Senate Republicans are having a harder time retaining staff than their Democratic counterparts.
Compared to Democrats, Republican personal offices averaged 14% higher staff turnover in FY2023, according to a new LegiStorm analysis of Senate salary data from October 2022-September 2023.
Republicans also made up nine of the top 10 member offices with the highest turnover. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), whose office yielded the highest rates, lost staffer at double the chamber's average.
Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Neely Kennedy (R-La.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) rounded out the chamber's highest staff departure, with rates at least 68% above average.
Though Senate Democrats have historically higher turnover rates than Republicans, the GOP's personal-office turnover grew by 33% from FY2022-FY2023. Senate Democrats' turnover decreased by 14% during that period.
High turnover doesn't necessarily indicate that an individual member is difficult to work for. But over time, consistently poor staff retention can result in lower productivity and effectiveness and may indicate a workplace that staffers wish to avoid.
LegiStorm's staff turnover index is salary-weighted, meaning that the departure of a higher-paid staffer, such as a chief of staff, will count proportionately more than a staff assistant or other lower-paid staffer. LegiStorm considers only full-time, non-temporary staff and excludes all interns and fellows.
