(A)

                                                                     -The Rundown-

 

Statistics:Congress as a Whole   

 

Religion  

Most Members of the 111th Congress cite a specific religious affiliation. Protestants (Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others) collectively constitute the majority religious affiliation of Members. Roman Catholics, however, account for the largest single religious denomination. Other affiliations include Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Christian Scientist, Quaker, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). There are also two Buddhists and two Muslims in the House. (1) 

   

 (1A)

    

Trend of Military Service 

The number of veterans in the 111th Congress reflects the trend of a steady decline in the number of Members who have served in the military. For example, there were 298 veterans (240 Representatives, 58 Senators) in the 96th Congress (1979-1981); and 398 veterans (329 Representatives, 69 Senators) in the 91st  Congress (1969-1971). (2)

 

 

Occupations (3)

• 16 medical doctors (including a psychiatrist), two dentists, three nurses, two veterinarians, a psychologist, an optometrist, a clinical dietician, and a pharmacist;

 

• Four ministers;

 

• 38 mayors, 13 state governors, ten lieutenant governors (including two

Delegates), two state first ladies (one of whom was also the first lady of the

United States), and one territorial first lady;

 

• Three Cabinet secretaries, one Secretary of the Navy, a vice admiral in the Navy, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, a Defense Department counter terrorism consultant, an ambassador, three state supreme court justices, and a federal judge;

 

• 269 (229 in the House, including two Delegates, and 40 in the Senate) state or territorial legislators;

 

• at least 112 congressional staffers (including 9 congressional pages), 13 White House staffers or fellows, and several executive branch employees;

 

• a parliamentary aide in the British House of Commons and a foreign service officer;

 

• five Peace Corps volunteers;

 

• four sheriffs, a deputy sheriff, four police officers (including a Capitol policeman), two state troopers, two probation officers, a volunteer fireman, an FBI agent, and a former border patrol chief; three physicists, one chemist, six engineers including a biomedical engineer, and one microbiologist;

 

• a radio talk show host, a radio/television broadcaster, a radio broadcaster, a radio

newscaster, a television reporter, and a television commentator;

 

• five accountants;

 

• an astronaut, a naval aviator, the commander of an aircraft carrier battle group, an instructor at West Point, and a pilot of Marine One (the President’s helicopter);

 

• two professional musicians, a semi-professional musician, a screenwriter, a documentary film maker, a major league baseball player, and an NFL football player;

 

• three organic farmers, three ranchers, two vintners, and a fruit orchard worker;

 

• a driving instructor, a cosmetic sales woman, a mountain guide, and a ski instructor;

 

• a casino dealer, a night watchman, and a prison guard; 

 

• three carpenters, two bank tellers, a furniture salesman, an ironworker, an auto worker, a clothing factory worker, a textile worker, an oil field worker, a mortician, a coroner, a waitress, a teamster member/dairy worker, a paper mill worker, a cement plant worker, a meat cutter, a shellfish specialist, a river boat captain, a taxicab driver, an auctioneer, a toll booth collector, and a hotel clerk. 

 

Education(4)

 

As has been true in recent Congresses, the vast majority of Members (95%) of the 111th Congress hold university degrees.9 CRS research indicates that 27 Members of the House and one Senator have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma. Five Members of the House, but no Senators, have Associates’ degrees as their highest degree, and one House Member has an L.P.N. (nursing) degree. Eighty-three Members of the House and 16 Senators earned a Masters degree as their highest educational degree, and 168 Members of the House and 57 Senators have a law degree. Of the Members holding a law degree, five (three House Members and two Senators) also hold an LLM (Master of Laws) degree. Twenty-three Representatives (but no Senators) have

doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees, and 17 Members of the House and three Senators have a medical degree.

 

By comparison, 30 years ago in the 96th Congress (1979-1981), at least 48 Members of the House and 7 Senators had no degree beyond a high school diploma. Sixty-seven Representatives and 15 Senators had a masters degree, 17 Representatives and 4 Senators had a doctoral (Ph. D) degree, and 197 Members of the House and 60 Senators had a law degree.11 Five Members of the House and one Senator had a medical degree. Forty years ago in the 91st Congress (1969-1971), at least 45 Representatives and 9 Senators had no degree beyond a high school diploma. Thirty-seven Representatives and 14 Senators had a masters degree, 7 Representatives and 2 Senators had a doctoral (Ph. D) degree, 219 Members of the House and 58 Senators had a law degree, and four Representatives had a medical degree. In addition, three Representatives and one Senator in the 111th Congress are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy and two Senators and two Representatives are graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy. Three Senators and two Representatives were Rhodes Scholars, three Representatives were Fulbright Scholars, and one Representative was a Marshall Scholar.

