Kevin Hern Leads at the First 2026 HCI Checkpoint
The 2026 HillClimbers Index is not finished yet.
The first checkpoint belongs to Kevin Hern.
Hern’s office leads the 2026 Q1 HillClimbers Index with an HCI score of 82.52. Neal Dunn ranks second with a score of 82.04, and Janice Schakowsky ranks third with a score of 81.62.
This is the first stage of the 2026 HCI cycle, not the final result. The current index reflects the January 1 through March 31 checkpoint. When Q2 data is added, the index will cover January 1 through June 30. Q3 will extend the race again. The final 2026 HCI will come after Q4 data is available.
So the better way to read the current leaderboard is this: Hern is leading early, but the full 2026 climb is still underway.
The HillClimbers Index is designed to measure the workforce strength of House Member offices across three pillars:
- Capacity: Does the office have enough people, pay, and intern support?
- Stability: Does the office retain staff, build experience, and promote from within?
- Structure: Does the office look organized, balanced, and sustainable relative to comparable offices?
Hern’s office did not rank first in any single pillar. It ranked 62nd in Capacity, 8th in Stability, and 6th in Structure.
That is what makes the early lead interesting.
Kevin Hern is leading at the first HCI checkpoint because his office is balanced across the climb, not because it dominates one section of the course.
The strongest office is not always the office with the most staff, the highest pay, the most interns, or the lowest turnover. The strongest office is often the one that performs well across multiple dimensions at once.
Kevin Hern Leads at the First 2026 HCI Checkpoint
The Top Overall HCI Offices at the Q1 Checkpoint
The top of the 2026 Q1 HCI leaderboard shows that office strength is not partisan, geographic, or ideological by default. It is operational.
The top offices at the Q1 checkpoint were:
- Kevin Hern, OK-01, Republican: 82.52
- Neal P. Dunn, FL-02, Republican: 82.04
- Janice D. Schakowsky, IL-09, Democrat: 81.62
- Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC-00, Democrat: 81.34
- Ann Wagner, MO-02, Republican: 80.68
- Ron Estes, KS-04, Republican: 80.46
- Darrell Issa, CA-48, Republican: 80.37
- Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, VA-03, Democrat: 80.16
- Michael R. Turner, OH-10, Republican: 79.79
- Mark Pocan, WI-02, Democrat: 79.16
- Hakeem S. Jeffries, NY-08, Democrat: 78.96
Only eight offices reached the HCI Peak tier, meaning they scored 80 or higher.
Another 43 offices were in the Summit Push tier, with scores from 75 to below 80. The High Camp tier included 121 offices, The Approach tier included 177 offices, the Trailhead tier included 79 offices, and the Base Camp tier included 14 offices.
That distribution matters. It shows that the top HCI offices are meaningfully separated from the rest of the House office landscape.
Most offices are not failing. Most are operating somewhere in the middle. But only a small group is showing the strongest combined workforce profile across capacity, stability, and structure at the first checkpoint of the year.
Why the HillClimbers Index Matters
Most public conversations about congressional offices focus on the Member.
That is understandable, but incomplete.
A Member office is also a team. That team handles legislation, constituent services, district work, communications, scheduling, casework, operations, and public engagement. HillClimbers’ Member Office Roles page shows how those functions fit together across a typical House office.
The HillClimbers Index looks beneath the public-facing politics and asks a different question: how strong does the office appear as a workforce organization?
That question matters for job seekers, journalists, researchers, students, career advisors, and offices themselves.
For job seekers, the HCI helps identify offices that may offer stronger work environments, better structure, or more stability.
For journalists, it provides a way to evaluate congressional capacity beyond anecdotes.
For researchers, it offers a staffing-based lens into institutional performance.
For offices, it provides a peer-relative benchmark.
The HillClimbers Index is not a popularity contest. It is a workforce capacity signal.
The public HCI table shows overall and pillar scores. The component-level data adds another layer by showing what is driving those scores underneath the surface.
Bobby Scott Leads the Capacity Pillar
The first major HCI pillar is Capacity.
At the 2026 Q1 checkpoint, Bobby Scott led the Capacity pillar with a score of 89.43.
