I posted this in one of those threads just to show the demographics. It was completely ignored, but considering the thread I posted it in, I expected no less.
"Old" is now considered middle aged, but "white and male" despite advances, still rules
And profound apologies to people who are offended by "old" It's not you.
( at this point I was thinking of people in their 70's, maybe turning the corner to their 80's)
Table 1 shows the average ages at the beginning of the 113th Congress.
Table 1. Average Age of Members, 111th-113th Congresses
Average (mean) age at the beginning of the Congress
Congress
113th 112th 111th
Representatives
57.0 years 56.7 years 57.2 years
Newly Elected Representatives
49.2 years 48.2 years 49.8 years
Senators
62.0 years 62.2 years 63.1 years
Source: CRS calculations based on CQ Roll Call Member Profiles.
Notes: Representatives age data do not include the Delegates and the Resident Commissioner. “Newly Elected”
Members data do not include those returning to the House or Senate for a second time.
The U.S. Constitution requires Representatives to be at least 25 years old when they take office. The youngest Representative at the beginning of the 113th Congress is 30-year-old Patrick Murphy (D-FL), born March 30, 1983. The oldest Representative in U.S. history, as well as the oldest current Member of Congress, is 90-year-old Ralph Hall (R-TX), born May 3, 1923.
Senators must be at least 30 years old when they take office. The oldest Senator in the 113th Congress is Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 80, born June 22, 1933.7 The youngest Senator is 40-year- old Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), born August 3, 1973.
Gender and Ethnicity Female Members
A record 102 women (18.8% of total membership) serve in the 113th Congress as of December 2013, 10 more than at the beginning of the 112th Congress.21 Eighty-one women, including 3 Delegates, serve in the House and 20 in the Senate. Of the 82 women in the House, 63 are Democrats, including the 3 Delegates, and 19 are Republicans. Of the 20 women in the Senate, 16 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans.
African American Members
There are 44 African American Members (8.1% of the total membership) in the 113th Congress; the same number as at the beginning of the 112th Congress. Forty-two serve in the House, including 2 Delegates, and 2 serve in the Senate.22 This number includes one Member of the House who is of African American and Asian ancestry and is counted in both ethnic categories in this report. All of the 42 House Members, including 2 Delegates, are Democrats, and there is a Senator of each party. Sixteen African American women, including two Delegates, serve in the House.
Hispanic/Latino American Members
There are 37 Hispanic or Latino Members in the 113th Congress, 6.9% of the total membership.23 Thirty-three serve in the House and four in the Senate. Of the Members of the House, 26 are Democrats (including 1 Delegate and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico),24 7 are Republicans, and 9 are women. There are 4 male Hispanic Senators (3 Republicans, 1 Democrat). One set of Hispanic Members, Representatives Linda Sánchez and Loretta Sanchez,25 are sisters.26
Asian/Pacific Islander American Members
Thirteen Members of the 113th Congress (2.4% of the total membership, the same as at the beginning of the 112th Congress) are of Asian, South Asian, or Pacific Islander ancestry. Twelve of them (all Democrats) serve in the House, and one (a Democrat) serves in the Senate. Of those serving in the House, two are Delegates. Seven of the Asian Pacific American Members are female: six in the House and one in the Senate.27
These numbers include one House Member who is also of African American ancestry and another of Hispanic ancestry; these Members are counted in both ethnic categories.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42964.pdf
Oh and I found this interesting:
As has been true in recent Congresses, the vast majority of Members (93% of House Members and 99% of Senators) at the beginning of the 113th Congress hold bachelor’s degrees. The CQ Roll Call Member Profiles at the beginning of the 113th Congress indicate the following:
• 21 Members of the House and 1 Senator have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma;
• 7 Members of the House, but no Senators, have associate’s degrees as their highest degree, and 1 House Member has an L.P.N. (nursing) degree;
• 85 members of the House and 14 Senators earned a master’s degree as their highest education degree;
• Law degrees are held by 169 Members of the House (38% of the House) and 57 Senators (57% of the Senate);
• Of the Members holding a law degree, 4 (3 House Members and 1 Senator) also hold an LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree;
• 20 Representatives (but no Senators) have doctoral (Ph.D. or D.Phil.) degrees; and
• 22 Members of the House and 3 Senators have a medical degree.15
By comparison, approximately 30 years ago in the 97th Congress (1981-1982), 84% of House Members and 88% of Senators held bachelor’s degrees. Forty years ago, in the 92nd Congress (1971-1972), 77% of House Members and 87% of Senators held bachelor’s degrees. Fifty years ago, in the 87th Congress (1961-1962), 71% of House Members and 76% of Senators held bachelor’s degrees.16
Three Representatives and one Senator in the 113th Congress are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy and one Senator and one Representative graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. Two Senators and two Representatives were Rhodes Scholars, two Representatives were Fulbright Scholars, two Representatives were Marshall Scholars, and one Representative was a Truman Scholar.17
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