Membership of the 119th Congress: A Profile

Membership of the 119th Congress: A Profile

Membership of the 119th Congress: A Profile

May 13, 2025 (R48535)
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Contents

Overview and Total Members in History

Party Breakdown

Age

Occupations

Education

Congressional Service

Religion

Gender and Ethnicity

Women Members

African American Members

Hispanic/Latino American Members

Asian/Pacific Islander American Members

American Indian Members

Foreign Birth

Military Service

Tables

Table 1. Average Age of Members, 116th-119th Congresses

Table 2. Average Length of Service for Members of Congress, 117th-119th Congresses

Summary

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 119th Congress (2025-2026) as of May 13, 2025, or, where noted, at the beginning of the 119th Congress (January 3, 2025). Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age, occupation, education, length of congressional service, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign birth, and military service.

In the House of Representatives, there are 220 Republicans (plus 3 Delegates), 213 Democrats (plus 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico), and 2 vacant seats. The Senate has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 Independents, who both caucus with the Democrats. Additionally,

The average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 119th Congress was 57.9 years; of Senators, 63.9 years.

The overwhelming majority, 96%, of Members of Congress are four-year college graduates.

The dominant professions of Members are public service/politics, business, and law.

Most Members identify as Christians, and the collective majority of these affiliate with a Protestant denomination. Roman Catholics account for the largest single religious denomination. Numerous other affiliations are represented, including Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Greek and Russian Orthodox, and Unitarian Universalist.

The average length of service for Representatives at the beginning of the 119th Congress was 8.6 years (4.3 House terms); for Senators, 11.2 years (1.9 Senate terms).

One hundred fifty-five women serve in the 119th Congress: 129 in the House, including 4 Delegates, and 26 in the Senate.

There are 61 African American Members of the House and 5 in the Senate. This House number includes 2 Delegates.

There are 56 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 50 in the House, including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 6 in the Senate.

There are 24 Members (18 Representatives, 3 Delegates, and 3 Senators) who are Asian Americans or Pacific Islander Americans.

Four Native Americans (American Indians) serve in the 119th Congress (3 in the House, 1 in the Senate).

The portions of this report covering political party affiliation, gender, ethnicity, and vacant seats may be updated as events warrant. The remainder of the report will not be updated.

Overview and Total Members in History

Congress is composed of 541 individuals¹ from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since 1789, 12,585 individuals² have served as either Representatives (11,259 individuals) or Senators (2,018 individuals).³ Of these individuals, 689 have served in both chambers. An additional 181 individuals have served in the House in the role of territorial Delegate or Resident Commissioner.⁴

The following is a profile of the 119th Congress (2025-2026).⁵

Party Breakdown

In the 119th Congress, the current party alignments as of May 13, 2025,⁶ are as follows:

House of Representatives: 220 Republicans (plus 3 Delegates) and 213 Democrats (plus 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico), and 2 vacant seats.

Senate: 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 Independents (both caucus with the Democrats).

Age

The average age at the beginning of the 119th Congress was 57.9 years for Representatives and 63.9 years for Senators.⁷

Table 1 shows the average ages at the beginning of the 119th and three previous Congresses.

Table 1. Average Age of Members, 116th-119th Congresses

Average (mean) age at the beginning of the Congress

Congress

Representatives

Newly Elected Representatives

Senators

Newly Elected Senators

119th

118th

117th

116th

57.9 years

57.9 years

58.4 years

57.6 years

50.2 years

47.8 years

50.6 years

47.9 years

63.9 years

64.0 years

64.3 years

62.9 years

55.1 years

50.4 years

56.1 years

58.1 years

Source: CRS calculations based on CQ, "119th Congress: Birthdays," https://plus.cq.com/members/factfile/birthdays and Pew Research Center, "Age and generation in the 119th Congress," https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/16/age-and-generation-in-the-119th-congress-somewhat-younger-with-fewer-boomers-and-more-gen-xers/.

Notes: Representatives' age data do not include the Delegates and the Resident Commissioner. Newly elected Members' data do not include those returning to the House or Senate for a second time.

