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
26 |
Member Name
Blunt Rochester, Rep. Lisa (D-DE) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.13 |
Member Education Index
3.00
|
|
Rank
27 |
Member Name
Crow, Rep. Jason (D-CO) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.13 |
Member Education Index
4.13
|
|
Rank
28 |
Member Name
Duarte, Rep. John (R-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.13 |
Member Education Index
2.25
|
|
Rank
29 |
Member Name
Nadler, Rep. Jerry (D-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.12 |
Member Education Index
3.33
|
|
Rank
30 |
Member Name
Wilson, Rep. Frederica (D-FL) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.11 |
Member Education Index
2.83
|
|
Rank
31 |
Member Name
Lieu, Rep. Ted (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.10 |
Member Education Index
5.38
|
|
Rank
32 |
Member Name
Bishop, Rep. Sanford (D-GA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.09 |
Member Education Index
3.17
|
|
Rank
33 |
Member Name
García, Rep. Chuy (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.09 |
Member Education Index
1.83
|
|
Rank
34 |
Member Name
Balint, Rep. Becca (D-VT) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.08 |
Member Education Index
3.21
|
|
Rank
35 |
Member Name
Cartwright, Rep. Matt (D-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.08 |
Member Education Index
3.25
|
|
Rank
36 |
Member Name
Schakowsky, Rep. Jan (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.07 |
Member Education Index
1.63
|
|
Rank
37 |
Member Name
Thanedar, Rep. Shri (D-MI) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.07 |
Member Education Index
2.88
|
|
Rank
38 |
Member Name
Jeffries, Rep. Hakeem (D-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.06 |
Member Education Index
4.06
|
|
Rank
39 |
Member Name
Welch, Sen. Peter (D-VT) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.05 |
Member Education Index
3.17
|
|
Rank
40 |
Member Name
Ossoff, Sen. Jon (D-GA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.05 |
Member Education Index
2.33
|
|
Rank
41 |
Member Name
Brown, Rep. Shontel (D-OH) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.05 |
Member Education Index
1.17
|
|
Rank
42 |
Member Name
Bennet, Sen. Michael (D-CO) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.04 |
Member Education Index
4.00
|
|
Rank
43 |
Member Name
Jackson, Rep. Jeff (D-NC) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.04 |
Member Education Index
4.25
|
|
Rank
44 |
Member Name
Slotkin, Rep. Elissa (D-MI) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.03 |
Member Education Index
3.38
|
|
Rank
45 |
Member Name
Cleaver, Rep. Emanuel (D-MO) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.03 |
Member Education Index
1.63
|
|
Rank
46 |
Member Name
Luján, Sen. Ben Ray (D-NM) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.03 |
Member Education Index
1.17
|
|
Rank
47 |
Member Name
DeSaulnier, Rep. Mark (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.02 |
Member Education Index
2.92
|
|
Rank
48 |
Member Name
Mullin, Rep. Kevin (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.02 |
Member Education Index
1.88
|
|
Rank
49 |
Member Name
Van Hollen, Sen. Chris (D-MD) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.01 |
Member Education Index
4.63
|
|
Rank
50 |
Member Name
Spanberger, Rep. Abigail (D-VA) |
Average Staff Education Index
3.00 |
Member Education Index
2.33
|
* 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.
