117th Congress: By the Numbers

House members are sworn in at the Capitol's House chamber on the first day of the 117th Congress.

Photo Credit: Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call

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How well do you know your 117^th Congress?

It’s been open for business since January 3^rd; when Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was re-elected Speaker of the House by a slim margin, coming away with 216 votes, narrowly outdueling House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) who captured 209 votes. This will be Pelosi’s fourth term as Speaker of the House and mostly likely her last.

Over in the Senate, the composition of this august body mirrors the sentiment of the nation: evenly divided, especially when it comes to politics. There are now 50 seats held by Republicans, 48 seats held by Democrats, and two held by independents who caucus with the Democrats, creating a 50-50 split. Vice President Kamala Harris, of course, will cast tie-breaking votes.

This narrow edge for the Democrats, paved the way for President Joe Biden to successfully push through his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill with a 50-49 party-line vote. The bill swings back to the House for a final vote. After much bickering in a marathon session, the bill will provide billions of dollars to combat the pandemic and extend badly needed economic aid to individuals, states, cities, small businesses, and low-income families.

So far, President Biden, less than two months into his administration appears to have the wind at his back. Despite the bill’s exorbitant cost, public opinion polls, such as the one conducted by Monmouth University, found more than 60 percent of Americans support the $1.9 trillion package.

U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., waves the gavel on the opening day of the 117th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021.

Photo Credit: Bill Clark/AP

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So, with the House of Representatives preparing for a final vote on Wednesday on President Biden's historic $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan, now is about as good a time as any to become more acquainted with your new Congress.

Since 1789, 12,415 individuals have served as either Representatives (11,101 individuals) or Senators (1,994 individuals). Of these individuals, 680 have served in both chambers.

117 Congress: By the Numbers

 Party Affiliation

• 225 Democrats in the House of Representatives (including 4 Delegates), 213 Republicans (including 1 Delegate and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico), and 3 vacant seats.

• 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats in the Senate, and 2 Independents, who both caucus with the Democrats.

Age

58.4 is the average age of Members of the House; of Senators, 64.3 years.

The youngest Representative in the 117th Congress, and the youngest House Member since 1965, is Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), born August 1, 1995, who was 25 at the beginning of the 117th Congress.

The oldest Representative is Don Young (R-AK), born June 9, 1933, who was 87.

The youngest Senator in the 117th Congress is Jon Ossoff (D-GA), born February 16, 1987, who was 33 at the beginning of the Congress

The oldest Senator in the 117th Congress is Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), born June 22, 1933, who was 87.

NOTE: The U.S. Constitution requires Representatives to be at least 25 years old when they take office, while Senators must be at least 30 years old when they take office.

 Length of Service

• The average length of service for Representatives is 8.9 years (4.5 House terms); for Senators, 11.0 years (1.8 Senate terms).

Professions of the 117^th Congress

• 47 Senators have previous House service

• 113 Members have worked in education, including teachers, professors, instructors, school fundraisers, counselors, administrators, or coaches (85 in the House, including 2 Delegates, 28 in the Senate).

• 4 physicians in the Senate, 14 physicians in the House, plus 5 dentists and 1 veterinarian; 2 psychologists (in the House), an optometrist (in the Senate), 2 pharmacists (in the House), and 3 nurses and 1 physician assistant (in the House).

• 7 ordained ministers (5 in the House, 2 in the Senate)

• 38 former mayors (31 in the House, 7 in the Senate)

• 13 former state governors (12 in the Senate, 1 in the House) and 10 lieutenant governors (5 in the Senate, 5 in the House)

• 7 attorneys general of their states (6 in the Senate, 1 in the House) and 8 secretaries of state (3 in the Senate, 5 in the House.)

• 16 former judges (all but 1 in the House) and 38 prosecutors (9 in the Senate, 29 in the House) have served in city, county, state, federal, or military capacities.

• 4 Ambassadors (two in each chamber).

• 238 former state or territorial legislators (45 in the Senate, 193 in the House, including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico).

• 78 former congressional staffers (15 in the Senate, 63 in the House, including 3 Delegates), as well as 5 former congressional pages (2 in the House and 3 in the Senate).

• 2 sheriffs, 1 police chief and 3 other police officers, 1 fire chief, 1 firefighter, 2 CIA employees, and 1 FBI agent (all in the House).

• 1 Peace Corps volunteer in the House.

• 1 physicist and 1 chemist, both in the House, and 1 geologist in the Senate; 9 engineers (8 in the House and 1 in the Senate).

• 21 public relations or communications professionals (3 in the Senate, 18 in the House), and 7 accountants (1 in the Senate and 6 in the House.

• 6 software company executives in the House and 2 in the Senate

• 38 consultants (7 in the Senate, 31 in the House), 5 car dealership owners (all in the House), and 4 venture capitalists (2 in the House, 2 in the Senate).

• 16 bankers or bank executives (4 in the Senate, 12 in the House), 27 veterans of the real estate industry (3 in the Senate, 24 in the House), and 8 Members who have worked in the construction industry (1 in the Senate, 7 in the House).

• 7 social workers (2 in the Senate, 5 in the House) and 3 union representatives (all in the House).

• 16 nonprofit executives or founders (15 in the House, 1 in the Senate) 2 radio talk show hosts (both in the House); 4 radio or television broadcasters, managers, or owners (3 in the House, 1 in the Senate); 7 reporters or journalists (1 in the Senate, 6 in the House); and 3 newspaper publishers in the House.

• 18 insurance agents or executives (3 in the Senate, 15 in the House) and 7 Members who have worked in the securities industry (all in the House.