The U.S. Constitution requires Representatives to be at least 25 years old when they take office.⁸ The youngest Representative in the 119th Congress is Maxwell Frost (D-FL), born January 17, 1997, who was 27 at the beginning of the 119th Congress. The oldest House Member in the 119th Congress is Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), born July 13, 1937, who was 87, followed by Representative Harold Rogers (R-KY), born December 31, 1937, also 87.

Senators must be at least 30 years old when they take office. The youngest Senator in the 119th Congress is Jon Ossoff (D-GA), born February 16, 1987, who was 37 at the beginning of the Congress. The oldest Senator in the 119th Congress is Chuck Grassley (R-IA), born September 17, 1933, who was 91.

Occupations

CQ.com provides data on occupations declared by Members of Congress in the 119th Congress. The most common professions are law, business, and public service/politics. For example, 31% of House Members, and 47% of Senators, have law degrees and have practiced law. Three hundred five House Members (70% of the House) and 82 Senators (82% of the Senate) have served as elected officials at the local, state, or federal level before arriving in Congress. CQ data also indicate that at least 135 House Members (31% of the House) and 28 Senators (28% of the Senate) have been owners, founders, or executives of businesses or companies.

A closer look at the range of prior occupations and previously held public offices of Members of the House and Senate at the beginning of the 119th Congress, as listed in their CQ Member Profiles,⁹ also shows the following:

45 Senators with previous House service;

119 Members who have worked in education, including teachers, professors, instructors, school fundraisers, counselors, administrators, or coaches (100 in the House, 19 in the Senate);

4 physicians in the Senate, 16 physicians in the House, plus 4 dentists;¹⁰

1 psychologist (in the House), an optometrist (in the Senate), 2 pharmacists (in the House), and 3 nurses and 1 emergency medical technician (all in the House);

5 ordained ministers (3 in the House, 2 in the Senate);

38 mayors¹¹ (32 in the House, 6 in the Senate);

12 state governors (all in the Senate) and 11 lieutenant governors (7 in the Senate, 4 in the House);

9 attorneys general of their states (8 in the Senate, 1 in the House) and 6 secretaries of state (2 in the Senate, 4 in the House);

15 judges (all but 2 in the House) and 41 prosecutors (12 in the Senate, 29 in the House) who have served in city, county, state, federal, or military capacities;

3 Ambassadors (1 in the Senate, 2 in the House);

251 state or territorial legislators (41 in the Senate, 210 in the House; also 1 Delegate);¹²

at least 91 congressional staffers (20 in the Senate, 71 in the House; including 2 Delegates), as well as 4 congressional pages (1 in the House and 3 in the Senate);¹³

3 sheriffs, 3 police officers, 1 fire chief, 1 firefighter, 1 parole officer, and 1 FBI agent (all in the House) and 1 CIA analyst in the Senate;

2 Peace Corps volunteers in the House; 2 AmeriCorps volunteers in the Senate and 1 in the House;

2 physicists and 2 chemists, all in the House, and 1 geologist in the Senate;

10 engineers (9 in the House and 1 in the Senate);

30 public relations, marketing, or communications professionals (5 in the Senate, 25 in the House) and 5 accountants (1 in the Senate and 4 in the House);

3 software company executives in the House and 2 in the Senate;

47 consultants¹⁴ (9 in the Senate, 38 in the House), 6 car dealership owners (all but 1 in the House), and 6 venture capitalists (2 in the House, 4 in the Senate);

12 bankers or bank executives (2 in the Senate, 10 in the House), 22 Members who have worked in the real estate industry (3 in the Senate, 19 in the House), and 10 Members who have worked in the construction industry (2 in the Senate, 8 in the House);

3 social workers (all in the House)¹⁵ and 5 union representatives (all in the House);

36 nonprofit executives or founders (32 in the House, 4 in the Senate);

3 radio talk show hosts (both in the House); 4 radio or television broadcasters, managers, or owners (3 in the House, 1 in the Senate); 11 reporters or journalists (all in the House); and 2 newspaper publishers in the House;

