Pay in House Offices Below U.S. Averages

Salaries for college-educated employees of House of Representatives offices lag well behind national averages, the result of a tight labor market in which the private sector can pay more, a study finds. But women and minorities who work for House members are doing better in pay equity when compared with employees in the general workplace, reports a nonprofit organization seeking to improve the effectiveness of Congress. House personal office staff who graduated from college averaged $40,221 in pay in 2000, while workers nationally with a bachelor’s degree averaged $58,302, or 45% more, the Congressional Management Foundation said. That pay gap has risen from 5% in 1996 and 28% in 1998, the foundation said.