First lady Melania Trump is keeping a lean staff list on payroll compared to other recent first ladies, Fox News reported Friday.

Melania Trump has a smaller group of aides compared to her predecessor, Michelle Obama Michelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaTo honor Justice Ginsburg's legacy, Biden should consider Michelle Obama National Urban League, BET launch National Black Voter Day The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - White House moves closer to Pelosi on virus relief bill MORE, according to the news outlet's analysis of White House personnel reports.

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Her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, says the smaller East Wing operations are a deliberate decision.

“As with all things that she does, she is being very deliberate in her hiring, focusing on quality over quantity,” Grisham told Fox News in an email. “It is important to her that the team is a good fit for what she wants to accomplish as first lady, and that everyone works well together. She also wants to be mindful and responsible when it comes to taxpayer money.”

Grisham told the news outlet this week that nine people serve the first lady, five more than listed in the annual report that came out in June.

The four listed on the reported roster for Melania Trump are paid a salary total of $486,700. It is unclear how much she pays for the additional five aides serving on her team, or whether those salaries come out of a different budget.

During former President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaDemocratic Senate campaign arm outraises GOP by M in August A federal court may have declared immigration arrests unconstitutional Blunt says vote on Trump court nominee different than 2016 because White House, Senate in 'political agreement' MORE’s first year in office, Michelle Obama had 16 people listed under the "first lady" staffing roster, whose salaries totaled $1.24 million a year, according to the report.

Some Obama administration officials say the total was likely closer to 24, with some staffers serving on the team under a different title.

Michelle Obama’s staff included more roles for press aides, a director of policy and projects, a personal aide and others to help with her office's operations, according to the report.

If it was indeed 24 staffers, a 2009 FactCheck.org story claimed it could be a record for first lady aides.

Obama took on a busy agenda at the start of her husband's term, pushing initiatives like "Let's Move," her campaign against child obesity.

In comparison, Melania Trump remained in New York during the first few months of the Trump presidency while her son Barron Trump finished the school year.

Michelle Obama’s office did not return Fox News's request for comment.