Menu Search Account

LegiStorm

Get LegiStorm App Visit Product Demo Website
» Get LegiStorm App
» Get LegiStorm Pro Free Demo

Caught Our Eye

House staffers took home big bonuses in 2021

Posted by Keturah Hetrick on March 8, 2022

House staffers ended 2021 with the highest holiday bonuses of any non-election year in at least two decades, according to LegiStorm estimates.

House staffers working for member offices received 22.5 percent more money in the fourth quarter than in previous quarters - a bonus of nearly $3,800 per staffer.

In 2019 and 2017, staffers received a fourth-quarter bump of 19.2 percent and 19.5 percent, respectively. End-of-year bonuses are typically lower in non-election years.

Although GOP representatives tend to give much higher end-of-year bonuses than their Democratic counterparts, the parties narrowed the usual gap in 2021. Republicans averaged 23.0 percent more in the fourth quarter, while Democrats averaged 22.0 percent more. That's a partisan difference of only $160 more for the average Republican staffer than the average Democratic staffer. 2019 saw $350 more for the average Republican.

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) topped the charts with an average Q4 pay of 115.6 percent more than his staff had made in each of year's the previous quarters. Aides to Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) got the second-highest increase, at 80.0 percent per staffer.

Members don't explicitly report bonuses in their quarterly expense reports. To estimate bonuses, LegiStorm compares average quarterly salaries to find payment increases.