Capacity measures whether an office appears to have enough people and compensation resources to support the workload of a modern House Member office. It includes staffing levels, staff pay, intern levels, and intern stipends.
Scott’s office also had the highest average staff compensation among active Member offices in the 2026 Q1 HCI data, at $110,312.
That is a major signal.
HillClimbers has repeatedly shown that congressional pay is central to office capacity. The public All House Staff - No Interns data gives the cleanest view of the permanent House staff workforce, while the broader All House Staff data includes interns and other non-permanent workers.
HillClimbers has also shown that the average House staff salary jumps nearly $10,000 when interns are excluded. That distinction matters because the permanent staff workforce carries the core office workload.
Scott’s top Capacity score reflects an office with unusually strong compensation and solid staffing resources.
Ann Wagner Leads the Stability Pillar
The second HCI pillar is Stability.
At the 2026 Q1 checkpoint, Ann Wagner led the Stability pillar with a score of 97.42.
Stability measures whether an office appears to retain staff, build experience, and create internal advancement opportunities.
Wagner’s office combined several strong signals:
- 7.4 average years of House experience
- zero turnover
- 25.0% promotion rate
That combination is powerful.
A stable office is not simply an office where nobody leaves. It is an office where staff experience accumulates, institutional knowledge stays inside the team, and staff have some opportunity to move upward.
HillClimbers has previously shown that low-paying congressional offices experience the highest staff turnover. Turnover matters because it costs more than headcount. It costs relationships, process knowledge, management attention, and continuity.
Wagner’s office stood out because the stability signals lined up.
Valerie P. Foushee Leads the Structure Pillar
The third HCI pillar is Structure.
At the 2026 Q1 checkpoint, Valerie P. Foushee led the Structure pillar with a score of 87.46.
Structure measures whether an office’s staffing model appears balanced and organized relative to comparable offices. It is not just about being large or small. It looks at whether the office resembles a functional, peer-appropriate team.
Foushee’s office showed several notable underlying signals:
- 18.0 daily staff
- 2.7 daily interns
- 15.0% intern-staff ratio
- zero turnover
- 11.1% promotion rate
The structure result is important because not every strong office is simply the biggest office or the highest-paying office.
House offices have different districts, workloads, Member priorities, seniority levels, and operating models. A strong structure score means the office appears well-aligned relative to peer offices, not merely large in absolute terms.
HillClimbers’ guide to how congressional staffing works explains why Member offices have to balance Washington work, district work, constituent services, communications, scheduling, and operations inside a constrained budget.
Structure is where those tradeoffs become visible.
Component Leaders Show What Is Underneath the Public Scores
The overall HCI score tells readers who leads the full index.
The pillar scores show where offices are strongest.
The component-level inputs show what is actually happening underneath the leaderboard.
This is especially important because not every component should be read as “best.” Some components show strength. Others show scale. Others show strain.
A high staff-pay score is generally a positive signal. A high promotion rate can be a positive signal. A high multiple-role load is different. It may show that many staff are carrying more than one function.
That distinction matters.
Not every high score means the same thing. Some HCI components measure strength. Others reveal pressure.
Capacity Components: Staff, Pay, Interns, and Stipends
The Capacity pillar is built from several major inputs: staffing levels, staff pay, intern levels, and intern stipends.
The component leaders show four different kinds of capacity.
Sharice Davids had the highest staffing level, with 21.3 daily staff.
That is the largest staff count in the 2026 Q1 HCI data. Staffing level matters because House offices are responsible for a wide range of work: legislation, communications, constituent services, district outreach, scheduling, administration, and casework.
A larger team can create more room for specialization. It can also give an office more capacity to absorb spikes in constituent work, policy demands, and district activity.
Bobby Scott had the highest average staff pay among active Member offices, at $110,312.
That is important because staff pay is one of the clearest signals of professional capacity. Higher compensation can help offices recruit and retain experienced staff across roles such as Chief of Staff, Legislative Director, Senior Legislative Assistant, Communications Director or Press Secretary, District Director, and Constituent Services Representative/Caseworker.
April McClain Delaney had the highest intern level, with 10.1 daily interns.