16 insurance agents or executives (3 in the Senate, 13 in the House) and 14 Members who have worked in the securities and investment industries (3 in the Senate, 11 in the House);

1 artist, 1 book publisher, and 1 speechwriter (all in the House), and 2 documentary filmmakers in the Senate;

8 restaurateurs, as well as 1 coffee shop owner, and 1 whiskey distillery owner (all in the House), and 1 brewpub owner in the Senate;

33 farmers, ranchers, or cattle farm owners (8 in the Senate, 25 in the House);

1 almond orchard owner, a forester, a fruit orchard worker, and a horse trainer (all in the House);

1 flight attendant and 3 pilots, all in the House, and 1 astronaut in the Senate;

1 professional football player, 1 hockey player, 1 baseball player, and 1 mixed martial arts fighter (all in the House); and

5 current members of the military reserves and 3 current members of the National Guard (all in the House).

Other occupations listed in the CQ Member Profiles include emergency dispatcher, ride share driver, animal nutrition specialist, electrician, occupational therapist, rodeo announcer, carpenter, video game developer, computer systems analyst, software engineer, R&D lab executive, talent agent, and explosives expert.

Education

As has been true in recent Congresses, the vast majority of Members (96% of House Members and 99% of Senators) at the beginning of the 119th Congress have earned at least a bachelor's degree. Sixty-six percent of House Members and 78% of Senators hold advanced educational degrees beyond a bachelor's.¹⁶ The CQ Member Profiles at the beginning of the 119th Congress indicate the following:

19 Members of the House have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma or GED;

1 Member of the House, and 1 Senator, has an associate's degree as their highest degree;

109 Members of the House and 22 Senators earned a master's degree as their highest attained degrees;

140 Members of the House (31.7% of the House) and 47 Senators (47% of the Senate) hold law degrees;

23 Representatives and 4 Senators have doctoral (Ph.D., D.Phil., Ed.D., or D.Min.) degrees; and

21 Members of the House and 5 Senators have medical degrees.¹⁷

By comparison, approximately 40 years ago in the 99th Congress (1985-1986), 84.8% of House Members and 88% of Senators held bachelor's degrees. Fifty years ago, in the 94th Congress (1975-1976), 82.5% of House Members and 88% of Senators held bachelor's degrees. Sixty years ago, in the 89th Congress (1965-1966), 74% of House Members and 57% of Senators held bachelor's degrees.¹⁸

Eight Representatives and two Senators are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), five Representatives and two Senators graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, two Representatives graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and one Senator graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. One Representative and two Senators were Rhodes Scholars, one Representative was a Fulbright Scholar, two Representatives were Marshall Scholars, and one Representative and two Senators were Truman Scholars.¹⁹

Congressional Service

The average length of service for Representatives at the beginning of the 119th Congress was 8.6 years (4.3 House terms); for Senators, 11.2 years (1.9 Senate terms).

Table 2 shows the average length of service at the beginning of the 119th and three previous Congresses.

Table 2. Average Length of Service for Members of Congress, 117th-119th Congresses

Average (mean) at the beginning of the Congress, in years and numbers of terms

Congress

Representatives

Senators

119th

8.6 years (4.3 terms)

11.2 (1.9 terms)

118th

8.5 years (4.3 terms)

11.2 years (1.9 terms)

117th

8.9 years (4.5 terms)

11.0 years (1.8 terms)

Source: CRS Report R41545, Congressional Careers: Service Tenure and Patterns of Member Service, 1789-2025, by Sarah J. Eckman and Amber Hope Wilhelm.

Notes: Representatives are elected for two-year terms. Senators are elected for six-year terms. Note that 45 Senators in the 119th Congress have previously served in the House. Their House service is not included in this average, nor is the House service of Senators included in previous Congresses.

