For many Americans, the nation's economic downturn is causing serious pain: the housing market is collapsing, employment is slowing, credit is tightening. But in Washington, the lobbyists who push their wealthy clients' interests before lawmakers and government officials are making more money than ever.

The capital city's influence firms rang up record revenues in 2007, according to Roll Call newspaper, which crunched the figures for the town's biggest players.

The top 25 lobbying firms reported revenues of over $440 million last year, Roll Call found. That's a nine percent bump from what those same lobbyists earned in 2006, and nearly 50 percent more than the $304 million they collected in 2002, according to the paper’s historical figures.

"Clearly, the lobbying industry has not been affected by the economic downturn," said Roll Call's Tory Newmyer, who covers the lobbying industry.

While the rising tide lifted nearly all boats, Newmyer said that firms with better access to Democrats tended to fare even better than those whose lobbyists were more closer to Republican lawmakers, because Democrats control both the House and Senate.

Newmyer also observed that increased scrutiny of "earmarking" – spending on pet projects by lawmakers – has hurt lobby firms who specialized in winning earmarks for their clients.  Firms which worked to influence tax, telecommunications and energy policies did very well, as well as those involved in swaying Congress' efforts on climate change.

"What you're seeing is solid growth," Newmyer said.