White congressional staffers earned thousands of dollars more per year on average compared to their nonwhite counterparts, according to a new LegiStorm analysis of congressional salaries.
In the House of Representatives, white staffers’ annual take-home salary is $900 more on average than those in the same position who are Asian. White staffers also make an average of $2,000 more than Hispanic colleagues and $3,500 more than black aides.
In the Senate, white aides make $4,800 more than Asian aides on average, $1,800 more than Hispanic aides, and $7,000 more than their black counterparts.
Legistorm said the statistics “don’t necessarily mean that non-white staffers are being paid less for the exact same work” in Congress. However, it said a real disparity can be seen when it comes to the most senior staffing jobs.
“Non-white chiefs of staff, for example, make an average of $7,580 less in the House and $2,330 less in the Senate compared to their white counterparts,” it said. “Non-white legislative directors make $1,630 less in the House and $5,690 less in the Senate.”
