Internapalooza Spring ‘24 Fact Sheet
On January 18, 2024, POPVOX Foundation and members of the First Branch Intern Project hosted “Internapalooza”—a free, nonpartisan orientation and welcome event for all current Congressional interns.
Attendee Demographics
In total, 421 Congressional interns, other interns, and early-career staffers registered to attend the event.
402 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:
College Graduate: 24.9%
College Junior: 25.1%
College Senior: 19.7%
College Sophomore: 11.7%
Graduate School: 8.5%
College Freshman: 3.7%
Gap Year: 3.2%
Other: 2.5%
High School: 0.8%
Education*
51.0% attending a state college or university
44.5% attending a private college or university
1.7% attending a Historically Black College/University (HBCU)
1.7% attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
1.2% attending a community college
3.2% attending another form of post-secondary education
*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% female
44.3% male
.8% non-binary
.8% prefer not to say
.8% transgender
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.
Race & Ethnicity
65.9% White or Caucasian
17.2% Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin
13.2% Asian or Asian American
10.0% Black or African American
3.0% Middle Eastern or North African
1.7% American Indian or Native Alaskan
3.0% identify as “Other” or preferred not to respond
Sexual Orientation
Registrants were asked if they considered themselves a member of the LGBTQ community.
23.1% identify as members of the LGBTQ community
Household Income
21.6% grew up with an annual household income of $200,000 or more
11.0% grew up with an annual household income of $150,000-$199,999
24.9% grew up with an annual household income of $100,000-$149,999
13.9% grew up with an annual household income of $75,000-$99,999
9.7% grew up with an annual household income of $50,000-$74,999
4.5% grew up with an annual household income of $35,000-$49,999
7.2% grew up with an annual household income of $20,000-$34,999
7.2% grew up with an annual household income of less than $20,000
Highest level of education attained by a parent or guardian
8.0% Multiple graduate degrees
44.5% Graduate degree
31.8% Bachelor’s degree
3.0% Associate’s degree
8.0% Some college but no degree
8.7% High school or equivalent
4.0% 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*:
57.5% had prior experience in a leadership position within an extracurricular activity or student government
54.2% had prior experience in a customer service position
31.3% had a prior internship in government
27.4% had prior experience in an entry-level office job
25.6% had a prior volunteer or paid position on a political campaign
22.9% had prior experience in a teaching job
12.9% had prior experience in a writing job
20.2% had prior internship experience in Congress
8.0% had prior experience in freelance work
1.0% had prior experience in military service
Biggest Barriers
When asked to reflect on the biggest barriers to obtaining a Congressional internship, current interns noted specific challenges*:
60.7% noted affording DC cost of living or moving costs
40.3% noted getting through the competitive selection process
20.9% noted a lack of mentorship/space to ask questions about an internship
19.4% noted not feeling qualified enough to apply
14.2% noted no barriers to obtaining an internship
9.2% noted not knowing internships were available
9.5% noted multiple attractive internship offers
9.5% noted worries about safety in D.C.
5.2% noted a lack of support from family/friends
2.2% noted worrying about their immigration status
0.5% noted a lack of accommodation for disabilities or health needs
Biggest Challenges
When asked to reflect on what they saw as the biggest challenges they would face in their internships, the interns noted specific tasks*:
49.8% noted finding mentors to support their future career
45.3% noted building up their confidence in a busy office environment
44.5% noted managing the cost of living in D.C.
41.8% noted finding peers and friends in their internship
36.3% noted getting up to speed on how Congress works
35.6% noted learning a lot of new procedures/tasks quickly
28.1% noted overcoming anxiety about answering the phones
22.4% noted managing stress in a busy environment
18.2% noted making sure the internship meets their educational goals
8.2% noted no specific challenges
Goals
With these challenges noted, when asked to choose goals that were most important in their internships, the interns mentioned the following*:
87.1% noted expanding their professional network of peers
86.1% noted expanding their professional network of mentors
61.2% noted building up their resume
61.0% noted deciding whether to pursue a career in government/public service
58.46% noted learning how government really works
55.72% noted gaining confidence and leadership skills
47.01% noted working for causes and public servants they believe in
46.02% noted learning skills to become a better advocate for their community
43.53% noted deciding on living in DC
29.60% noted preparing for a graduate degree
23.38% noted deciding whether or not to run for office
1.99% noted no particular goals
Chamber and Party of Offices Represented
383 interns gave enough information to identify their office, caucus, or committee.
93.5% of registered interns are serving in a Member office, with 5.5% serving in committees, and 0.3% serving with a caucus.
68.2% of the registered interns are serving in Democratic offices, 31.9% are serving in Republican offices.
69.25% of registered interns are serving in House offices, while 30.75% 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*:
69.55% reported receiving a stipend from their employing office
19.90% reported relying on personal savings or financial resources
16.67% reported receiving support from family or friends
3.98% reported receiving a stipend from an outside organization
16.17% reported receiving a stipend or grant from their school
6.72% reported receiving wages from additional employment
1.99% reported taking out loans besides student loans
12.69% reported none of the above
*Percentages total more than 100% as interns could select multiple sources of support.