Congressional staff assistants, take heart: Although you make a paltry salary, by the time you've landed that coveted chief of staff job, your annual pay will have more than quadrupled, according to new congressional salary figures available.
A chief of staff makes a median salary of $150,000 in the House and $169,000 in the Senate — the highest average pay of any congressional position. But to get there, you'll have to work your way up from the bottom.
Start as a House staff assistant, and you'll make a median of $35,000 per year. A promotion to legislative correspondent will net you an extra $4,500 annually. Become a legislative assistant, and your salary will rise again from $40,000 to $50,000. Next step: legislative director, when you'll make an average of $86,000.
But if you really want to make the big bucks, start as a staff assistant in the Senate. You'll start out earning only $36,000 per year and later make $41,000 as a legislative correspondent, not much more than in the House. But at the level of legislative assistant, your pay will rise to $75,000 and soar to $137,000 as a legislative director. Progressing that far in the Senate will also mean more responsibility.
