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Legislatures & Elections » Legislators & Legislative Staff Data » SL Magazine: StateStats - Working Full-Time in Sta
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StateStats: Working Full-Time in State Legislatures: July/August 2009
Full-time legislators have overtaken attorneys as the largest occupational category in state legislatures today. Attorneys decreased from nearly 25 percent of our nation’s legislative bodies in 1976 to 15 percent today. Legislators who classify themselves as full-time lawmakers, however, increased from 3 percent in the mid-1990s to more than 16 percent today.
The number of retirees serving in statehouses also has increased. In fact, if you add retirees and homemakers to the full-time category, they make up 28.7 percent of state lawmakers nationwide.
The largest reason for the steady increase in full-time legislators is the increasing time demands of legislative life. Sessions are longer, and other related activities, such as interim committees, have increased. And as the U.S. population grows, legislative districts grow larger and more diverse, generating the need for more constituent service. Legislative service demands a lot of time, making it difficult for lawmakers to pursue a career outside the legislature.
Legislators' Occupations
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Occupation
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1976
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1986
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1995
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2007
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Full-Time Legislator
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2.7%
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11.5%
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14.0%
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16.4%
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Attorney
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22.3%
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16.4%
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15.5%
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15.2%
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Retired
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NA
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6.7%
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7.6%
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11.7%
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Business: Owner
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15.8%
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13.8%
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12.3%
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9.2%
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Business: Executive/Manager
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5.4%
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5.8%
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5.4%
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8.7%
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Consultant/Professional/Nonprofit
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5.7%
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3.0%
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5.2%
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8.4%
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Agriculture
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9.7%
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9.9%
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7.7%
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5.3%
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Educator: K-12
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8.0%
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5.7%
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5.5%
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3.9%
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Medical
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NA
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1.8%
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2.5%
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3.6%
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Real Estate
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5.2%
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4.2%
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4.3%
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3.5%
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Business: Non-Manager
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4.4%
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4.6%
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3.9%
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2.8%
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Communications/Arts
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2.7%
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2.0%
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2.1%
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2.4%
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Insurance
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5.3%
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3.4%
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3.2%
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1.8%
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Educator: College
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NA
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2.0%
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1.9%
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1.7%
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Engineer/Scientist/Architect
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NA
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1.0%
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1.4%
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1.6%
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Government Employee: Local
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3.4%
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1.3%
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2.1%
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1.4%
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Government Employee: State
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NA
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0.1%
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0.4%
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1.0%
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Homemaker
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NA
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1.0%
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1.1%
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0.6%
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Clergy
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NA
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0.4%
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0.4%
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0.6%
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Accountant
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NA
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0.7%
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0.7%
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0.5%
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Student
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NA
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0.3%
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0.3%
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0.2%
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Labor Union
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0.6%
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0.3%
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0.3%
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0.2%
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Other
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9.3%
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3.1%
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2.5%
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0%
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