Compared to Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans employ fewer staffers with advanced degrees -- but pay them thousands a year more.
According to a LegiStorm analysis of Senate staffer pay from October 2022 through March 2023, the median Republican personal-office staffer with a doctoral degree made 14% more than her or his Democratic counterpart - a difference of $6,700 across six months.
Republicans paid Senate staffers with law degrees a median 8% more than Democrats. Republicans staffers with master's degrees made 10% more. That amounts to a median six-month difference of $4,700 and $3,800, respectively.
Across all Senate personal-office staffers, Republicans paid their median staffer 4% more than Democrats. That's a median difference of $1,300 and does not account for education level.
Despite paying them less, Democratic personal offices employ a larger number of staffers with advanced degrees. Three-fourths of Senate PhD holders work for Democrats, according to LegiStorm estimates. Democrats also employ 57% of the Senate's attorneys and 62% of those with master's degrees.
This analysis examines the median pay across all full-time Senate staffers but does not reflect further distribution of those pay differences. These salary rates may not necessarily reflect the median staffer's pay rate for the entire year.