That result fits the broader HillClimbers finding that congressional intern staffing now stays elevated year-round. It also connects to HillClimbers’ recent finding that spring interns are no longer the warm-up act.
Interns are no longer just a summer add-on. In many offices, they are becoming part of the operating rhythm.
Jared Golden had the highest average intern stipend, at $8,410.
That stands out because HillClimbers has shown that paid congressional intern staffing is rising while average stipends are falling. In that context, a high stipend is not just a budget detail. It is a signal about access.
Internship pay affects who can afford to take a congressional internship and who gets a realistic pathway into public service.
Stability Components: Experience, Turnover, and Promotions
The Stability pillar looks at how much experience an office has, whether staff are leaving, and whether the office promotes from within.
The component leaders show why stability is one of the most important parts of the HillClimbers Index.
Steve Cohen had the deepest staff experience, with an average of 12.4 years at the House.
Experience depth matters because congressional offices rely heavily on institutional knowledge. Experienced staff understand the district, the Member, committee work, agency processes, legislative procedure, constituent-service patterns, and the daily realities of the House.
HillClimbers has previously analyzed the importance of congressional institutional memory. Cohen’s office stands out because its staff experience level is unusually deep.
156 offices had zero turnover in the 2026 Q1 HCI data.
That is a large group. It also shows why turnover needs to be interpreted carefully. Zero turnover can be a sign of stability, but it is not automatically enough to make an office strong overall. An office can retain staff but still have weaker pay, lower capacity, or less balanced structure.
At the other end of the turnover distribution, Maggie Goodlander’s office lost 50.0% of its staff in Q1.
That number should be read carefully. Turnover can be especially volatile for newer offices, small offices, or offices undergoing transition. A high turnover rate is not an allegation of wrongdoing. It is a workforce signal.
But it is still a meaningful signal.
When half an office turns over in a short period, the operational effect can be significant. Staff departures affect casework continuity, legislative coverage, scheduling systems, district relationships, communications workflows, and institutional memory.
Ro Khanna Stands Out for Promotions
One of the most interesting positive signals in the 2026 Q1 HCI data came from Ro Khanna’s office.
Khanna had the highest promotion rate in the dataset, at 43.8%. Even more notable: 100% of the staff promoted in Khanna’s office stayed in the office.
That is exactly the kind of workforce signal the Stability pillar is designed to surface.
Promotions matter because they can show that an office is not only hiring staff, but building them. In an institution where many early-career staff leave because they cannot see a path upward, internal advancement is a major retention tool.
A high promotion rate with full promoted-staff retention suggests an office where upward mobility is connected to continuity.
At the same time, 217 offices had zero promotions in the measured period. That does not mean all of those offices are weak. Some offices may have stable teams, limited vacancies, or fewer opportunities for title changes during the period.
But the contrast is still useful.
An office with a high promotion rate and strong promoted-staff retention is doing something different from an office with no internal movement.
Structure Components: Ratios, Role Load, and Team Mix
The Structure pillar is the easiest to misunderstand.
Structure does not simply reward the office with the most interns, the fewest shared staff, or the fewest multiple-role staff. It looks at whether the office’s staffing pattern appears peer-appropriate and sustainable.
That is why some structure components should not be read as “best” or “worst.” They are indicators.
Keith Self, Jerrold Nadler, and Diana DeGette tied for the most peer-typical intern-staff ratio score, each with an intern-staff ratio of 15.5%.
That does not mean they had the most interns. It means their intern-staff ratio was especially typical relative to peer expectations.
That distinction matters.
A very high intern-staff ratio can mean an office is investing heavily in internships. It can also raise questions about whether interns are being used as a substitute for permanent staff capacity. A very low intern-staff ratio can mean an office is less dependent on interns, but it may also mean fewer entry points for students and early-career applicants.
A peer-typical ratio is different. It suggests the intern layer fits the office’s broader staffing structure.
Ryan Mackenzie, Salud Carbajal, and Bennie Thompson had the highest multiple-role load, with 8 staff holding multiple roles.
This is not a “best office” signal. It is a pressure signal.
