The Kentucky State Legislature
The Legislature consists of two chambers: a 38-member Senate and a 100-member House of Representatives. The most recent election for the state legislature was on November 6, 2018. The Kentucky State Legislature maintains age requirements for candidacy; Senate: 30 years of age, House: 24 years of age.
Kentucky Demographic Background
The largest generation in Kentucky is the Baby Boomer Generation consisting of about 26% of the population. The Millennial Generation and Gen X are the second largest generations, each consisting of roughly 21% of the population. The smallest generation is the Silent Generation, consisting of about 12% of the population. 1,2 About 85% of people in Kentucky are White/Caucasian, roughly 8% are Black/African American, 3% are Hispanic or Latino, and 3% are another ethnicity.3
Generational Breakdown of the Kentucky State Legislature
About 5% of members of the Kentucky House of Representatives are Millennials. Additionally, Millennials also hold 5% of Kentucky Senate seats. The largest generation represented in the Kentucky State Legislature is the Baby Boomer Generation, comprising nearly 50% of the Kentucky House of Representatives and just over 40% of the Kentucky State Senate. The Millennial Generation is underrepresented in the Kentucky State Legislature with nearly 21% of the population falling within the Millennial Generation. The Silent Generation maintains near proportionate representation (14%) within the Kentucky State Senate, the generation is 12% of the population. The average age of a Kentucky state legislator is 57. There are 6 Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger in the legislature.
Generational Composition of the Kentucky State Legislature
Generational Breakdown of the Kentucky House of Representatives
| Generation | Number of Members | % of Total Members |
| Millenial Generation | 5 | 5.00% |
| Generation X | 30 | 30.00% |
| Baby Boomer Generation | 49 | 49.00% |
| Silent Generation | 2 | 2.00% |
| NA* | 14 | 14.00% |
Note: *Indicates state legislators for whom there is no birth date on record.
- The average age of a member in the Kentucky House of Representatives is 56
- The youngest member is 31/32 years old (McKenzie Cantrell)
- The oldest member is 88 years old (Thomas Joseph Burch)
- Five individuals are Young Elected Leaders
- McKenzie Cantrell, age: 31/32
- Daniel Elliott, age: 35
- Michael Meredith, age: 34
- Josie Raymond, age: 33/34
- Charles Booker, age: 35
Generational Breakdown of the Kentucky Senate
| Generation | Number of Members | % of Total Members |
| Millenial Generation | 2 | 5.26% |
| Generation X | 14 | 36.84% |
| Baby Boomer Generation | 16 | 42.11% |
| Silent Generation | 5 | 13.16% |
| NA* | 1 | 2.66% |
Note: *Indicates state legislators for whom there is no birth date on record.
- The average age of the Kentucky Senate is 59
- The youngest member is 33 years old (Phillip Matt Castlen)
- The oldest member is 88 years old (Julian M. Carroll)
- One individual is a Young Elected Leader
- Phillip Matt Castlen, age: 33
Gender Breakdown of the Kentucky State Legislature
31 of the 138 legislators are female. On average, female legislators are a year younger than their male colleagues. There are two female Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky House of Representatives and no female Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky Senate. In all generations, women are underrepresented.
Approximately 27% of members of the Kentucky House of Representatives and about 11% of members of the Kentucky Senate are women.
Gender Composition of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Gender by Generation in the Kentucky House of Representatives
Gender of Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky House of Representatives
There are 3 male and 2 female Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Gender of the Kentucky State Senate
Gender by Generation in the Kentucky Senate
Gender of Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky Senate
There is one male Young Elected Leader in the Kentucky House of Senate.
Ethnic Breakdown of the Kentucky State Legislature
Eighty percent of state legislators are White/Caucasian. There are 2 Black/African-American members in the Kentucky State Senate, and 6 Black/African-American member in the Kentucky House of Representatives. There is 1 Hispanic/Latino member of the Kentucky Senate.
Ethnicity by Generation in the Kentucky House of Representatives
Ethnicity of Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky House of Representatives
There is 1 Black/African American Young Elected Leader and 4 White/Caucasian Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Ethnicity by Generation in the Kentucky State Senate
Partisan Breakdown of the Kentucky State Legislature
A majority of the members of the Kentucky House of Representatives and Kentucky State Senate are Republican. Despite this, out of the 5 Young Elected Leaders in the Kentucky House of Representatives, 3 are Democrats and two are a Republican. The one Young Elected Leader in the Kentucky Senate is Republican.
Partisanship of the Kentucky State Legislature
Partisanship by Generation of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Partisanship by Generation of the Kentucky State Senate
Notes
- The Young Elected Leaders Project collects and analyzes data on young elected officials across the country. We define Young Elected Leaders as officials 35 years and younger. We define the generations following the Pew Research Center:
- Generation Z: 1997-2012
- Millennial Generation: 1981-1996
- Generation X: 1965-1980
- Baby Boom Generation: 1946-1964
- Silent Generation: 1928-1945
2. Single Years of Age and Sex, 2010, US Census.
3. Geographic and Housing Estimates (Age, Sex, Race, Households and Housing, …) 2017, US Census.
This analysis is based on data from January 2019 and was conducted on May 8, 2019.
Our previous analysis of the Kentucky state legislature in 2016 can he found here.