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
76 |
Member Name
Goldman, Rep. Dan (D-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.90 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
Rank
77 |
Member Name
DeGette, Rep. Diana (D-CO) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.90 |
Member Education Index
3.42
|
Rank
78 |
Member Name
Beyer, Rep. Don (D-VA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.89 |
Member Education Index
2.10
|
Rank
79 |
Member Name
Casey, Sen. Bob (D-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.89 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
Rank
80 |
Member Name
King, Sen. Angus (I-ME) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.88 |
Member Education Index
3.67
|
Rank
81 |
Member Name
Klobuchar, Sen. Amy (D-MN) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.88 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
Rank
82 |
Member Name
Sablan, Delegate Kilili (D-MP) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.88 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
Rank
83 |
Member Name
Hickenlooper, Sen. John (D-CO) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.88 |
Member Education Index
2.58
|
Rank
84 |
Member Name
Ivey, Rep. Glenn (D-MD) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.87 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
Rank
85 |
Member Name
Davis, Rep. Don (D-NC) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.87 |
Member Education Index
2.65
|
Rank
86 |
Member Name
Thompson, Rep. Bennie (D-MS) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.87 |
Member Education Index
2.25
|
Rank
87 |
Member Name
Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Raja (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.86 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
Rank
88 |
Member Name
Beatty, Rep. Joyce (D-OH) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.86 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
Rank
89 |
Member Name
Cotton, Sen. Tom (R-AR) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.86 |
Member Education Index
4.00
|
Rank
90 |
Member Name
Cardin, Sen. Ben (D-MD) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.86 |
Member Education Index
2.25
|
Rank
91 |
Member Name
Cárdenas, Rep. Tony (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.86 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
Rank
92 |
Member Name
Tillis, Sen. Thom (R-NC) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.86 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
Rank
93 |
Member Name
Doggett, Rep. Lloyd (D-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.86 |
Member Education Index
2.83
|
Rank
94 |
Member Name
Lee, Rep. Summer (D-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.85 |
Member Education Index
2.25
|
Rank
95 |
Member Name
Moore, Rep. Gwen (D-WI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.85 |
Member Education Index
1.63
|
Rank
96 |
Member Name
Hassan, Sen. Maggie (D-NH) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.85 |
Member Education Index
3.67
|
Rank
97 |
Member Name
González, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer (R-PR) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.85 |
Member Education Index
2.67
|
Rank
98 |
Member Name
Peters, Rep. Scott (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.85 |
Member Education Index
5.38
|
Rank
99 |
Member Name
Kilmer, Rep. Derek (D-WA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.85 |
Member Education Index
2.58
|
Rank
100 |
Member Name
Plaskett, Delegate Stacey (D-VI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.85 |
Member Education Index
3.08
|
* 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.