At Least 58 Lawmakers Among Top 1%

Darrel Issa, Michael McCaul, and John Kerry top the list
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 16, 2011 11:40 AM CST
At Least 58 Lawmakers Among Top 1%
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., speaks on Capitol Hill, June 2, 2011, during the committee's hearing on the impact of the Gulf Oil Spill.   (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

About 11% of Congress might be taking Occupy Wall Street’s anti-1% rhetoric personally. At least 58 lawmakers have a net worth north of $9 million, putting them in the top 1% of all Americans by wealth, according to a USA Today analysis of financial disclosure forms. The actual figure is a bit murky, however, as lawmakers only report their assets in broad ranges, and don’t need to disclose their property values.

What’s not murky: Congress is overwhelmingly well-to-do, with 250 millionaires and a median net worth of $891,506, almost nine times that of the average American household. “The vast majority of members of Congress are doing very well,” says a Center for Responsive Politics member. Overall Republicans have more 1%-ers in the House (24) than Democrats (10), while in the Senate, Democrats edge Republicans 13 to 10. Darrell Issa is the wealthiest lawmaker with an estimated $448.1 million. (More We Are the 99% stories.)

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