The Political Pay Gap Closes Average annual pay by industry, 2013 dollars
Over time, the data show that workers at political organizations are making more than they used to. On average, workers in this category made $51,000 in 2013, 76% more than the $29,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars they made in 1978.
The pay for workers at political organizations also has begun fluctuating over the past decade, with off-year pay being slightly higher than election-year pay. In 2011, the average annual pay was $49,000. In 2012, that figure dropped to $44,000, before rising again to $51,000 in 2013.
The Political Pay Gap Closes  | Average annual pay by industry, 2013 dollars  | $60K  | 50K  | All industries  | 40K  | 30K  | Political organizations  | 20K  | 10K  | a  | 778  | 80  | 194  | '98  | 1902  | 10  | 13  | '86  | '90  | 06  | industry Note: Shaded bars indicate election years. Pay calculated as tota wages paid by  | industry divided by avera ge number of workers  | industry Source: Bureau by of Labor ge Statistics Quarterly Census of Employ ment and Wages  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 