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.