LegiStorm's education index provides a way to compare the average level of formal education attained by congressional staff and members among different offices which vary in staff size and composition. This education comparison provides certain insights into an office's staffing, hiring and compensation strategy. While the Best Educated Offices index is useful in comparing the average level of formal education attained by staff, this data is not intended to convey any judgment or measurement related to the impact of education on the quality of the staff or the office's ability to carry out its work.
Best educated offices are ranked by calculating an average education score for each office's current staff. The education score is based on the level of education attained* (e.g., a PhD is weighted more heavily than a master's degree, which in turn is weighted more heavily than a bachelor's degree) and the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rank of the institution attended.** LegiStorm obtains education information for members of Congress and their staff based on a variety of public sources and attempts to verify the accuracy of these records directly with each staffer. The education index is updated daily, indicating real-time changes in the office composition.
Important Caveats
Formal education is only a part of the broader picture of an individual person's skills and experience. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that the average education level in an office can be skewed by such factors as staff composition (e.g., an office staffed with a relatively high percent of entry-level positions and low percent of senior positions will tend to have a lower education score); geographic distribution (e.g., an office which predominantly hires staff from states with many high-ranked schools will tend to have a higher education score); and the cultural values of the individual staffers (e.g., individuals who value experience over formal education may not make their up-to-date education history information publicly available).
|
Rank
|
Member Name |
Average Staff Education Index ↓ |
Member Education Index |
|
Rank
1 |
Member Name
Suozzi, Rep. Tom (D-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
4.30 |
Member Education Index
3.08
|
|
Rank
2 |
Member Name
Schatz, Sen. Brian (D-HI) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.71 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
|
Rank
3 |
Member Name
Markey, Sen. Ed (D-MA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.67 |
Member Education Index
3.67
|
|
Rank
4 |
Member Name
Warren, Sen. Elizabeth (D-MA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.56 |
Member Education Index
2.20
|
|
Rank
5 |
Member Name
Bowman, Rep. Jamaal (D-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.56 |
Member Education Index
2.10
|
|
Rank
6 |
Member Name
McClellan, Rep. Jenn (D-VA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.41 |
Member Education Index
3.42
|
|
Rank
7 |
Member Name
Lynch, Rep. Stephen (D-MA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.39 |
Member Education Index
4.25
|
|
Rank
8 |
Member Name
Jacobs, Rep. Sara (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.39 |
Member Education Index
4.08
|
|
Rank
9 |
Member Name
Cohen, Rep. Steve (D-TN) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.38 |
Member Education Index
2.50
|
|
Rank
10 |
Member Name
Ross, Rep. Deborah (D-NC) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.33 |
Member Education Index
5.00
|
|
Rank
11 |
Member Name
Khanna, Rep. Ro (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.32 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
|
Rank
12 |
Member Name
Matsui, Rep. Doris (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.28 |
Member Education Index
3.00
|
|
Rank
13 |
Member Name
Coons, Sen. Chris (D-DE) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.28 |
Member Education Index
4.25
|
|
Rank
14 |
Member Name
Pressley, Rep. Ayanna (D-MA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.26 |
Member Education Index
1.50
|
|
Rank
15 |
Member Name
Payne, Rep. Donald (D-NJ) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.24 |
Member Education Index
1.00
|
|
Rank
16 |
Member Name
Casten, Rep. Sean (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.24 |
Member Education Index
3.33
|
|
Rank
17 |
Member Name
Radewagen, Delegate Amata (R-AS) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.23 |
Member Education Index
1.13
|
|
Rank
18 |
Member Name
Gillibrand, Sen. Kirsten (D-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.19 |
Member Education Index
2.50
|
|
Rank
19 |
Member Name
Sarbanes, Rep. John (D-MD) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.18 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
|
Rank
20 |
Member Name
Moulton, Rep. Seth (D-MA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.18 |
Member Education Index
4.94
|
|
Rank
21 |
Member Name
Schiff, Rep. Adam (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.16 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
|
Rank
22 |
Member Name
Raskin, Rep. Jamie (D-MD) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.15 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
|
Rank
23 |
Member Name
Sherman, Rep. Brad (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.15 |
Member Education Index
3.75
|
|
Rank
24 |
Member Name
Hirono, Sen. Mazie (D-HI) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.14 |
Member Education Index
3.17
|
|
Rank
25 |
Member Name
Tlaib, Rep. Rashida (D-MI) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.14 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
* Levels of education considered are: professional certificate, some undergraduate coursework, associate's degree, bachelor's degree, some graduate coursework, post-graduate certificate, master's degree, juris doctor, doctorate, doctor of medicine.
** Institutions are weighted by U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings, grouped by top 10, 10-49, 50-100, higher than 100 or unranked. National universities are weighed more heavily than regional universities or liberal arts colleges.
