Nearly 2,000 House staffers earned six figure salaries in 2009

Washington, Mar.27 (ANI): Nearly 2,000 House of Representative staffers pulled down six-figure salaries in 2009, including 43 staffers, who earned the maximum 172,500 dollars, or more than three times the median U.S. household income.

According to Politico, starting salaries on Capitol Hill are still low - many entry-level congressional jobs pay less than 30,000-dollars a year. And many of the most highly paid staffers could make several times the maximum by jumping to lobbying and consulting jobs in the private sector.

But the salary data, compiled for Politico by LegiStorm.com, show that it's possible to make an enviable living in Congress, even without winning an election.

The 43 staffers who maxed out at 172,500 dollars, the salary cap for leadership and committee staffers - include John Lawrence, chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Paula Nowakowski, the late chief of staff to House Minority Leader John Boehner; and House Parliamentarian John Sullivan. They earned only slightly less than rank-and-file members of Congress, who make 174,000 dollars.

All the salary data are part of the public record and are culled from congressional office disbursement reports. (ANI)