Multiple-role staff can be a practical necessity in congressional offices. Many staffers wear more than one hat, especially in smaller offices or offices managing constrained budgets. But when many staff are carrying multiple roles, it can suggest that the office is stretching people across functions.
That matters for burnout, coverage, and management.
A Legislative Assistant may also handle constituent correspondence. A Staff Assistant may support scheduling, tours, phones, mail, and front office operations. A Field Representative may carry outreach responsibilities across several issue areas or regions.
Multiple-role load is part of how congressional work gets done. It is also part of how capacity strain shows up.
Chuck Edwards had the highest peer-relative team mix score, with a Structure Team Mix score of 96.12.
That means Edwards’ office had the most peer-relative typical or standard org chart in the 2026 Q1 HCI data.
This is a different kind of structure signal. It does not mean the office is the biggest or the most senior. It means the distribution of roles appears especially aligned with comparable offices.
For a Member office, that can matter a lot. A balanced team mix helps ensure that legislative work, communications, district work, casework, scheduling, and administration are all covered.
Why the Early HCI Leader Was Not a Pillar Leader
Kevin Hern leads the 2026 Q1 HillClimbers Index even though Bobby Scott led Capacity, Ann Wagner led Stability, and Valerie P. Foushee led Structure.
That is how the HillClimbers Index is supposed to work.
A single category can tell an important story. The overall HCI tells a broader one.
An office can have high staff pay but weaker structure. An office can have deep experience but lower capacity. An office can have a very typical org chart but less pay strength. An office can have many interns but a ratio that looks unusual relative to peers.
The HCI brings those signals together.
That is why Hern’s Q1 lead matters. It reflects balance across the three major dimensions of office strength at the first checkpoint of the 2026 cycle.
But the race is not over. As Q2, Q3, and Q4 data are added, offices can move. Staff may leave, promotions may occur, intern levels may change, compensation patterns may shift, and office structures may become stronger or more strained.
The Q1 leaderboard shows who is leading early. The final 2026 HCI will show who sustained the climb.
What This Means for Job Seekers
For Capitol Hill job seekers, the top HCI offices are worth watching.
That does not mean everyone should only apply to high-ranking offices. A lower-ranking office may still offer a great opportunity, especially for someone who wants a specific issue portfolio, district connection, Member relationship, or growth path.
But the HCI gives applicants a better way to ask questions.
A job seeker can look at an office and ask:
- Does this office appear to have enough staff capacity?
- Does it pay competitively?
- Does it retain staff?
- Does it promote from within?
- Does the team structure look balanced?
- Are staff carrying many overlapping roles?
- Does the office rely heavily on interns?
- Does the office show signs of stability or strain?
Those are better questions than simply asking whether a job is open.
HillClimbers’ congressional jobs board can help applicants find current openings, while the HillClimbers Index helps them evaluate office context.
Together, those tools make the Hill job search more transparent.
What This Means for Journalists and Researchers
For journalists and researchers, the HCI component leaders show why congressional staffing should not be treated as background noise.
Staffing is capacity.
If an office has high turnover, that affects continuity. If an office has low pay, that affects retention. If an office has unusually high intern reliance, that affects how work is organized. If an office has many staff carrying multiple roles, that may signal workload strain. If an office has deep staff experience, that may strengthen institutional memory.
These are not just personnel details. They are indicators of how Congress functions.
HillClimbers has been tracking this broader capacity story across several recent analyses, including flat budgets and falling staffing levels, House office spending pressure, and the rise of interns as office infrastructure.
The 2026 Q1 HCI leaderboard adds another layer.
It shows which offices are leading early, which offices stand out in specific components, and which patterns may deserve closer attention as the year continues.
What the First 2026 HCI Checkpoint Reveals
The 2026 Q1 HillClimbers Index does not point to one simple model of a strong congressional office.
It points to several.
Kevin Hern shows the value of balance.
Neal Dunn and Janice Schakowsky show that both parties are represented at the very top of the early leaderboard.
Bobby Scott shows the value of capacity and staff pay.
Ann Wagner shows the value of stability.
Valerie P. Foushee shows the value of structure.
Sharice Davids shows what a large staff footprint looks like.