• 1 artist, 1 book publisher, and 2 speechwriters (all in the House), and 2 documentary filmmakers in the Senate.

• 6 restaurateurs (5 in the House, 1 in the Senate), as well as 2 coffee shop and 1 wine store owners (all in the House), and 1 brewpub owner in the Senate.

• 27 farmers, ranchers, or cattle farm owners (6 in the Senate, 21 in the House); 1 almond orchard owner and vintner, as well as a forester and a fruit orchard worker (all in the House.

• 1 flight attendant and 4 pilots, all in the House, and 1 astronaut in the Senate

• 3 professional football players, 1 hockey player, 1 baseball player, and 1 mixed martial arts fighter (all in the House)

• 7 current members of the military reserves (6 in the House, 1 in the Senate) and 7 current members of the National Guard (all in the House).

Education

The vast majority of Members (93.8% of House Members and 100% of Senators) at the beginning of the 117th Congress have earned at least a bachelor’s degree. 67 % of House Members and 76% of Senators hold educational degrees beyond a bachelors.

• 22 Members of the House have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma or GE

• 5 Members of the House have associate’s degrees as their highest degrees

• 108 Members of the House and 18 Senators earned a master’s degree as their highest attained degrees.

• 144 Members of the House (32.7% of the House) and 50 Senators (50% of the Senate) hold law degrees

• 22 Representatives and 4 Senators have doctoral (Ph.D., D.Phil., Ed.D., or D. Min) degrees

• 20 Members of the House and 5 Senators have medical degrees.

• 3 Representatives and 1 Senator are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy

• 1 Senator graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

• 1 Representative graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy

• 1 Senator graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

• 5 Representatives and one Senator were Rhodes Scholars

• 2 Representatives were Fulbright Scholars

• 2 Representatives were Marshall Scholars

• 2 Representatives and one Senator were Truman Scholars

 Congressional Service: 117^th Congress

• 57 of the House Members (12.9% of the total House membership) had first been elected to the House in November 2020, and 9 of the Senators (9% of the total Senate membership) had first been elected to the Senate in November 2020.

• 131 House Members (29.7% of House Members) had no more than two years of House experience, and 18 Senators (18% of Senators) had no more than two years of Senate experience.

 Religion

• 55.4% of Members (236 in the House, 58 in the Senate) are Protestant, with Baptist as the most represented denomination, followed by Methodist

• 29.8% of Members (134 in the House, 24 in the Senate) are Catholic

• 6.3% of Members (25 in the House, 9 in the Senate) are Jewish

• 1.7% of Members (6 in the House, 3 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, 3 Representatives are Muslim, and 2 Representatives are Hindu

Gender

• 147 women Members (27.2% of the total membership) serve in the 117th Congress, 16 more than at the beginning of the 116th Congress

• 123 women, including 3 Delegates as well as the Resident Commissioner, serve in the House and 24 in the Senate

• Of the 123 women in the House, 91 are Democrats, including 2 of the Delegates, and 32 are Republicans, including 1 Delegate as well as the Resident Commissioner

• Of the 24 women in the Senate, 16 are Democrats and 8 are Republicans.

Ethnicity

African American Members

• There are a record 61 African American Members (11.3% of the total membership) in the 117th Congress, 4 more than at the beginning of the 116th Congress

• 58 serve in the House, including two Delegates, and three serve in the Senate

• 56 of the African-American House Members, including two Delegates, are Democrats, and two are Republicans

• 2 of the Senators are Democrats and one is Republican.

• 27 African American women, including two Delegates, serve in Congress, all in the House.

 Hispanic/Latino American Members

• 54 Hispanic or Latino Members in the 117th Congress, representing 10.0% of the total membership and a record number.

• 47 serve in the House, including two Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 7 in the Senate

• Of the Members of the House, 34 are Democrats (including 2 Delegates) and 13 are Republicans (including the Resident Commissioner).

• 14 are women, including the Resident Commissioner. Of the 7 Hispanic Senators (3 Republicans, 4 Democrats), 1 is a woman.

 Asian/Pacific Islander American Members

• 20 Members of the 117th Congress (3.8% of the total membership) are of Asian, South Asian, or Pacific Islander ancestry

• 18 of them (15 Democrats, 3 Republicans) serve in the House, and 2 (both Democrats) serve in the Senate

• 11 of the Asian, Pacific Islander, or South Asian American Members are female; 9 in the House, and 2 in the Senate

American Indian Members

 6 American Indian (Native American) or Native Hawaiian Members of the 117th Congress: 3 of each party, all in the House, representing 1.1% of the total congressional membership, a record number.

 Foreign Birth

• 28 Representatives and 5 Senators (6.1% of the 117th Congress) were born outside the United States; their places of birth include Canada, Cuba, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Peru, and India.

NOTE: The U.S. Constitution requires that Representatives be citizens for seven years and Senators be citizens for nine years before they take office.

Military Service

• 91 individuals (16.8% of the total membership) who had served or were serving in the military, fewer than at the beginning of the 116th Congress (96 Members).

• 75 veterans in the House (including 4 female Members, as well as 1 Delegate)

• 16 veterans in the Senate, including 2 women

• 6 House Members and one Senator are still serving in the reserves, and 7 House Members are still serving in the National Guard

• 2 of the 6 female veterans are combat veterans.

NOTE: According to the Military Times, the 117th Congress veterans’ numbers are at the “lowest since the start of World War II.”

Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS); Pew Research Center; Congressional Quarterly (CQ)

---Bill Lucey

March 9, 2021

[email protected]

Comments

[Dave A Wilks]

Bill,

Good to hear from you again. Those were some interesting facts you presented and I enjoyed reading them. Thanks!