At the beginning of the 115th Congress, 50 of the 100 U.S. senators had previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives. This included 27 of 52 Senate Republicans, 22 of 46 Senate Democrats, and one of the two independents who caucused with the Democrats.
Ballotpedia’s backgrounder also noted the following facts about congressional compensation.
As of 2017, members of Congress are paid $174,000 per year. Senate majority and minority leaders, as well as the president pro tempore, receive $193,400. The speaker of the House receives $223,500.
Some historical facts about the salary of United States Congress members:
- In 1789, members of Congress received a $6 per diem.
- In 1874, members of Congress earned $5,000 per year.
- In 1990, members of Congress earned $98,400 per year.
- From 2000-2006, the salary of a member of Congress increased every year, going from $141,300 to $165,200 in that time span.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.
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