copyright
Royalty
Tribunal
— — — — — 9 10 10 10
Cost
Accounting
Standards
Board — — — 40 40 40 36 32 27 —
Government Accountability Officeb 4,681 4,778 4,894 5,287 4,897 5,372 5,428 5,382 5,329 5,434
Government
Printing
Office
8,183 8,429 8,169 8,355 8,444 8,077 7,698 7,375 7,069 6,610
Library of Congressc
3,509 3,752 3,766 3,804 4,039 4,131 4,332 4,375 4,536 4,436
Congressional Research Serviced 383 465 584 675 746 806 810 805 857 888
Office
of
Technology
Assessment — — — — — — 138 150 140 138
Legislative
Branch
Agencies
18,477 19,204 19,246 20,121 20,264 20,808 20,932 20,628 20,462 19,862
Total,
Legislative
Branch
31,214 32,348 34,143 35,083 37,303 38,125 38,708 38,552 39,099 38,700
Source: Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and its predecessor agency, U.S. Civil Service Commission, except for Congressional Research Service (CRS) data, which
were provided by that agency. From 1969-1985, federal employment statistics were published in Federal Civilian Manpower Statistics – Monthly Release.
Notes: Data for all entities are based on payroll information as of December for each year. A dash indicates when a legislative branch entity was not in existence.
a. From 1954-1974, a combined House and Senate employee count was reported under the heading Congress. House and Senate numbers for those years are
unavailable, and marked NA.
ȬŗŖȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
b. Prior to 2004, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was called the General Accounting Office. Before FY1968, the agency was funded in appropriations for
independent offices, and has since been funded in annual appropriations for the legislative branch. For consistency, the agency is listed as “Government Accountability
Office,” and GAO staff are included in the tables for all years.
c. Data for each year reflect total Library of Congress (LOC) employees reported by OPM less the number provided by CRS for its employees.
d. Data provided by CRS. CRS numbers are not reported separately by OPM; they are included by OPM in LOC figures.
Table 6. Legislative Branch Employment, 1961-1970

1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
U.S. Congressa
7,532 7,557 8,039 8,085 8,754 9,311 10,209 9,917 10,721 11,127
Legislative
Branch
Entities

Architect
of
the
Capitol
1,430 1,417 1,386 1,495 1,609 1,607 1,540 1,543 1,545 1,563
U.S.
Botanic
Garden
50 48 50 52 53 56 54 57 55 57
Government Accountability Officeb 4,728 4,585 4,387 4,211 4,044 4,014 4,216 4,265 4,466 4,731
Government
Printing
Office
6,889 7,135 7,292 7,408 7,194 7,492 7,785 7,904 8,039 8,308
Library of Congressc
2,611 2,776 2,880 3,073 3,147 3,362 3,766 4,126 3,691 3,530
Congressional Research Serviced 224 223 222 224 231 243 300 299 316 334
Legislative
Branch
Agencies
15,932 16,184 16,217 16,463 16,278 16,774 17,661 18,194 18,112 18,523
Total,
Legislative
Branch
23,464 23,741 24,256 24,548 25,032 26,085 27,870 28,111 28,833 29,811
Source: U.S. Civil Service Commission, predecessor agency of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) except for Congressional Research Service (CRS) data, which
were provided by that agency. From 1954-1968, federal employment statistics were published in the Monthly Report of Federal Employment. For the period 1969-1985,
federal employment statistics were published in Federal Civilian Manpower Statistics – Monthly Release.
Notes: Data for all entities are based on payroll information as of December for each year.
a. From 1954-1974, a combined House and Senate employee count was reported under the heading Congress. House and Senate numbers for those years are
unavailable.
b. Prior to 2004, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was called the General Accounting Office. Before FY1968, the agency was funded in appropriations for
independent offices, and has since been funded in annual appropriations for the legislative branch. For consistency, the agency is listed as “Government Accountability
Office,” and GAO staff are included in the tables for all years.
c. Data for each year reflect total Library of Congress (LOC) employees reported by OPM less the number provided by CRS for its employees.
d. Data provided by CRS. CRS numbers are not reported separately by OPM; they are included by OPM in LOC figures.
Ȭŗŗȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ
Table 7. Legislative Branch Employment, 1954-1960

1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960
U.S. Congressa
5,621 5,706 6,229 6,431 6,561 6,906 6,866
Legislative
Branch
Entities

Architect
of
the
Capitol
1,043 1,036 1,130 1,141 1,225 1,376 1,401
U.S.
Botanic
Garden
47 47 48 47 46 47 48
Government Accountability Officeb
5,791 5,616 5,433 5,439 5,253 5,029 4,885
Government
Printing
Office
6,781 6,658 6,681 6,429 6,460 6,499 6,573
Library
of
Congress
2,389 2,404 2,473 2,639 2,571 2,703 2,744
Legislative
Branch
Agencies
16,051 15,761 15,765 15,695 15,555 15,654 15,651
Total,
Legislative
Branch
21,672 21,467 21,994 22,126 22,116 22,560 22,517
Source: U.S. Civil Service Commission, predecessor agency of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). From 1954-1968, federal employment statistics were published
in the Monthly Report of Federal Employment.
Notes: Data for all entities are based on payroll information as of December for each year.
a. From 1954-1974, a combined House and Senate employee count was reported under the heading Congress. House and Senate numbers for those years are
unavailable, and marked NA.
b. Prior to 2004, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was called the General Accounting Office. Before FY1968, the agency was funded in appropriations for
independent offices, and has since been funded in annual appropriations for the legislative branch. For consistency, the agency is listed as “Government Accountability
Office,” and GAO staff are included in the tables for all years.

ȬŗŘȱ

Ž?’œ•Š?’ŸŽȱ›Š—Œ‘ȱ?Š??’—?ǰȱŗşśŚȬŘŖŖŝȱ
ȱ

ž?‘˜›ȱ˜—?ŠŒ?ȱ —?˜›–Š?’˜—ȱ

R. Eric Petersen

Analyst in American National Government
epetersen@crs.loc.gov, 7-0643

Œ”—˜ •Ž??–Ž—?œȱ
Jennifer Manning and Maureen Bearden, Information Research Specialists in the Knowledge Services
Group, provided research support for this report.

˜—?›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
ŗřȱ