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Working at the White House not exactly a big-money job
By: Matthew Sheffield
Managing Editor
07/04/09 2:34 PM EDT
On this 4th of July, some of you (especially of the Democratic persuasion) may be considering going for a spot working directly for the president or one of his top staffers.
Aside from the feeling of doing something to serve the country, such jobs often have a lot of fringe benefits--premium prestige, the ability to put your personal ideas into policy, many jobs also involve a lot of travel.
One thing you won't likely get a lot of working at the White House is money, however.
According to an annual report just released by the White House, the top employee salaries max out at $172,000 per year, likely a big pay cut for the likes of Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel or White House legal counsel Gregory Craig, among others.
Out of about 450 employees, only 22 make the maximum salary. They are as follows:
David Axelrod, senior adviser to the president
Melody C. Barnes, director of domestic policy council
John O. Brennan, deputy national security advisor
Carol Browner, environmental policy adviser
Gregory Craig, White House counsel
Thomas E. Donnilon, deputy national security advisor
Anita B. Dunn, director of communications
Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff
Jonathan Favreau, speechwriter
Patrick Gaspard, director of political affairs
Robert Gibbs, press secretary
Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president
James L. Jones, national security advisor
Christopher Lu, White House cabinet secretary
Alyssa Mastromonaco, director of scheduling and advance
James A. Messina, deputy chief of staff
Peter M. Rouse, senior adviser to the president
Philip M. Schiliro, director, office of legislative affairs
Susan S. Sher, chief of staff to the first lady
Lawrence Summers, director of the national economic council
Mona K. Sutphen, deputy chief of staff for policy
$172k may still seem like a lot, however, the median income (the exact middle) for White House staffers is $62,250, below the median income for the Washington DC metro area of $72,800.
In the end, however, the lower salary may not be that much of a hindrance since most White House staffers rarely stay in their positions for more than a few years. And with work experience working for the president, chances are pretty good you'll be moving up the salary chart soon after departing.
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