Demographic Background

According to the Pew Research Center, based on data from the U.S. Census, Millennials have become the largest generation in the United States, with about 31 percent. The second largest generation are Baby Boomers (30.88 percent). About 28 percent of the U.S. population belong to Generation X. The smallest generation is the Silent Generation (9.91 percent).

The 115th House of Representatives

• the median age of Representatives was 58 years
• the youngest Representative was born in 1984
• the oldest Representative was born in 1930
• 6 Representatives were Millennials
• 6 Representatives were Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger

Partisanship in the 115th House of Representatives

In the 115th House, 197 Representatives belonged to the Democratic Party and 237 Representatives were Republicans. The median age of Democratic Representatives at the time of the election was 62. The median age of Republican Representatives at the time of the election was 56.

Young Elected Representatives in the Democratic Party

Name		Birth year	Year first elected to Congress
Conor	Lamb	1984	2018
Tulsi	Gabbard	1981	2012

Young Elected Representatives in the Republican Party

Name		Birth year	Year first elected to Congress
Trey	Hollingsworth	1983	2016
Elise	Stefanik	1984	2014
Michael	Gallagher	1984	2016
Matt	Gaetz	1982	2016

Gender in the 115th House of Representatives

In the 115th House, 20.51 percent of Representatives were female and
79.49 percent male. The median age of female Representatives at the time
of the election was 61. The median age of male Representatives at the
time of the election was 58.

Of 6 Young Elected Leaders, 2 were female and 4 male.

Race and Ethnicity in the 115th House of Representatives

Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the 115th House

	Boomer Generation	Generation X	Millennial Generation	Silent Generation
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	1	0	0
Asian	3	3	0	1
Black/African American	28	7	0	11
Hispanic/Latinx	14	17	0	3
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	2	0	1	0
Other/More than One Ethnicity	1	5	0	0
White	220	84	5	27

The 115th Senate

• the median age of Senators was 61.5 years
• the youngest Senator was born in 1977
• the oldest Senator was born in 1933
• 0 Senators were Millennials
• 0 Senators were Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger

Partisanship in the 115th Senate

In the 115th Senate, 47 Senators belonged to the Democratic Party and 51
Senators were Republicans. The median age of Democratic Senators at the
time of the election was 61. The median age of Republican Senators at
the time of the election was 61.

Gender in the 115th Senate

In the 115th Senate, 23.00 percent of Senators were female and 77.00 percent male. The median age of female Senators at the time of the election was 59. The median age of male Senators at the time of the election was 62.

Race and Ethnicity in the 115th Senate

Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the 115th Senate

	Boomer Generation	Generation X	Silent Generation
Asian	1	1	0
Black/African American	0	2	0
Hispanic/Latinx	2	2	0
Other/More than One Ethnicity	1	0	0
White	62	11	18

Notes

The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:

• Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
• Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
• Generation X: 1965 – 1980
• Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
• Generation Z: 1997 – 2012

This analysis is based on data from October 2018. There were 7 vacancies at the time of data collection.

Citation Guideline

Please reference the project and center in any publication.

In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.”

Bibliographic Citation For this document

Author: Young Elected Leaders Project

Corresponding Authors: Brit Anlar and Isabel Köhler

Year: 2023

Title: The 115th U.S. Congress