Are US Congresspeople Wealthy?

More than half of all Congresspeople in the United States are at least millionaires. As of 2010, 50 out of the 261 millionaires in Congress were worth more than $10 million US Dollars (USD), and eight were worth more than $100 million USD.

More facts about U.S. congresspeople:

• Senators tend to be much wealthier than members of the House of Representatives. The median wealth of senators is more than $2 million USD, and the median wealth of representatives is about $700,000 USD.


• Congresspeople don't become millionaires because of the job — each member of Congress receives an annual salary of $175,000, not counting perks such as travel allowances. Most congresspeople invest heavily in the stock market as well as the healthcare industry.


• Wealth among congressional officials increased by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, even though the country was in a severe recession.