Representatives and Senators: Trends in Member Characteristics Since 1945

R. Eric Petersen, Coordinator
Specialist in American National Government

Questions about the characteristics of Members of Congress, including their age, education, previous occupations, and other descriptors, are of ongoing interest to Members, congressional staff, and constituents. Some of these questions may be asked in the context of representation, in efforts to evaluate the extent to which Members of Congress reflect their constituencies and the nation at large. In other instances, questions arise about how the characteristics of Members have changed over time, which may speak in part to the history of Congress.

This report provides profiles of Senators and Representatives in selected Congresses since 1945. It includes data based on Representatives and Senators serving on the first day of the 79th, 82nd, 87th, 92nd, 97th, 102nd, and 107th – 112th Congresses for several demographic characteristics, as well as the tenure of Member service in Congress. The characteristics discussed include age, including the oldest and youngest Members of the House and Senate; congressional service tenure; sex; previous occupation; race and ethnicity; education; religion; and military service.

Following the written summaries of each characteristic, the report provides a number of tables that provide the detailed data by the category on which the summaries are based. All data tables appear in the “Member Characteristics Data Tables” section.

In several categories, the report provides data on the U.S. population that may be comparable to data available on Members of Congress. A detailed discussion of the methods used to develop the data presented in the report, and efforts to provide comparison between Member characteristics and the American public, is provided in an Appendix.

The disclosure of details of a Member’s race, education, previous occupation, or other characteristics appears to be voluntary, and no official, authoritative source has collected Member characteristic data in a consistent manner over time. Member data provided in this report are based on commercially collected information, and academic sources. Comparative data on the U.S. population are taken from the Census Bureau, and are supplemented by private sources.

Members in 2011 are older, more likely to identify a religious affiliation, and include more women and members of racial and ethnic groups than Members in 1945. The data presented in this report suggest that since the 79th Congress, Members have had high levels of education, and worked in professional positions prior to coming to Congress. The number of Members who previously served in the military has risen and fallen, largely in tandem with the levels of service in the broader population.

Other Congressional Research Service reports also provide data and other information on the characteristics of Members. These include CRS Report R41647, Membership of the 112th Congress: A Profile; CRS Report R40086, Membership of the 111th Congress: A Profile; and CRS Report R41545, Congressional Careers: Service Tenure and Patterns of Member Service, 1789- 2011. Due to differences in data collection or characterization, data in other studies on Member characteristics may differ from those presented in this report.


Date of Report: February 17, 2012
Number of Pages: 41
Order Number: R42365
Price: $29.95

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