House staff turnover rate second worst in decades, with Democrat worker-retention below GOP's

Staff turnover in the House is at its second-highest rates in decades – even as Congress' lower chamber tries to retain employees by offering better base pay.

In 2021, amid the pandemic and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the turnover rate was 55% higher than in 2020, according to a report Wednesday by LegiStorm, which describes itself as a Web-based platform with information about congressional staff and Capitol Hill activities.

Retention improve by 8% in 2022 over the previous year, according to the analysis. But that's still the second-worst turnover rate since at least 2001, the first full year LegiStorm started tracking salary data.

Despite being at the forefront of the staffer unionization movement, House Democrats lost workers at an 8% higher rate than Republicans.

The analysis also showed House Democrats lost staffers at an 8% greater rate than Republicans last year.

In response to the exodus, the House increased personal office budgets by 21% and created a $45,000 salary floor in an attempt to attract and retain employees. Retention subsequently improved by 8% in 2022. 

Reflecting how Democrats have a higher turnover rate, they made up seven of the top 10 House offices with the worst turnover rates, but this number also includes the lawmakers who left at the end of last Congress. 

North Carolina Democrat Rep. Alma Adams lost staffers at 4.2 times the House average, putting her with the worst staff retention level, the report found. 

Others with the worst retention levels include Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Dan Meuser (R-Pa.).