The Maryland State Legislature
The Maryland State Legislature consists of two chambers: a 47-member State Senate and an 141-member House of Delegates. Currently all seats in the Maryland State Legislature are occupied. The last election took place on November 6, 2018. The next election will take place this year, on November 8, 2022. The Maryland State Legislature maintains age requirements for candidacy. To run for the Senate, the candidate must be at least 25 years of age. To run for the House of Delegates, the candidate must be at least 21 years of age.
Maryland Demographic Background
The distribution of generations is relatively evenly in Maryland. The Baby Boomer Generation is the largest generation at 26.0%. However, the Millennial Generation and Generation X follow closely behind at 21.9% and 21.7%, respectively. The Silent Generation is the smallest generation, only making up 10.6% of the population. Whites are the majority in Maryland, composing 51.9% of the population. Black/African Americans compose 29.3% of the population with Hispanic or Latinos composing 9.6% and 9.3% of the population identifying as Other.3
Generational Breakdown of the Maryland State Legislature
The average age of a Maryland legislator is 54 years. The largest overall generation represented in the Maryland State Legislature is the Baby Boomer Generation, comprising 37.41% of the Maryland House of Delegates, and 51.06% of the Maryland State Senate. The second largest overall generation is Generation X, comprising of 40.27% of the Maryland House of Delegates and 21.28% of the State Senate. The Silent Generation represents 14.89% of the Senate and 3.60% of the House of Delegates. Millennials represent 15.10% of the members of the Maryland House of Delegates, and 12.77% in the Maryland State Senate. Millennials are therefore underrepresented in the legislature.
There are 10 total Young Elected Leaders in Maryland’s State Legislature.
Generational Composition of the Maryland State Legislature
Generational Breakdown of the Maryland House of Delegates
| Generation | Number of Members | % of Total Members |
| Millenial Generation | 21 | 19.39% |
| Generation X | 56 | 42.86% |
| Baby Boomer Generation | 52 | 37.76% |
| Silent Generation | 5 | 3.60% |
| NA* | 0 | 0.00% |
- The average age of the Maryland House of Delegates is 52-53
- The youngest member is 24 (Julian Ivey)
- The oldest member is 83 (Barrie S. Ciliberti)
- 9 individuals are Young Elected Leaders
- Nino Mangione, 32
- Vaughn Stewart, 31
- Wanika Fisher, 31
- Jazz Lewis, 30
- Gabriel Acevero, 29
- Jheanelle Wilkins, 31
- Dalya Attar, 28
- Lauren Arikan, 35
- Julian Ivey, 24
Generational Breakdown of the Maryland State Senate
| Generation | Number of Members | % of Total Members |
| Millenial Generation | 6 | 12.77% |
| Generation X | 10 | 21.28% |
| Baby Boomer Generation | 24 | 51.06% |
| Silent Generation | 7 | 14.89% |
| NA* | 0 | 0.00% |
- The average age of the Maryland State Senate is 59
- The youngest member is 31 (Sarah K. Elfreth)
- The oldest member is 83 (Delores G. Kelley)
- 1 individual is a Young Elected Leader
- Sarah K. Elfreth, 31
Gender Breakdown of the Maryland State Legislature
Women are underrepresented in the Maryland State Legislature: Roughly 42% of members in the Maryland House of Delegates and exactly 31.91% of members in the Maryland State Senate are women. Female legislators are on average 1.5 years younger than their male colleagues.
There are four female and five male Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland House of Delegates, and one female Young Elected Leader in the Maryland State Senate.
Gender of the Maryland House of Delegates
Gender by Generation in the Maryland House of Delegates
Gender of the Maryland State Senate
Gender by Generation in the Maryland State Senate
Ethnic Breakdown of the Maryland State Legislature
Roughly 59.71% of members of the Maryland House of Delegates are White/Caucasian, followed by 30.94% being Black/African-American, 3.60% Hispanic/Latino, and 5.76 Other. In the Maryland State Senate, 70.21% of members are White/Caucasian, 25.53% are Black/African-American, and 4.26% are Other.
Ethnicity of the Maryland House of Delegates
Ethnicity by Generation in the Maryland House of Delegates
Ethnicity of Young Elected Leaders in Maryland House of Delegates
Of the nine Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland House of Delegates, five are Black/African-American, one is Other, and three are White/Caucasian.
Ethnicity of the Maryland State Senate
Ethnicity by Generation in the Maryland State Senate
Ethnicity of Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland State Senate
There is one Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland State Senate, and she is White/Caucasian.
Partisan Breakdown of the Maryland State Legislature
A majority of the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland State Senate are Democrats. Of the ten Young Elected Leaders throughout the legislature, two are Republicans and eight are Democrats.
Partisanship of the Maryland House of Delegates
Partisanship by Generation in the Maryland House of Delegates
Partisanship of Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland House of Delegates
There are nine Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland House of Delegates: two are Republican and seven are Democrats. There are five delegates whose ages are not known.
Partisanship of the Maryland State Senate
Partisanship by Generation in the Maryland State Senate
Partisanship of Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland State Senate
There is one Young Elected Leaders in the Maryland State Senate and she is a Democrat.
Notes
- The Young Elected Leaders Project collects and analyzes data on young elected officials across the country. We define Young Elected Leaders (YELs) 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 April 2019 and was conducted on April 28, 2019.