118th Congress: By the Numbers

The House of Representatives holds a vote on speaker of the House on Jan. 3, the first day of the 118th Congress.

Photo Credit: Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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How well do you know your Congress?

On January 3, the legislative branch of the United States federal government, assembled in Washington, D.C., to begin the 118^th Congress.

The bruising 2022 midterm elections (November 8) resulted in surprising wins for the Democrats in what many construed as a stinging rebuke to the possible resurgence of Donald Trump and the MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) Republicans.

Prior to the election, political analysts and pundits predicted a red wave (Republican victories) would dot the polarized electoral landscape. In addition to Joe Biden’s low approval ratings, U.S. presidents, historically, haven’t fared well during the midterms.

Still, Republicans did manage to gain control of the House, narrowly (222-213), for the first time since the 115^th Congress (2017). 

The Democrats, in the other body, picked up one seat in the Senate, giving them a 51-49 majority, while ensuring the 118^th Congress, much like the rest of country, remains deeply divided right through the stretch run to the 2024 presidential election.

Soon after the midterms, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history, announced she was stepping down from her leadership position. Pelosi will still represent her San Francisco district as a member of the House. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), 52, replaced Pelosi for the Democrats top leadership post, becoming the first Black party leader in either chamber in Congress.

With the Republicans regaining control of the House, the first order of business of the new Congress was electing a new Speaker.

After 15 agonizing (almost ridiculously laughable) ballots, the Republicans finally pushed Kevin McCarthy, 58, (R-CA 20^th District) over the goal line to become the 55^th speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

So, we’re good to go.

How successful will President Biden be in pushing his ambitious $6.8 trillion budget proposal (which calls for raising taxes on the rich, boosting military spending, and increased competition with China) through the new Congress?

Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here is a membership summary of the 118^th Congress from a report recently published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a public policy research institute of the United States Congress.

118th Congress: By the Numbers

Party Composition

House of Representatives

Republicans: 222 (plus 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico)

Democrats: 213 (Plus 3 Delegates)

Senate

Republicans: 49

Democrats: 48, and 3 Independents, who all caucus with the Democrats

Age

House of Representatives

• The youngest Representative in the 118^th Congress is Maxwell Frost (D-FL), who was 25 at the beginning of the 118th Congress.
• The oldest Representative in the 118^th Congress is Grace Napolitano (D-CA) who is 89.

NOTE: The U.S. Constitution requires Representatives be at least 25 years old when they take office.

Senate

• The youngest Senator in the 118^th Congress is Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who was 35 at the beginning of the Congress.
• The oldest Senator in the 118^th Congress is Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) who is 89.

NOTE: Senators must be at least 30 years old when they take office.

