Internapalooza Fall ‘23 Fact Sheet

On September 11, 2023, POPVOX Foundation and members of the First Branch Intern Project hosted “Internapalooza”—a free, nonpartisan orientation and welcome event for all current Congressional interns. Additional information about registered attendees is below.

Attendee Demographics

In total, 398 Congressional interns, other interns, and early-career staffers registered to attend the event. 383 interns provided enough information to identify themselves as currently-serving Congressional interns. The following statistics represent only current Congressional interns.

Year In School

Amongst the group of registrants, a vast majority of both prospective and current interns were upperclassmen in college or older:

• 6.0% in graduate school

• 36.3% graduated college

• 23.2% college seniors

• 18.8% college juniors

• 8.1% college sophomores

• 1.0% college freshmen

• 3.4% on a gap year

Education*

• 49.9% attending a state college or university

• 43.4% attending a private college or university

• 4.2% attending another form of post-secondary education or did not

• 2.9% attending a Historically Black College/University (HBCU)

• 1.6% attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

• 1.6% community college

*Responses total more than 100%, as interns could pick more than one option to describe their current institution.

Gender

Registrants were asked how they would identify their gender, and allowed to select more than one option; the following data were normalized from these responses.

• 55.1% female

• 45.2% male

• 2.6% non-binary

• .5% prefer not to say

• .3% transgender

Race & Ethnicity

Registrants were asked to select all that apply from a standard US Census ethnicity list. Responses total more than 100% because interns could pick more than one option to describe their identity.

• 60.1% White or Caucasian

• 18.3% Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin

• 16.7% Asian or Asian American

• 10.7% Black or African American

• 5.0% Middle Eastern or North African

• 1.6% American Indian or Native Alaskan

• 1.8% identify as “Other” or preferred not to respond

Sexual Orientation

Registrants were asked if they considered themselves a member of the LGBTQ community.

• 23.8% identify as members of the LGBTQ community

Household Income

• 23.3% grew up with an annual household income of $200,000 or more

• 13.3% grew up with an annual household income of $150,000-$199,999

• 17.8% grew up with an annual household income of $100,000-$149,999

• 14.6% grew up with an annual household income of $75,000-$99,999

• 12.0% grew up with an annual household income of $50,000-$74,999

• 5.7% grew up with an annual household income of $35,000-$49,999

• 3.9% grew up with an annual household income of $20,000-$34,999

• 9.3% grew up with an annual household income of less than $20,000

Highest level of education attained by a parent or guardian

• 13.6% Multiple graduate degrees

• 35.5% Graduate degree

• 27.4% Bachelor’s degree

• 4.7% Associate’s degree

• 7.0% Some college but no degree

• 8.1% High school or equivalent

• 3.7% Less than a high school diploma

Path to a Congressional Internship

Interns come to Congress with a variety of backgrounds and experiences; however, some commonalities stood out:

• 59.0% had prior experience in a leadership position within an extracurricular activity or student government

• 50.4% had prior experience in a customer service position

• 43.4% had a prior internship in government

• 36.8% had a prior volunteer or paid position on a political campaign

• 31.3% had prior experience in an entry-level office job

• 20.1% had prior experience in a teaching job

• 17.8% had prior experience in a writing job

• 17.2% had prior internship experience in Congress

• 9.1% had prior experience in freelance work

• 0.8% had prior experience in military service

When asked to reflect on the biggest barriers to obtaining a Congressional internship, current interns noted specific challenges:

• 57.2% noted affording DC cost of living or moving costs

• 43.6% noted getting through the competitive selection process

• 27.2% noted a lack of mentorship/space to ask questions about an internship

• 18.8% noted not feeling qualified enough to apply

• 15.1% noted no barriers to obtaining an internship

• 11.2% noted not knowing internships were available

• 10.2% noted multiple attractive internship offers

• 8.1% noted worries about safety in D.C.

• 5.7% noted a lack of support from family/friends

• 2.6% noted worrying about the impact of their immigration status

• 2.1% noted a lack of accommodation for disabilities or health needs

When asked to reflect on what they saw as the biggest challenges they would face in their internships, the interns noted specific tasks:

• 55.9% noted finding mentors to support their future career

• 43.6% noted getting up to speed on the inner workings of Congress

• 43.1% noted finding peers and friends in their internship

• 42.3% noted managing the cost of living in D.C.

• 41.3% noted building up their confidence

• 37.6% noted learning a lot of new procedures/tasks quickly

• 33.0% noted overcoming anxiety about answering the phones

• 24.8% noted managing stress in a busy environment

• 17.8% noted making sure the internship meets their educational goals

• 7.3% noted no specific challenges

With these barriers noted, when asked to choose goals that were most important in their internships, the interns mentioned the following:

• 87.7% noted expanding their professional network of peers

• 86.4% noted expanding their professional network of mentors

• 76.5% noted deciding whether to pursue a career in public service

• 61.4% noted learning how government really works

• 61.2% noted building up their resume

• 57.7% noted gaining confidence and leadership skills

• 54.0% noted working for causes and public servants they believe in

• 49.9% noted learning skills to become a better advocate for their community

• 44.6% noted deciding on living in DC

• 32.4% noted preparing for a graduate degree

• 27.7% noted deciding whether or not to run for office

• 2.3% noted no particular goals

Chamber and Party of Offices Represented

383 interns gave enough information to identify their office, caucus, or committee.

• 70.8% of the registered interns are serving in a Democratic office, 25.8% are serving in Republican offices, and 3.4% are serving in an Independent office.

• 76.8% of registered interns are serving in House offices, while 23.2% of registered interns are serving in Senate offices.

The Congressional Internship Experience

Interns reported the sources of support allowing them to pursue a Congressional internship*:

• 65.8% reported receiving a stipend from their employing office

• 27.4% reported relying on personal savings or financial resources

• 24.5% reported receiving support from family or friends

• 14.4% reported receiving a stipend from an outside organization

• 10.2% reported receiving a stipend or grant from their school

• 8.4% reported receiving wages from additional employment

• 3.1% reported taking out loans besides student loans

• 10.2% reported none of the above

*Percentages total more than 100% as interns could select multiple sources of support.