The 118th U.S. Congress

The 118th Congress was elected on November 8, 2022. The new legislative period began on January 3, 2023 and will end in January 2025. There are 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives and 100 members in the U.S. Senate. The minimum age to be eligible as member of the House is 25. Senators must be at least 30 years old. There were 2 vacancies at the time of writing.

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 118th House of Representatives

Generations in the 118th House of Representatives: A pink to purple bar chart that shows Boomers were the largest generation in the house, followed by Gen x. Millennials are third, the Silent Generation fourth. Smallest is Gen Z (1 Representative)

  • the median age of Representatives is 57.5 years
  • the youngest Representative was born in 1997
  • the oldest Representative was born in 1936
  • 52 Representatives are Millennials
  • 13 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger

Partisanship in the 118th House of Representatives

In the 118th House, 215 Representatives belong to the Democratic Party and 225 Representatives are Republicans. The median age of Democratic Representatives at the time of the election was 58. The median age of Republican Representatives at the time of the election was 57.

Generations by Party in the 118th House

Young Elected Representatives in the Democratic Party

Name Birth year Year first elected to Congress
Sara Jacobs 1989 2020
Maxwell Frost 1997 2022
Jake Auchincloss 1988 2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 1989 2018
Ritchie Torres 1988 2020
Summer Lee 1987 2022
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez 1988 2022
Gregorio Casar 1989 2022

Young Elected Representatives in the Republican Party

Name Birth year Year first elected to Congress
Kat Cammack 1988 2020
Jake LaTurner 1988 2020
George Santos 1988 2022
Max Miller 1988 2022
Anna Luna 1989 2022

Gender in the 118th House of Representatives

In the 118th House, 29.09 percent of Representatives are female and 70.91 percent male. The median age of female Representatives at the time of the election was 56. The median age of male Representatives at the time of the election was 58.

Of 13 Young Elected Leaders, 6 were female and 7 male.

Race and Ethnicity in the 118th House of Representatives

Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the 118th House

Boomer Generation Generation X Generation Z Millennial Generation Silent Generation
American Indian/Alaska Native 1 2 0 0 0
Asian 6 3 0 1 1
Black/African American 22 15 0 8 8
Hispanic/Latinx 14 19 0 7 1
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 1 0 0 0 0
Other/More than One Ethnicity 3 8 1 4 0
White 151 120 0 32 12

The 118th Senate

  • the median age of Senators is 65 years
  • the youngest Senator was born in 1987
  • the oldest Senator was born in 1933
  • 3 Senators are Millennials
  • 1 Senator was a Young Elected Leader age 35 or younger

Partisanship in the 118th Senate

In the 118th Senate, 48 Senators belong to the Democratic Party and 48 Senators are Republicans. The median age of Democratic Senators at the time of the election was 64.5. The median age of Republican Senators at the time of the election was 65.

Generations by Party in the 118th Senate

Young Elected Senators in the Democratic Party

Name Birth year Year first elected to Congress
Jon Ossoff 1987 2021

Young Elected Senators in the Republican Party

There are no Young Elected Leaders from the Republican Party in the Senate.

Gender in the 118th Senate

In the 118th Senate, 25.25 percent of Senators are female and 74.75 percent male. The median age of female Senators at the time of the election was 65. The median age of male Senators at the time of the election was 65.

The one Young Elected Leader in the Senate is male.

Race and Ethnicity in the 118th Senate

Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the 118th Senate
Boomer Generation Generation X Millennial Generation Silent Generation
American Indian/Alaska Native 0 1 0 0
Asian 1 1 0 0
Black/African American 0 3 0 0
Hispanic/Latinx 2 4 0 0
White 62 14 3 8

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 January 2023.

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 118th U.S. Congress