Comparing the Number of Lobbyists to Legislators

Having wondered about the topic of the number of lobbyists to legislators as a legislative geek, I did some quick research about the number of lobbyists compared to legislators in a number of jurisdictions. First, I looked at those at the federal and international levels. Then I turned to other states that had readily accessible information. And then I compared them to California.

The following are the results:

European Union

720 legislators

12,425 registered lobbyists in 2022

Roughly 17:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

US Congress

535 legislators

13,037 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 24:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

New York

213 legislators

6,113 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 29:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Massachusetts

200 legislators

1,500 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 8:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Texas

181 legislators

2,000 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 11:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Oregon 

90 legislators

1,100 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 12:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Michigan

148 legislators

1,500 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 10:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Wisconsin

132 legislators

750 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 6:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Colorado

100 legislators

1,100 registered lobbyists in 2022

Roughly 11:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Georgia

236 legislators

1,144 registered lobbyists in 2022

Roughly 5:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Virginia

140 legislators

1,108 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 8:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

California

120 legislators

3,245 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 27:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

As can be seen from the summary data above, California has one of the highest number of lobbyist to legislator ratios of all jurisdictions, which is nearly two or three times that of many states.