At the beginning of the 119th Congress, 62 of the House Members (14.1% of the total House membership) had first been elected to the House in November 2024, and 12 of the Senators (12% of the total Senate membership) had first been elected to the Senate in November 2024.²⁰ By comparison, at the beginning of the 118th Congress, 16.8% of the House and 7% of the Senate were newly elected "freshmen."

At the beginning of the 119th Congress, 135 House Members (30.6% of House Members) had no more than two years of House experience, and 20 Senators (20% of Senators) had no more than two years of Senate experience. By comparison, at the beginning of the 118th Congress, 31.1% of the House, and 16% of Senators, had no more than two years of experience in their respective chambers.

For more historical information on the tenure of Members of Congress, see CRS Report R41545, Congressional Careers: Service Tenure and Patterns of Member Service, 1789-2025, by Sarah J. Eckman and Amber Hope Wilhelm.

Religion

Ninety-six percent of the Members of the 119th Congress report an affiliation with a specific religion.²¹

Statistics gathered by the Pew Research Center on Religion and Public Life, which studies the religious affiliation of Representatives and Senators, and CQ at the beginning of the 119th Congress showed the following:

55.1% of Members (237 in the House, 58 in the Senate) are Protestant, with Baptist as the most represented denomination, followed by Methodist;

28.0% of Members (126 in the House, 24 in the Senate) are Catholic;

6.0% of Members (23 in the House, 9 in the Senate) are Jewish;

1.7% of Members (6 in the House, 3 in the Senate) are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;

3 Members (1 in the House, 1 in the Senate) are Buddhist, 4 Representatives are Muslim, and 4 Representatives are Hindu; and

other religious affiliations represented include Eastern Orthodox, Messianic Jewish, and Unitarian Universalist.²²

Gender and Ethnicity

Women Members

One hundred fifty-five women Members (28.65% of the total membership) serve in the 119th Congress. This is the same total number as at the end of the 118th Congress, but two more than at the beginning of the 118th Congress.²³ One hundred twenty-nine women, including 4 Delegates, serve in the House and 26 in the Senate. Of the 129 women in the House, 96 are Democrats, including 2 of the Delegates, and 33 are Republicans, including 2 Delegates. Of the 26 women in the Senate, 16 are Democrats and 10 are Republicans.²⁴

By comparison, 30 years ago in the 104rd Congress (1995-1996), 50 women served in the House, and 9 in the Senate. Forty years ago, in the 99th Congress (1985-1986), there were 23 women in the House, and 2 in the Senate.

African American Members

There are 66 African American Members (12.2% of the total membership) in the 119th Congress, four more than at the beginning of the 118th Congress.²⁵ Sixty-one serve in the House, including two Delegates, and five serve in the Senate. This number includes two Representatives who are of African American and Asian ancestry, and two Representatives who are of African American and Hispanic ancestry. In this report, each of these four Members is counted as belonging to two ethnic groups. Fifty-seven of the African American House Members, including two Delegates, are Democrats, and four are Republicans. Four of the Senators are Democrats and one is Republican. Twenty-nine African American women, including two Delegates, serve in the House, and two serve in the Senate.²⁶

By comparison, 40 years ago in the 99th Congress (1985-1986), 21 African American Members served in the House, and none in the Senate. Sixty years ago, in the 89th Congress (1965-1966), there were 6 African American Members of Congress, all serving in the House.

Hispanic/Latino American Members

There are 56 Hispanic or Latino Members in the 119th Congress, 10.35% of the total membership and 6 fewer than at the beginning of the 118th Congress.²⁷ Fifty serve in the House, including one Delegate and the Resident Commissioner, and six in the Senate.²⁸ These numbers include one House Member who is also of Asian descent, and two House Members who are also of African ancestry; these three Members are counted in both ethnic categories in this report. Of the Members of the House, 38 are Democrats (including one Delegate and the Resident Commissioner) and 12 are Republicans (including one Delegate). Nineteen are women. Of the six Hispanic Senators (two Republicans, four Democrats), one is a woman. By comparison, 40 years ago in the 99th Congress (1985-1986), 14 Hispanic or Latino Members served in Congress. All 14 were male Members of the House.