April McClain Delaney shows how large the intern layer can become.
Jared Golden shows what a high intern stipend looks like.
Steve Cohen shows what deep experience looks like.
Ro Khanna shows what internal promotions can look like when promoted staff stay.
Chuck Edwards shows what a peer-relative standard org chart looks like.
And the multiple-role leaders show something different: how capacity strain can appear inside the staffing model itself.
That is why the component data matters.
The public HCI leaderboard gives readers the big picture. The components explain the machinery underneath it.
The biggest takeaway is simple: congressional office strength is multidimensional.
It is not just staff size. It is not just pay. It is not just low turnover. It is not just interns. It is not just structure.
It is the combination.
That is what the HillClimbers Index is built to measure.
FAQ
Who leads the 2026 Q1 HillClimbers Index?
Kevin Hern leads the 2026 Q1 HillClimbers Index, with an HCI score of 82.52.
Is Kevin Hern the final 2026 HCI winner?
No. The 2026 Q1 HCI is the first checkpoint of the 2026 cycle. It reflects data from January 1 through March 31. The index will update as Q2, Q3, and Q4 data are added. The final 2026 HCI will come after full-year data is available.
Who are the top three offices in the 2026 Q1 HillClimbers Index?
The top three offices at the Q1 checkpoint are Kevin Hern, Neal P. Dunn, and Janice D. Schakowsky.
Which offices lead the three HCI pillars?
Bobby Scott leads the Capacity pillar, Ann Wagner leads the Stability pillar, and Valerie P. Foushee leads the Structure pillar in the 2026 Q1 HillClimbers Index.
What does the HillClimbers Index measure?
The HillClimbers Index measures House Member office workforce strength across three pillars: capacity, stability, and structure. It is designed to evaluate office staffing patterns, not ideology, legislative effectiveness, or Member performance.
Which House office had the most staff in the 2026 Q1 HCI data?
Sharice Davids had the highest staffing level in the 2026 Q1 HCI data, with 21.3 daily staff.
Which House office had the highest average staff pay?
Among active Member offices, Bobby Scott had the highest average staff pay in the 2026 Q1 HCI data, at $110,312.
Which House office had the most interns?
April McClain Delaney had the highest intern level in the 2026 Q1 HCI data, with 10.1 daily interns.
Which House office had the highest average intern stipend?
Jared Golden had the highest average intern stipend in the 2026 Q1 HCI data, at $8,410.
Which House office had the deepest staff experience?
Steve Cohen had the deepest staff experience in the 2026 Q1 HCI data, with an average of 12.4 years at the House.
How many House offices had zero turnover?
In the 2026 Q1 HCI data, 156 offices had zero turnover.
Which office had the highest turnover?
Maggie Goodlander’s office had the highest turnover figure discussed in this analysis, with 50.0% of staff leaving in Q1. This should be read as a workforce signal, not an allegation or finding.
Which House office had the highest promotion rate?
Ro Khanna had the highest promotion rate in the 2026 Q1 HCI data, at 43.8%. All of the staff promoted in Khanna’s office stayed in the office.
Which House offices had the most peer-typical intern-staff ratio?
Keith Self, Jerrold Nadler, and Diana DeGette tied for the top peer-typical intern-staff ratio score, each with an intern-staff ratio of 15.5%.
Which House offices had the highest multiple-role load?
Ryan Mackenzie, Salud Carbajal, and Bennie Thompson had the highest multiple-role load in the 2026 Q1 data, with 8 staff holding multiple roles. This should be read as a staffing-pressure signal, not as a “best office” ranking.
Which House office had the most typical team mix?
Chuck Edwards had the highest peer-relative team mix score, with a Structure Team Mix score of 96.12.
Suggested Reading
- Flat Budgets Don’t Mean Flat Staffing Levels
- House Offices Are Running Out of Things to Cut
- Congressional Intern Staffing Now Stays Elevated Year-Round
- When Interns Become Infrastructure
- Low-Paying Congressional Offices Experience the Highest Staff Turnover
- The Average House Staff Salary Jumps Nearly $10,000 Without Interns
- Congressional Institutional Memory