Occupations

• 44 Senators served in the House
• 101 Members (78 in the House, 23 in the Senate) have worked in education, including teachers, professors, instructors, school fundraisers, counselors, administrators, or coaches.
• 4 physicians in the Senate, 16 physicians in the House in addition to 5 dentists.
• 1 psychologist in the House
• 1 optometrist in the Senate
• 2 pharmacists in the House
• 3 nurses and 1 emergency medical technician (all in the House)
• 5 ordained ministers (3 in the House, 2 in the Senate).
• 41 former mayors (34 in the House, 7 in the Senate).
• 13 former state governors (all in the Senate and 10 lieutenant governors (6 in the Senate, 4 in the House).
• 6 attorneys general of their states (all in the Senate) and 6 secretaries of state (2 in the Senate, 4 in the House).
• 16 former judges (all but 1 in the House) and 32 prosecutors (6 in the Senate, 26 in the House) who have served in the city, county, state, tribal, federal, or military capacities.
• 3 former Ambassadors (1 in the Senate, 2 in the House).
• 264 former state or territorial legislators (45 in the Senate, 219 in the House, including 2 Delegates and Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico).
• 77 former congressional staffers (16 in the Senate, 61 in the House, including 3 Delegates).
• 4 former congressional pages (1 in the House and 3 in the Senate).
• 3 sheriffs (House)
• 4 police officers (House)
• 1 fire chief, 1 firefighter (House)
• 1 parole officer (House)
• 2 CIA employees (House).
• 1 FBI agent (House).
• 1 Peace Corps volunteer in the House and 1 AmeriCorps volunteer in the Senate.
• 2 physicists and 2 chemists (all in the House)
• 1 geologist (Senate).
• 9 engineers (8 in the House, 1 in the Senate).
• 29 public relations, marketing or communications professionals (3 in the Senate, 26 in the House) and 5 accountants (1 in the Senate and 4 in the House).
• 4 software company executives in the House and 2 in the Senate,
• 42 consultants (7 in the Senate, 35 in the House), 5 car dealership owners (all in the House), and 5 venture capitalists (1 in the House, 4 in the Senate.
• 11 bankers or bank executives (1 in the Senate, 10 in the House), 25 veterans of the real estate industry (2 in the Senate, 23 in the House), and 10 Members who have worked in the construction industry (1 in the Senate, 9 in the House).
• 6 social workers (2 in the Senate, 4 in the House) and 5 union representatives (all in the House)
• 24 nonprofit executives of founders (22 in the House, 2 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); 10 reporters or journalists (1 in the Senate, 9 in the House); and 2 newspaper publishers in the House.
• 17 insurance agents or executives (3 in the Senate, 14 in the House) and 16 Members who have worked in the securities and investment industries (3 in the Senate, 13 in the House)
• 1 artist, 1 book publisher, and 1 speechwriter (all in the House), and 2 documentary filmmakers in the Senate.
• 7 restaurateurs, 3 coffee shop owners, and 1 wine store owner (all in the House), and 1 brewpub owner in the Senate.
• 31 farmers, ranchers, or cattle farm owners (8 in the Senate, 23 in the House).
• 1 almond orchard owner, 1 crops nursery owner, as well as a forester, a fruit orchard worker, and a horse trainer (all in the House).
• 1 flight attendant, 4 pilots, all in the House, and 1 astronaut in the Senate.
• 2 professional football players, 1 hockey player, 1 baseball player, and 1 mixed martial arts fighter (all in the House.
• 6 current members of the military (5 in the House, 1 in the Senate) and 5 current members of the National Guard (all in the House).

Education

• 23 Members of the House have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma or GED.
• 5 Members of the House, and 1 Senator, have associate’s degrees as their highest degrees.
• 107 Members of the House and 20 Senators earned a master’s degree as their highest attained degrees.
• 132 Members of the House (30.5 % of the House) and 51 Senators (51 % of the Senate) hold law degrees.
• 22 Representatives and 4 Senators have doctoral (Ph.D., D.Phil., Ed.D., or D. Min) degrees.
• 21 Members of the House and 5 Senators have medical degrees.
• 7 Representatives and 1 Senator are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy.
• 5 Representatives and 1 Senator graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
• 2 Representatives graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
• 1 Senator graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
• 2 Representatives and 1 Senator were Rhodes Scholars.
• 2 Representatives were Fulbright Scholars.
• 2 Representatives were Marshall Scholars.
• 1 Representative and 1 Senator were Truman Scholars.

Religion

• 7 % of Members (247 in the House, 56 in the Senate) are Protestant, with Baptist as the most followed denomination, followed by Methodist.
• 27 % of Members (122 in the House, 26 in the Senate) are Catholic.
• 2 % Members (24 in the House, 9 in the Senate) are Jewish.
• 7 % of Members (6 in the House, 3 in the Senate) are Mormon (Church 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 and Ethnicity

Women Members

• 154 women Members (28.47 % of the total membership) serve in the 118^th Congress, 6 more than the beginning of the 117^th
• 129 women, including three Delegates as well as the Resident Commissioner, serve in the House and 25 in the Senate. Of the 129 women in the House, 94 are Democrats, including 2 of the Delegates, and 35 are Republicans, including 1 Delegate as well as the Resident Commissioner.
• Of the 25 women in the Senate, 15 are Democrats, 9 are Republicans, and 1 is an Independent.