Asian/Pacific Islander American Members

Twenty-four Members of the 119th Congress (4.4% of the total membership) are of Asian, South Asian, or Pacific Islander ancestry. This is three more than at the beginning of the 118th Congress.²⁹ Twenty-one of them (16 Democrats, 5 Republicans) serve in the House, and three (all Democrats) serve in the Senate. These numbers include two House Members who are also of African American ancestry and one House Member who is also of Hispanic ancestry; these three Members are counted in both ethnic categories in this report. Of those serving in the House, three are Delegates. Eleven of the Asian, Pacific Islander, or South Asian American Members are female: nine in the House, and two in the Senate. By comparison, 40 years ago in the 99th Congress (1985-1986), there were five Asian/Pacific Islander Americans in the House, and two in the Senate. All were male.

American Indian Members

There are four Native American (American Indian) Members of the 119th Congress: three in the House (two Republicans and one Democrat) and one, a Republican, in the Senate.³⁰ This is 0.74% of the total congressional membership.

Foreign Birth

Twenty-six Representatives and six Senators (6.0% of the 119th Congress) were born outside the United States. Their places of birth include Cuba, Germany, Guatemala, India, Japan, South Korea, Peru, and Ukraine. Some of these Members were born to American citizens working or serving abroad.³¹ The U.S. Constitution requires that Representatives be citizens for seven years and Senators be citizens for nine years before they take office.³²

Military Service

At the beginning of the 119th Congress, there were 98 individuals (18.1% of the total membership) who had served or were serving in the military, the same number as at the beginning of the 118th Congress. According to lists compiled by CQ, the House as of January 2025 had 80 veterans (including 7 female Members, as well as 1 Delegate); the Senate had 18 veterans, including 2 women.³³ These Members' service included tours of duty in the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War, and combat or peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo. As of February 2025, five House Members are still serving in the Reserves, and three House Members are still serving in the National Guard. Three of the nine female veterans are combat veterans.

The number of veterans in the 119th Congress reflects a trend of decline in recent decades in the number of Members who have served in the military. For example, 64% of the Members of the 97th Congress (1981-1982) were veterans, and in the 92nd Congress (1971-1972), 73% of the Members were veterans.³⁴

For summary information on the demographics of Members in selected past Congresses, including age trends, occupational backgrounds, military veteran status, and educational attainment, see CRS Report R42365, Representatives and Senators: Trends in Member Characteristics Since 1945, coordinated by R. Eric Petersen.³⁵

Footnotes

1.

This 541 number is the maximum number of individuals who may currently serve in the House and Senate and assumes that no seat is temporarily vacant. As of May 13, 2025, there are two House vacancies, and no Senate vacancies. The 541 number includes the 535 Members from the 50 states (100 Senators, 435 Representatives), 5 Members who are Delegates (from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands), and 1 Member who is Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico. References in this report to "Representative(s)" include the 435 Members of the House from the 50 states and exclude the Members who are Delegates and the Resident Commissioner. Percentages in this report assume a full Congress of 541 Members.

For more information on the status of the Delegates and Resident Commissioner, refer to CRS Report R40170, Parliamentary Rights of the Delegates and Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, by Jane A. Hudiburg.

2.

U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, "Total Members of the House and State Representation," http://history.house.gov/Institution/Total-Members/Total-Members/, updated January 3, 2025, and CRS calculations to update the total member figure through May 13, 2025.

Information about all the Members who have served in Congress is available in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, a website maintained by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate at http://bioguide.congress.gov.

3.

A cumulative, chronological list of all U.S. Senators is available on the Senate website, current through January 2025, at https://www.senate.gov/senators/Senators1789toPresent.htm. Information about all House Members is available on the House website at http://history.house.gov/Institution/Total-Members/Total-Members/.

4.

The Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico serves a four-year term, unlike other House members who serve two-year terms. The Philippines was represented in the House by Resident Commissioners from 1907 until 1946, when it became an independent nation. For more information, see CRS Report R40555, Delegates to the U.S. Congress: History and Current Status, by Jane A. Hudiburg.

