Stock Market News1 week Generation X is finally making strides on Capitol Hill as baby boomers retire and Congress gets a little younger Fast Company
While it may feel as if American politics is run by octogenarians, members of Congress are, in general, younger than they used to be, according to a new analysis from Pew Research Center.
For the first time, baby boomers are no longer the largest generation in the House; Gen X now makes up the biggest slice at 41%. (Boomers are, however, still the majority in the Senate.)
While the average age of Congress members is the third-oldest in history, averages can be skewed by outliers—aka pulled higher because a few members of Congress are older. Examining the median age can help get a sense of how Congress is skewing overall. Here are the main highlights from the report:
- The 119th Congress is skewing younger: The median age in the House of Representatives is 57.5 compared to 57.9 during the 118th Congress. The median age of Senate members is 64.7 compared to 65.3 during the 118th Congress.
- Freshman members are younger: In the House, the median age of new members is 50.2 years, compared to the overall median age (57.5). Almost half the new members are in their thirties and forties. In the Senate, the 11 new members have a median age of 53.9, compared to the overall Senate’s median age (64.7). Four of the new senators are in their forties.
- Party differences: In the House, Republican freshman have a median age of 51.7 compared to 50.2 for freshmen Democrats. In the Senate, Democratic freshman have a median age of 66 while Republican freshman have a median age of 64.5.
“And the arrival of younger generations of lawmakers has brought additional changes, including growing racial and ethnic diversity in Congress,” Drew DeSilver, the report’s author, wrote.
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