 

Senate Statistics

 

Political Breakdown- 

The Senate has 55 Democrats; two Independents, who caucus with the Democrats; and 41

Republicans. (5) 

 

Age-

The average age of Members of the 111th Congress is among the highest of any Congress in

recent U.S. history. The average age of Senators at the beginning of the 111th Congress is 63.1

years, approximately 1.5 years greater than that of the 110th Congress (61.7 years) and three years

older than that of Senators in the 109th Congress (60.1 years). (6)

 

The U.S. Constitution requires Representatives to be at least 25 years old when they take office.

The youngest Representative, as well as youngest Member of Congress, is Aaron Schock (R-IL),

27. The oldest Representative is Ralph Hall (R-TX), 85. (7) 

 

 

Average Length of Service- 

The average length of service of Members of the Senate at the beginning of the 111th Congress is

12.9 years (2.2 terms), six months longer than that of the 110th Congress (12.3 years), and slightly

more than a year longer than the average service (11.8 years) in the 109th Congress. Senators are

elected for six-year terms. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), the President pro tempore of the

Senate, has served longer (50.0 years) than any other Senator in history. His service began on

January 3, 1959. (8)

 

 

Female Senators-  

There are currently 17 women serving in the 110th Senate. Of the 17 women serving in the Senate, 13 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans. (9)

 

   (2A) 

Number of Senators Born Outside of the United States-  

In the 110th Senate there is only one Senator currently serving that was born outside of the United States.(10)

 

 

Military Service-  

Currently in the 110th Senate there are 25 veterans. These Members have served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War,Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo, as well as during times of peace. Some have served in the Reserves and the National Guard. Several Members are still serving as Reservists. (11)

 

 

Ethnic Breakdown of the Senate-  

                                                                     African American Senators- 0 

                                                                     Hispanic Americans Senators- 3 

                                                                     Asian Pacific Americans- 2

                                                                     American Indians- 0

                                                                                                         (12)

 

House of Representatives Statistics

 

Political Breakdown-  

In the 111th Congress, the current party alignments are 262 Democrats in the House of

Representatives (including five Delegates and the Resident Commissioner) and 178 Republicans. (13)

 

 

Age- 

The average age of Members of the House, including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, is 57.0 years, over a year older than that of Representatives in the 110th Congress (55.9 years), and almost two years older than that of Representatives in the 109th Congress (55.1 years). (14) 

 

 

Average Length of Service-   

The average length of service of Members of the House at the beginning of the 111th Congress is 11.0 years (5.5 terms), a year longer than that of the 110th Congress (10.0 years), and a year and half longer than the average service (9.3 years) in the 109th Congress.  Representative John Dingell (D-MI), the dean of the House, has the longest consecutive service of any Member of the 111th Congress (53.0 years). He began serving on December 13, 1955. (15)

 

 

Female Representatives-  

In the 110th Congress there are currently 78 female representatives serving in the House. (16)

 

 

 

Number of Representatives Born Outside of the United States-  

Twelve Representatives from the House were born outside of the United States. (17)

 

 

Military Service-   

The House has 96 veterans (including two Delegates)These Members served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo, as well as during times of peace. Some have served in the Reserves and the National Guard. Several Members are still serving as Reservists. (18)

 

 

Ethnic Breakdown of the House of Representatives- 

                                                                     African American Representatives- 41

                                                                     Hispanic Americans Representatives- 28  

                                                                     Asian Pacific Americans Representatives- 9

                                                                     American Indians Representatives- 1

                                                                                                                                                                          (19)

 

 

 These statistics are not just meant for fun or for your curiosity (although they can be used for that as well). They are important to the average American because they reflect how well he is represented by his Congress. Of course, he is represented through his state, but a voter may want to know if his religion, ethnic group, orientation, or profession (amongst other things) have a decent say in Congress. The aforementioned numbers are a guidebook to just that. After all, representation by state can only mean so much. A person from Idaho will share some goals with her state, but it is more likely that she cares about whether Congress as a whole cares about her age group, gender, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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