The Virginia State Legislature
The legislature is called the General Assembly and consists of two chambers: A 40-member Senate and an 100-member House of Delegates. The last Senate election took place November 3, 2015. The last election of the House of Delegates was November 7, 2017. The next election for both chambers will be on November 5, 2019. The Virginia General Assembly maintains age requirements for candidacy; Senate: 21 years of age, House: 21 years of age.
Virginia Demographic Background
The largest generation in Virginia is the Baby Boomer Generation, comprising almost 26% of the population, followed by the Millennial Generation, which comprises almost 23%.1, 2 The smallest generation is the Silent Generation, consisting of about 11% of the population. About 63% of people in Virginia are White, roughly 19% are Black or African American, 9% are Hispanic or Latino, and about 6% are Asian.3
Generational Breakdown of the Virginia General Assembly
Millennials represent 11% of all members of the Virginia House of Delegates, and just 5% in the Virginia State Senate. The largest generation represented in the Virginia General Assembly is the Baby Boomer Generation, comprising 45% of the Virginia House of Delegates, and 55% of the Virginia State Senate.
Generations in the Virginia General Assembly
Generational Breakdown of the Virginia House of Delegates
| Generation | Number of Members | % of Total Members |
| Millennial Generation | 11 | 11.20% |
| Generation X | 38 | 37.80% |
| Baby Boomer Generation | 45 | 44.90% |
| Silent Generation | 4 | 4.10% |
| NA* | 2 | 2.00% |
Note: *Indicates state legislators for whom there is no birth date on record.
- The average age of the Virginia House of Delegates is 53.8
- The youngest member is 30 (Jerrauld C. Jones)
- The oldest member is 79 (Vivian Edna Watts)
- 7 individuals are Young Elected Leaders
- Jerrauld C. Jones, 30
- Chris L. Hurst, 32
- Lee J. Carter, 32
- Lashrecse D. Aird, 33
- James William Morefield, 35
- Danica A. Roem, 35
- Emily M. Brewer, 35
Generational Breakdown of the Virginia Senate
| Generation | Number of Members | % of Total Members |
| Millennial Generation | 2 | 5.13% |
| Generation X | 11 | 28.21% |
| Baby Boomer Generation | 22 | 53.85% |
| Silent Generation | 5 | 12.82% |
Note: *Indicates state legislators for whom there is no birth date on record.
- The average age of the Virginia Senate is 59.3
- The youngest member is 34 (David R. Suetterlein)
- The oldest member is 79 (Richard Lawrence Saslaw)
- 1 individual is a Young Elected Leader
- David R. Suetterlein, 33
Gender Breakdown of the Virginia General Assembly
About 28% of members in the Virginia House of Delegates and 25% of members in the Virginia State Senate are women. There are four male and three female Young Elected Leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates, and one male Young Elected Leader in the Virginia State Senate. There is no difference in the average age of male and female Assemblymembers.
Gender by Generation in Virginia House of Delegates
Gender by Generation in Virginia Senate
Ethnic Breakdown of the Virginia General Assembly
Exactly 78% of members of the Virginia House of Delegates are White/Caucasian, followed by 14% being Black/African-American. In the Virginia State Senate, roughly 87% of members being White/Caucasian and more than 2% Black/African-American.
Ethnicity of the Virginia House of Delegates
Ethnicity by Generation in Virginia House of Delegates
Ethnicity of Young Elected Leaders in Virginia House of Delegates
Of the seven Young Elected Leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates, two are Black/African-American and five are White/Caucasian.
Ethnicity of the Virginia Senate
Ethnicity by Generation in Virginia Senate
Ethnicity of Young Elected Leaders in Virginia Senate
There is one Young Elected Leader in the Virginia Senate, whose ethnicity is categorized as “White/Caucasian.”
Partisan Breakdown of the Virginia General Assembly
A majority of the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate are Republicans. Of the eight Young Elected Leaders throughout the General Assembly, five are Democrats and three are Republicans.
Partisanship of the Virginia House of Delegates
Partisanship by Generation in Virginia House of Delegates
Partisanship of Young Elected Leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates
There are seven Young Elected Leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates, five of whom are members of the Democratic Party and two of whom are members of the Republican Party.
Partisanship of the Virginia Senate
Partisanship by Generation in Virginia Senate
Partisanship of Young Elected Leaders in Virginia Senate
There is one Young Elected Leader in the Virginia Senate, who is a member of the Republican Party.
Notes
1. 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. Demographic and Housing Estimates (Age, Sex, Race, Households and Housing, …) 2017, US Census.
This analysis is based on data from July 2019 and was conducted on August 10, 2019.