5.

For background information on the previous Congress, refer to CRS Report R47470, Membership of the 118th Congress: A Profile, by Jennifer E. Manning.

6.

The 119th Congress began on January 3, 2025, with the following party alignments: House of Representatives: 222 Republicans (including 3 Delegates), 218 Democrats (including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico), and 1 vacant seat; Senate: 52 Republicans, 45 Democrats, 2 Independents, who both caucus with the Democrats, and 1 vacant seat. Current and historical information about House vacant seats is available at U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, "Vacancies & Successors," https://history.house.gov/Institution/Vacancies-Successors/Vacancies-Successors/.

7.

For more information about age distributions in the 119th Congress, see Pew Research Center, "Age and generation in the 119th Congress," January 16, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/16/age-and-generation-in-the-119th-congress-somewhat-younger-with-fewer-boomers-and-more-gen-xers, and Rutgers University Center for Youth Political Participation, "YELP Congressional Dashboard," https://cypp.rutgers.edu/the-119th-u-s-congress-2/. Please note congressional average age calculations may differ according to the inclusion of nonvoting members, the use of median or mean averages, or the date of the calculation.

8.

Article I, Section 2, clause 2, of the U.S. Constitution.

9.

CQ Member Profiles are available on the CQ.com subscription database at http://www.cq.com/members/home.do. The CQ.com database is available in all House and Senate offices, as well as some academic libraries. The professions listed here are not exhaustive and are not necessarily the ones practiced by Members immediately prior to entering Congress. Most Members list more than one profession in their CQ Member Profiles.

10.

One of the medical doctors in the Senate is an ophthalmologist. For more information on medical professionals serving in the House, see the Library of the House of Representatives' "Member Demographics" web page at https://clerk.house.gov/Members#Demographics. For Senators, see the Senate Historical Office's "Physicians in the Senate" web page at https://www.senate.gov/senators/PhysiciansintheSenate.htm.

11.

One former mayor serving in the House died in March 2025.

12.

National Conference of State Legislators, "Former State Legislators in the 119th Congress" (as of January 2025), https://www.ncsl.org/resources/map-monday-former-state-legislators-in-the-119th-congress.

13.

Michael L. Koempel and Judy Schneider, Congressional Deskbook, 6th ed. (Washington: TheCapitol.Net, 2012), Figure 5.22, supplemented by data from CQ Member Profiles and House and Senate payroll documents.

14.

The job titles for these consultants in their CQ Member Profiles include "management consultant," "ethics consultant," and "technology consultant."

15.

One social worker serving in the House died in March 2025.

16.

CQ, "119th Congress: Education," https://plus.cq.com/members/factfile/education.

17.

Four Senators and 16 Representatives have M.D. degrees, 1 Senator has an O.D. (doctor of optometry) degree, and 4 Representatives have D.D.S. (doctor of dental surgery) degrees.

18.

See CRS Report R42365, Representatives and Senators: Trends in Member Characteristics Since 1945, coordinated by R. Eric Petersen.

19.

Rhodes and Marshall scholarships fund study at British universities; Fulbright scholarships fund international exchange programs; Truman scholarships fund graduate study toward public service.

20.

In addition, two Senators were appointed to and sworn into the Senate in January 2023, after the 119th Congress began.

21.

Twenty-one Members of the 119th Congress do not specify a religious affiliation, or report themselves as unaffiliated. Pew Research Center on Religion and Public Life Project, "Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 119th Congress," January 2, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/01/02/faith-on-the-hill-2025/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/01/03/faith-on-the-hill-2023/.

22.

Detailed religious affiliation information for Members of the 119th Congress, and comparisons to the U.S. general population, are available at https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/01/02/faith-on-the-hill-2025/.

23.

The 119th Congress began with 154 women Members; one woman Senator was sworn in on January 21, 2025.

24.

For more information, see CRS Report RL30261, Women in Congress, 1917-2022: Service Dates and Committee Assignments by Member, and Lists by State and Congress, by Jennifer E. Manning and Ida A. Brudnick, and the Office of the House Historian's Women in Congress website at http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-Congress/.

