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
201 |
Member Name
Panetta, Rep. Jimmy (D-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.63 |
Member Education Index
2.13
|
|
Rank
202 |
Member Name
Houlahan, Rep. Chrissy (D-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.62 |
Member Education Index
4.08
|
|
Rank
203 |
Member Name
Shaheen, Sen. Jeanne (D-NH) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.62 |
Member Education Index
2.25
|
|
Rank
204 |
Member Name
Whitehouse, Sen. Sheldon (D-RI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.62 |
Member Education Index
3.92
|
|
Rank
205 |
Member Name
Latta, Rep. Bob (R-OH) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.62 |
Member Education Index
2.13
|
|
Rank
206 |
Member Name
Evans, Rep. Dwight (D-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.62 |
Member Education Index
1.50
|
|
Rank
207 |
Member Name
Hunt, Rep. Wesley (R-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.62 |
Member Education Index
3.81
|
|
Rank
208 |
Member Name
Joyce, Rep. John (R-PA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.61 |
Member Education Index
2.31
|
|
Rank
209 |
Member Name
Cantwell, Sen. Maria (D-WA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.61 |
Member Education Index
1.58
|
|
Rank
210 |
Member Name
Wyden, Sen. Ron (D-OR) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.61 |
Member Education Index
2.56
|
|
Rank
211 |
Member Name
Bishop, Rep. Dan (R-NC) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.61 |
Member Education Index
3.67
|
|
Rank
212 |
Member Name
Allred, Rep. Colin (D-TX) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.61 |
Member Education Index
3.42
|
|
Rank
213 |
Member Name
Kelly, Rep. Robin (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.60 |
Member Education Index
2.38
|
|
Rank
214 |
Member Name
Calvert, Rep. Ken (R-CA) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.60 |
Member Education Index
1.17
|
|
Rank
215 |
Member Name
Baldwin, Sen. Tammy (D-WI) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
3.42
|
|
Rank
216 |
Member Name
Jackson, Rep. Jonathan (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
2.83
|
|
Rank
217 |
Member Name
Titus, Rep. Dina (D-NV) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
3.63
|
|
Rank
218 |
Member Name
Lee, Rep. Susie (D-NV) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
3.33
|
|
Rank
219 |
Member Name
Leger Fernandez, Rep. Teresa (D-NM) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
4.31
|
|
Rank
220 |
Member Name
Sorensen, Rep. Eric (D-IL) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
1.25
|
|
Rank
221 |
Member Name
Menendez, Sen. Bob (D-NJ) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
2.38
|
|
Rank
222 |
Member Name
Marshall, Sen. Roger (R-KS) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
2.00
|
|
Rank
223 |
Member Name
Cortez Masto, Sen. Catherine (D-NV) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.59 |
Member Education Index
2.50
|
|
Rank
224 |
Member Name
Omar, Rep. Ilhan (D-MN) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.58 |
Member Education Index
2.08
|
|
Rank
225 |
Member Name
Murphy, Rep. Greg (R-NC) |
Average Staff Education Index
2.58 |
Member Education Index
4.33
|
* 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.
