See which occupations donate the most to political campaigns. 100 occupations tracked, $5.5B in total donations.
A donor's profession is one of the strongest predictors of political engagement. This ranking aggregates FEC individual contribution data by self-reported occupation to reveal which professions channel the most money into federal campaigns. Attorneys, physicians, executives, and retirees consistently appear near the top, reflecting both earning power and civic engagement across different career paths.
| # | Occupation | Total | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO | $842.9M | 20,223 |
| 2 | ATTORNEY | $404.2M | 52,982 |
| 3 | PRESIDENT | $305.1M | 16,819 |
| 4 | PHYSICIAN | $299.7M | 29,336 |
| 5 | EXECUTIVE | $282.8M | 12,685 |
| 6 | INVESTOR | $245.5M | 4,516 |
| 7 | CHAIRMAN | $209.7M | 2,450 |
| 8 | INVESTMENTS | $192.4M | 912 |
| 9 | OWNER | $147.2M | 15,756 |
| 10 | CONSULTANT | $134.6M | 16,486 |
| 11 | MANAGING DIRECTOR | $133.8M | 2,312 |
| 12 | HOMEMAKER | $119.4M | 8,515 |
| 13 | FOUNDER | $119.1M | 1,585 |
| 14 | REAL ESTATE | $91.1M | 7,992 |
| 15 | PARTNER | $91.1M | 6,962 |
| 16 | ENTREPRENEUR | $87.2M | 3,930 |
| 17 | LAWYER | $85.7M | 11,905 |
| 18 | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $74.4M | 1,183 |
| 19 | MANAGER | $70.3M | 8,880 |
| 20 | ENGINEER | $69.4M | 12,225 |
| 21 | PROFESSOR | $64.2M | 11,016 |
| 22 | PHILANTHROPIST | $59.2M | 285 |
| 23 | DIRECTOR | $57.8M | 6,242 |
| 24 | FINANCE | $55.7M | 3,843 |
| 25 | CO-FOUNDER | $40.9M | 411 |
| 26 | EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN | $40.9M | 266 |
| 27 | CHAIRMAN & CEO | $39.1M | 312 |
| 28 | WRITER | $38.7M | 3,417 |
| 29 | BUSINESS OWNER | $38.3M | 5,677 |
| 30 | SALES | $36.5M | 7,195 |
| 31 | SOFTWARE ENGINEER | $34.6M | 6,104 |
| 32 | PRINCIPAL | $33.9M | 2,513 |
| 33 | FARMER | $31.0M | 5,805 |
| 34 | TEACHER | $28.4M | 5,328 |
| 35 | VENTURE CAPITAL | $28.0M | 451 |
| 36 | MANAGING PARTNER | $27.9M | 1,324 |
| 37 | VICE PRESIDENT | $26.8M | 4,196 |
| 38 | CEO/OWNER | $26.0M | 45 |
| 39 | ARTIST | $25.5M | 2,297 |
| 40 | SELF EMPLOYED | $24.5M | 3,674 |
| 41 | CHAIR | $21.9M | 164 |
| 42 | VENTURE CAPITALIST | $21.8M | 223 |
| 43 | BANKER | $21.8M | 2,367 |
| 44 | PRESIDENT & CEO | $20.9M | 1,492 |
| 45 | REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER | $20.7M | 1,092 |
| 46 | REAL ESTATE BROKER | $19.8M | 4,242 |
| 47 | CHAIRMAN AND CEO | $19.8M | 181 |
| 48 | INVESTMENT MANAGER | $19.5M | 371 |
| 49 | SCIENTIST | $17.7M | 2,576 |
| 50 | BUSINESS | $16.7M | 1,297 |
| 51 | REALTOR | $16.6M | 3,507 |
| 52 | ARCHITECT | $16.2M | 2,563 |
| 53 | CEO & CHAIRMAN | $15.7M | 23 |
| 54 | PSYCHOLOGIST | $15.3M | 2,571 |
| 55 | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | $15.1M | 2,387 |
| 56 | CPA | $14.8M | 3,020 |
| 57 | ACCOUNTANT | $14.2M | 2,966 |
| 58 | CONTRACTOR | $14.0M | 2,369 |
| 59 | CFO | $13.9M | 2,345 |
| 60 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR | $13.8M | 2,383 |
| 61 | REAL ESTATE INVESTOR | $13.8M | 671 |
| 62 | INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT | $13.5M | 381 |
| 63 | LOBBYIST | $13.5M | 990 |
| 64 | PRODUCER | $13.4M | 1,091 |
| 65 | MEMBER | $13.4M | 279 |
| 66 | GOVERNOR | $13.4M | 43 |
| 67 | CHAIRWOMAN | $13.3M | 21 |
| 68 | MARKETING | $13.0M | 2,528 |
| 69 | ANALYST | $12.9M | 1,336 |
| 70 | DEVELOPER | $12.9M | 1,094 |
| 71 | AUTHOR | $12.6M | 597 |
| 72 | DOCTOR | $12.1M | 1,892 |
| 73 | SELF | $11.9M | 1,844 |
| 74 | MANAGEMENT | $11.8M | 1,642 |
| 75 | COO | $11.8M | 1,677 |
| 76 | RESEARCHER | $11.7M | 862 |
| 77 | GOVERNMENT RELATIONS | $11.2M | 901 |
| 78 | MD | $11.1M | 1,672 |
| 79 | DESIGNER | $11.0M | 1,434 |
| 80 | CONSTRUCTION | $10.8M | 1,972 |
| 81 | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD | $10.6M | 168 |
| 82 | BANKING | $10.4M | 493 |
| 83 | EDUCATOR | $10.0M | 1,730 |
| 84 | DENTIST | $10.0M | 2,766 |
| 85 | VP | $9.9M | 1,782 |
| 86 | CO-CEO | $9.6M | 153 |
| 87 | SENIOR ADVISOR | $9.4M | 414 |
| 88 | FILMMAKER | $9.2M | 425 |
| 89 | ADVISOR | $9.1M | 763 |
| 90 | PRIVATE INVESTOR | $9.0M | 198 |
| 91 | BUSINESSMAN | $8.9M | 500 |
| 92 | ADMINISTRATOR | $8.8M | 1,675 |
| 93 | LABORER | $8.7M | 829 |
| 94 | INSURANCE | $8.6M | 1,242 |
| 95 | MONEY MANAGER | $8.5M | 50 |
| 96 | PRIVATE EQUITY | $8.5M | 337 |
| 97 | EXECUTIVE CHAIR | $8.4M | 37 |
| 98 | BOARD MEMBER | $8.4M | 780 |
| 99 | RANCHER | $8.2M | 1,160 |
| 100 | NOT-EMPLOYED | $8.1M | 729 |
Historically, retirees, attorneys, physicians, and executives tend to dominate political giving. Across 100 tracked occupations, a total of $5.5B has been contributed to federal campaigns.
Donors self-report their occupation on contribution forms. The FEC does not verify this information, so some variation exists (e.g., "ATTORNEY" vs. "LAWYER"). We normalize common variants to provide cleaner rankings.
Retirees have both the disposable income and the time to engage in politics. They also represent a large demographic. Many high-earning professionals continue donating after retirement.
Yes. Click on any occupation to see its detailed page, which includes a party breakdown showing how much went to Democratic, Republican, and other candidates.