NOTE: 30 years ago, in the 103^rd Congress (1993-1994), 48 women served in the House and 7 in the Senate.

40 years ago in the 98^th Congress (1977-1978), there were 22 women in the House, and 2 in the Senate.

African American Members

• 63 African American Members (11.65 % of the total membership) in the 118^th Congress, 1 more than at the beginning of the 117^th
• 60 serve in the House, including 2 Delegates.
• 3 in the Senate
• 56 of the African-American House Members, including 2 Delegates, are Democrats, and 4 are Republicans.
• 2 Senators are Democrats and 1 is Republican.
• 30 African American women, including 2 Delegates, serve in Congress, all in the House.

NOTE: 40 years ago, in the 98^th Congress (1983-1984), 22 African American Members served in the House, 0 in the Senate.

60 years ago, in the 87th Congress (1961-1962), there were 4 African American Members of Congress, all serving in the House.

Hispanic/Latino American Members

• 62 Hispanic or Latino Members in the 118^th Congress, 11.5 % of the total membership and 10 more than in the 117^th
• 56 serve in the House, including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 6 in the Senate.
• 38 are Democrats (including 1 Delegate) and 18 are Republicans (including 1 Delegate and Resident Commissioner.
• 19 are women, including the Resident Commissioner.
• Of the 6 Hispanic Senators (2 Republicans, 4 Democrats) one is female.

NOTE: 40 years ago, in the 98^th Congress (1983-1984), 12 Hispanic or Latino Members served in Congress. All 12 were male Members of the House.

Asian/Pacific Islander American Members

• 21 Members of the 118^th Congress (3.9 % of the total membership) are of Asian, South Asian, or Pacific ancestry, one less than in the beginning of the 117^th
• 19 of them (15 Democrats, 4 Republicans) serve in the House, and two (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.

NOTE: 40 years in the 98^th Congress (1983-1984), there 5 Asian/Pacific Islander Americans in the House, and 2 in the. Senate. All were male.

American Indian Members

• 5 Native American (American Indian or Alaska Native) Members of the 118^th Congress; 4 in the House (2 Republicans and 2 Democrats) and 1, a Republican, in the Senate, representing 0.92 % of the total congressional membership.

Foreign Birth

• 27 Representatives and 5 Senators (5.9 % of the 118^th Congress) were born outside of the United States, including Cuba, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, South Korea, and Peru.

NOTE: The U.S. Constitution requires that Representatives be citizens for 7 years and Senators be citizens for 9 years before they take office.

Military Service

• 98 individuals (18.1 % of the total membership) have served in the military, 7 more than at the beginning of the 117^th Congress (91 Members).
• Congressional Quarterly (CQ) reports, the House as of January, 2023 had 82 veterans (including 5 female Members, as well as 2 Delegates).
• The Senate had 16 veterans, including 2 women. Their military service includes tours of duty in the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War, and combat or peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo.
• 5 Members are currently serving in the National Guard.
• 4 of the 7 seven female veterans are combat veterans.

--Bill Lucey

March 17, 2023

[email protected]

Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS), Congressional Quarterly (CQ), “Member Profiles,” Pew Research Center on Religion and Public Life.

Comments

[George Vecsey]

Bill, fascinating rundown on Congress,
I have some questions....You mention 7% members are Protestants That seems off,to me.
Maxwell Frost is so poised and smart...makes up for the fool Cawthorn who is gone.
Is there a statistical category for the rep, from my district (North Shore Nassau County NY), the liar and crook Santos. He ran against a very unimpressive older Dem, but still....
Finally, i love the stat that 98 members of Congress have served in the military Having done three years of ROTC in college, I was proud to observe many members taking charge when Trump's Raiders stormed Congress. Many escorted or comforted colleagues....made themselves noticeable...Jason Crow from CO. That's what military is taught to do. Great post. GV