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
451 |
Member Name
Wenstrup, Rep. Brad (R-OH) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.09 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
|
Rank
452 |
Member Name
Torres, Rep. Norma (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.09 |
Member Education Index
1.13
|
|
Rank
453 |
Member Name
Malliotakis, Rep. Nicole (R-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.09 |
Member Education Index
1.83
|
|
Rank
454 |
Member Name
Molinaro, Rep. Marc (R-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.09 |
Member Education Index
1.00
|
|
Rank
455 |
Member Name
Wilson, Rep. Joe (R-SC) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.08 |
Member Education Index
3.25
|
|
Rank
456 |
Member Name
Boozman, Sen. John (R-AR) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.08 |
Member Education Index
2.17
|
|
Rank
457 |
Member Name
Johnson, Rep. Dusty (R-SD) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.08 |
Member Education Index
1.83
|
|
Rank
458 |
Member Name
McBath, Rep. Lucy (D-GA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.08 |
Member Education Index
1.50
|
|
Rank
459 |
Member Name
Huizenga, Rep. Bill (R-MI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.08 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
|
Rank
460 |
Member Name
Balderson, Rep. Troy (R-OH) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.07 |
Member Education Index
1.17
|
|
Rank
461 |
Member Name
Luttrell, Rep. Morgan (R-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.07 |
Member Education Index
1.63
|
|
Rank
462 |
Member Name
Meuser, Rep. Dan (R-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.06 |
Member Education Index
1.67
|
|
Rank
463 |
Member Name
Mann, Rep. Tracey (R-KS) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.06 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
|
Rank
464 |
Member Name
Fulcher, Rep. Russ (R-ID) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.06 |
Member Education Index
1.83
|
|
Rank
465 |
Member Name
Larson, Rep. John (D-CT) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
|
Rank
466 |
Member Name
Rogers, Rep. Mike (R-AL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
2.25
|
|
Rank
467 |
Member Name
Smith, Rep. Jason (R-MO) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
|
Rank
468 |
Member Name
Crenshaw, Rep. Dan (R-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
3.83
|
|
Rank
469 |
Member Name
Hyde-Smith, Sen. Cindy (R-MS) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
1.17
|
|
Rank
470 |
Member Name
Joyce, Rep. Dave (R-OH) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
|
Rank
471 |
Member Name
Pettersen, Rep. Brittany (D-CO) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
|
Rank
472 |
Member Name
Cloud, Rep. Michael (R-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.05 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
|
Rank
473 |
Member Name
Moran, Sen. Jerry (R-KS) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.04 |
Member Education Index
1.75
|
|
Rank
474 |
Member Name
Risch, Sen. Jim (R-ID) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.04 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
|
Rank
475 |
Member Name
Connolly, Rep. Gerry (D-VA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.04 |
Member Education Index
3.33
|
* 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.