25.

The 119th Congress began with 67 African American Members; one African American House Member died in March 2025.

26.

For more information, see CRS Report RL30378, African American Members of the U.S. Congress: 1870-2020, by Ida A. Brudnick and Jennifer E. Manning; the Office of the House Historian's Black Americans in Congress website at https://history.house.gov/baic/, and Pew Research Center, "119th Congress brings new growth in racial, ethnic diversity to Capitol Hill," January 21, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/21/119th-congress-brings-new-growth-in-racial-ethnic-diversity-to-capitol-hill/. Due to differences in data collection or characterization, demographic data in other studies on Members of Congress may differ from those presented in this report.

27.

This number includes three House Members who are of Portuguese ancestry and belong to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus or the Congressional Hispanic Conference. For more information, see the Office of the House Historian's Hispanic Americans in Congress website at http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/HAIC/Hispanic-Americans-in-Congress/. Due to differences in data collection or characterization, demographic data in other studies on Members of Congress may differ from those presented in this report. The 119th Congress began with 58 Hispanic or Latino Members.

28.

One Hispanic Senator resigned in January 2025 to become Secretary of State. One Hispanic House Member died in March 2025.

29.

The 118th Congress began with 21 Asian/Pacific Islander American Members. In June 2024, an additional House Member was sworn in.

30.

This number includes only Members who are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes. For more information, see CRS congressional distribution memorandum, Members of Congress of American Indian Descent, by Jennifer Manning, which is available to congressional offices upon request.

31.

For more information, see Pew Research Center, "Immigrants and children of immigrants make up at least 15% of 119th Congress," February 27, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/02/27/immigrants-and-children-of-immigrants-make-up-at-least-15-of-119th-congress/; Office of the Senate Historian's "Senators Born Outside the United States" list at https://www.senate.gov/senators/Foreign_born.htm; and the Library of the House of Representatives' "Foreign Born" list at https://clerk.house.gov/documents/Foreign_Born.pdf.

32.

Article I, Section 2, clause 2, and Article I, Section 3, clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution.

33.

CQ, "119th Congress: House Military Veterans," https://plus.cq.com/members/factfile/house-veterans; and "119th Congress: Senate Military Veterans," https://plus.cq.com/members/factfile/senate-veterans. Both lists are frequently updated to reflect changes since the 119th Congress convened. Two additional veterans (One Representative, one Senator) were sworn into the 119th Congress, but resigned soon after to join the presidential Administration.

34.

For more information and a list of current veteran Members, see the Military Times, "How veterans are faring in the 2024 election," November 5, 2024, https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2024/11/05/how-veterans-are-faring-in-the-2024-election/, and the Military Times, "Congress will open next session with more veterans than two years ago," December 2, 2024, at https:/www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2024/12/02/congress-will-open-next-session-with-more-veterans-than-two-years-ago/.

35.

Because of differences in data sources used, some demographic information may differ between CRS Report R42365, Representatives and Senators: Trends in Member Characteristics Since 1945, coordinated by R. Eric Petersen, this report, and other demographic studies of Congress.

In addition to the CQ Member Profiles, other sources of demographic information for the 119th Congress include Vital Statistics on Congress at https://www.brookings.edu/multi-chapter-report/vital-statistics-on-congress/, a joint project of the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution; and the Library of the House of Representatives' "Member Demographics" web page at https://clerk.house.gov/Members#Demographics, which features lists of House Members such as "119th Congress—Lawyers" and "119th Congress—Former Mayors." The Secretary of the Senate also maintains a collection of lists about Senators at https://www.senate.gov/senators/facts_milestones.htm.

For summary information, see Pew Research Center, "119th Congress brings new growth in racial, ethnic diversity to Capitol Hill," January 21, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/21/119th-congress-brings-new-growth-in-racial-ethnic-diversity-to-capitol-hill/, and other items on its "Congress" page at https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/politics-policy/government/congress/.