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
101 |
Member Name
Boyle, Rep. Brendan (D-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.84 |
Member Education Index
3.83
|
|
Rank
102 |
Member Name
Cherfilus-McCormick, Rep. Sheila (D-FL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.84 |
Member Education Index
2.13
|
|
Rank
103 |
Member Name
Garamendi, Rep. John (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.84 |
Member Education Index
5.25
|
|
Rank
104 |
Member Name
Steel, Rep. Michelle (R-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.84 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
|
Rank
105 |
Member Name
Romney, Sen. Mitt (R-UT) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.83 |
Member Education Index
4.40
|
|
Rank
106 |
Member Name
Franklin, Rep. Scott (R-FL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.83 |
Member Education Index
2.19
|
|
Rank
107 |
Member Name
Thanedar, Rep. Shri (D-MI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.83 |
Member Education Index
2.88
|
|
Rank
108 |
Member Name
Garcia, Rep. Mike (R-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.83 |
Member Education Index
3.08
|
|
Rank
109 |
Member Name
Fitzgerald, Rep. Scott (R-WI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.82 |
Member Education Index
1.17
|
|
Rank
110 |
Member Name
Peters, Sen. Gary (D-MI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.82 |
Member Education Index
2.70
|
|
Rank
111 |
Member Name
Hoyer, Rep. Steny (D-MD) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.82 |
Member Education Index
3.42
|
|
Rank
112 |
Member Name
Schneider, Rep. Brad (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.82 |
Member Education Index
3.33
|
|
Rank
113 |
Member Name
Morelle, Rep. Joe (D-NY) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.81 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
|
Rank
114 |
Member Name
Wyden, Sen. Ron (D-OR) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.81 |
Member Education Index
2.56
|
|
Rank
115 |
Member Name
Quigley, Rep. Mike (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.80 |
Member Education Index
3.38
|
|
Rank
116 |
Member Name
Brownley, Rep. Julia (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.80 |
Member Education Index
3.38
|
|
Rank
117 |
Member Name
Gonzalez, Rep. Vicente (D-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.80 |
Member Education Index
2.13
|
|
Rank
118 |
Member Name
Bera, Rep. Ami (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.80 |
Member Education Index
4.33
|
|
Rank
119 |
Member Name
Larsen, Rep. Rick (D-WA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.79 |
Member Education Index
2.33
|
|
Rank
120 |
Member Name
Scott, Rep. Bobby (D-VA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.79 |
Member Education Index
3.92
|
|
Rank
121 |
Member Name
Wild, Rep. Susan (D-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.79 |
Member Education Index
3.75
|
|
Rank
122 |
Member Name
Merkley, Sen. Jeff (D-OR) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.79 |
Member Education Index
4.08
|
|
Rank
123 |
Member Name
Murphy, Sen. Chris (D-CT) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.79 |
Member Education Index
2.56
|
|
Rank
124 |
Member Name
Castro, Rep. Joaquin (D-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.79 |
Member Education Index
4.50
|
|
Rank
125 |
Member Name
DelBene, Rep. Suzan (D-WA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.79 |
Member Education Index
3.00
|
* 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.
