By the Numbers: How well do you know the 114th Congress?

 UPDATE: 115th Congress: By the Numbers , February 13, 2017

 

With the newly elected 114^th Congress now in session, both parties are championing new bolder programs and setting fresh priorities with a sharp eye toward controlling the White House in 2016.

How much actually gets accomplished with this august body-sadly-known more for its gridlock, intransigence and petty politics than it is for passing momentous legislation for the good of the nation, only time will tell.

But, at least for now, the Congressional agenda includes such ambitious proposals as tax reform, passing international trade agreements, tackling immigration reform; and with a new resurgent Republican majority in both chambers, high hopes of dismantling the Affordable Care Act or Obama Care.

So as members get down to business, this is a perfect time to get to know our new Congress a little better.

What follows is a statistical breakdown of the 114^th Congress.

 

Since 1789, 12,174 individuals have served in Congress:  10,880 in the House and 1,963 in the Senate.

The 114^th Congress: Republicans vs. Democrats

• 247 Republicans in the House of Representatives (including 1 Delegate), 193 Democrats (including 4 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner), and 1 vacant seat.
• 54 Republicans in the Senate, 44 Democrats, and 2 Independents who caucus with the Democrats.

Age of Reason in the 114^th Congress

• 57: Average age in the House
• 61: Average age in the Senate
• 8.8 years (4.4 terms): Average years of service in the House.
• 9.7 years (1.6 terms): Average years of service in the Senate.
• 30 years of age-youngest member in the House-Elise Stefanik (R-NY), born July 2, 1984
• 85 years of age--oldest Representative-John Conyers (D-MI), born May 16, 1929
• 81 years old-the oldest Senator in the 114th Congress -Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), born June 22, 1933.
• 37 years old-the youngest Senator-Tom Cotton (R-AR), born May 13, 1977

Born to Serve-Former Occupations of the 114^th Congress

• 100 members have worked in education, including teachers, professors, instructors, school fundraisers, counselors, administrators, or coaches (85 in the House, 15 in the Senate).
• 3 physicians in the Senate, 15 physicians in the House, plus 3 dentists and 3 veterinarians; 3 psychologists (all in the House), an optometrist (in the Senate), a pharmacist (in the House), and 4 nurses (all in the House).
• 7 ordained ministers, all in the House.
• 39 former mayors (31 in the House, 8 in the Senate).
• 4 Peace Corps volunteers, all in the House.
• 1 physicist, 1microbiologist, 1 chemist, and 8 engineers (all in the House, with the exception of one Senator who is an engineer).
• 22 public relations or communications professionals (2 in the Senate, 20 in the House).
• 10 accountants (2 in the Senate and 8 in the House).
• 5 software company executives in the House and 2 in the Senate.
• 14 management consultants (4 in the Senate, 10 in the House).
• 6 car dealership owners (all in the House).
• 2 venture capitalists (1 in each chamber).
• 18 bankers or bank executives (4 in the Senate, 14 in the House).
• 36 veterans of the real estate industry (5 in the Senate, 31 in the House).
• 2 social workers in the Senate and 6 in the House.
• 4 union representatives (all in the House).
• 6 radio talk show hosts (one Senate, five House).
• 8 radio or television broadcasters, managers, or owners (2  Senate, 6 House).
• 9 reporters or journalists (2 Senate, 7 House); and a public television producer in the House.
• 19 insurance agents or executives (4 Senate, 15 House).
• 3 stockbrokers (2 in the Senate, 1 in the House).
• 1 screenwriter and comedian, and 1 documentary filmmaker (both in the Senate) and an artist in the House
• 29 farmers, ranchers, or cattle farm owners (4 in the Senate, 25 in the House)
• 10 current members of the military reserves (8 House, 2 Senate) and 7 current members of the National Guard (6 House, 1 Senate).

Different Degrees of Education in the 114^th Congress

• 20 members of the House have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma;
• 8 members of the House have associate’s degrees as their highest degrees.
• 82 members of the House and 16 Senators earned a master’s degree as their highest attained degrees.
• 159 members of the House (36 percent of the House) and 54 Senators (54 percent of the Senate) hold law degrees.
• 22 members of the House and 3 Senators have medical degrees.

Congressional Service

• At the beginning of the 114th Congress, 61 of the Representatives, including two Delegates (13.8 percent of the total House Membership) had first been elected to the House in November 2014,  and 13 of the Senators (13 percent of the total Senate membership) had first been elected to the Senate in November 2014.

 

• At the beginning of the 114th Congress, 131 Representatives, including 2 Delegates (30.4 percent of House Members) had no more than 2 years of House experience, and 27 Senators (27 percent of Senators) had no more than two years of Senate experience.

Religion

• 98 percent of the members of the 114th Congress are reported to be affiliated with a specific religion.  Of the 98 percent, the vast majority (92 percent) are Christian.
• 57 percent of the members (251 in the House, 55 in the Senate) are Protestant, with Baptist as the most represented denomination, followed by Methodist
• 31 percent of the members (138 in the House, 26 in the Senate) are Catholic.
• 5.2 percent of the members (19 in the House, nine in the Senate) are Jewish.
• 3 percent of the members (9 in the House, 7 in the Senate) are Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
• 2 members (1 in the House, 1 in the Senate) are Buddhist, 2 House members are Muslim, and 1 House member is Hindu.

Gender and Ethnicity in the 114^th Congress

• A record 108 women (20 percent of the total membership) serve in the 114th Congress (as of January 2015) 7 more than at the beginning of the 113th Congress.
• 88 women, including 4 Delegates, serve in the House and 20 in the Senate.
• Of the 88 women in the House, 65 are Democrats, including 3 of the Delegates, and 23 are Republicans, including 1 Delegate.
• Of the 20 women in the Senate, 14 are Democrats and 6 are Republicans.
• 48 African American members (8.9 percent of the total membership) in the 114th Congress, 3 more than at the beginning of the 113th Congress.  46 serve in the House, including 2 Delegates, and 2 serve in the Senate.
• 44 of the African American House members, including 1 Delegate, are Democrats, and 2 are Republicans, including 1 Delegate.
• 20 African American women, including 2 Delegates, serve in the House.
• 38 Hispanic or Latino Members in the 114th Congress, 7.0 percent of the total membership and a record number. 34 serve in the House and 4 in the Senate.
• 4 male Hispanic Senators (three Republicans, one Democrat).
• 1 set of Hispanic members, Representatives Linda Sánchez and Loretta Sanchez, are sisters.
• 14 members (a record number) of the 114th Congress (2.6 percent of the total membership and one more than at the beginning of the 113th Congress) are of Asian, South Asian, or Pacific Islander ancestry. 13 of them (12 Democrats, one Republican) serve in the House, and one (a Democrat) serves in the Senate.
• 2 American Indian (Native American), both of whom are Republican Members of the House.

Foreign Birth in the 114^th Congress

• 13 Representatives and 3 Senators (2.9 percent of the entire 114th Congress) were born outside the United States.

Military Service in the 114^th Congress

• 101 members (18.7 percent of the total membership) who had served or were serving in the military, 7 fewer than at the beginning of the 113th Congress (108 members) and 17 fewer than in the 112th Congress (118 members).
• 81 veterans in the House (including three female members, as well as one Delegate); the Senate has 20 veterans, including one woman.

 

 

-Bill Lucey

January 25, 2015                                                                                                                                                                                                                

[email protected]

Source: Congressional Research Service; Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life; Congressional Quarterly Roll Call.