Senate Staff Levels in Member, Committee, Leadership, and Other Offices, 1977-2014

Summary

Senate staff from 1977 to 1986, excluding state-based staff, increased from 3,397 to 4,180, or 23.05%. From 1987 and 2014, all Senate staff grew from 4,916 to 5,758, or 23.89%. Since 2010, however, staff working for the Senate has decreased 6.65%. The changes in both time periods were characterized in part by increases in the number of staff working in chamber leadership offices, and larger increases in the staffing of chamber officers and officials. Additionally, staff working for Members have shifted from committees to the personal offices of Members. Some of these changes may be indicative of the growth of the Senate as an institution, or the value the chamber places on its various activities.

This report is one of several CRS products focusing on congressional staff. Others include CRS Report RL34545, Congressional Staff: Duties and Functions of Selected Positions, by R. Eric Petersen; CRS Report R43947, House of Representatives Staff Levels in Member, Committee, Leadership, and Other Offices, 1977-2014, by Lara E. Chausow, R. Eric Petersen, and Amber Hope Wilhelm; CRS Report R43774, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in Senators’ Offices, FY2009-FY2013, by R. Eric Petersen, Lara E. Chausow, and Amber Hope Wilhelm; and CRS Report R43775, Staff Pay Levels for Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2009-2013, by R. Eric Petersen, Lara E. Chausow, and Amber Hope Wilhelm.