113th Congress By the Numbers
Since the 113th Congress officially opened for business in January, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a public
policy research arm of the United States Congress, recently issued a statistical breakdown on the new congress, covering
everything from gender, religion, education, military service, and foreign birth.
We can all rest easy knowing that if members of Congress go after each other's throats during these heated
sequestration talks, that there are 5 Peace Corps volunteers in the House who might be able to restore a sense of calm
during the stormy sea of discontent. Even if peace and tranquility isn't in the cards, no reason to fear, because the 113th
Congress comes equipped with 3 sheriffs, 1 deputy sheriff, 2 FBI agents, and even a firefighter in the Senate for all the fire
breathers in need of being hosed down.
It's also comforting to know that if any members of the 113 Congress should suddenly take ill; there are 2 physicians in
the Senate, 17 physicians in the House, 1 psychiatrist; and 3 psychologists all of whom purportedly will make House calls.
And according to the CRS report, even if the 113th Congress accomplishes nothing of importance to email or text home
about, at least they'll be fully entertained. After all, the current Congress is comprised of a screenwriter, a comedian, a
documentary film maker, 5 radio talk show hosts, 6 radio or television broadcasters, and a public television producer.
Here, then, is a statistical rundown of the 113th Congress:
• As of February, 2013, there are 232 Republicans, 206 Democrats (including 5 Delegates and the Resident
Commissioner), and 3 vacant seats in the House of Representatives. The Senate has 45 Republicans, 55 Democrats,
and 2 Independents, who caucus with the Democrats
• Average Age of House Members: 57.0 years
• Average Age of Senate Members: 62.0 years
Gender/Ethnicity.
• A record number 100 woman serve in the 113th Congress: 80 in the House, including 3 Delegates, and 20 in the
Senate.
• 43 African Americans will serve in the House and 2 in the Senate. This House number includes 2 Delegates.
• A record number 38 Hispanic or Latino members are represented in the 113th Congress: 34 in the House, including 1
Delegate and the Resident Commissioner, and 4 in the Senate.
• 13 members (10 Representatives, 2 Delegates, and 1 Senator) are Asian American or Pacific Islanders.
• 1 American Indian (Native American) serves in the House.
Age.
• With 25 the youngest to be able to serve in the U.S House or Representatives (as required by the U.S. Constitution) ,
29-year-old Patrick Murphy (D-FL), born March 30, 1983 is the youngest, while the oldest is 89-year-old Ralph Hall
(R-TX), born May 3, 1923.
• With 30 the youngest to be able to serve in the Senate, 39-year-old Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), born August 3,
1973 is the youngest, while Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), 89, born January 23, 1924 is the oldest.
Professions
• According to the CQ Roll Call Guide to the New Congress, in the 113th Congress, law is the primary profession of
Senators, followed by public service or politics, and then business or the corporate field. In the House, business is first,
followed by public service or politics and law.
Other professions represented in the 113th Congress, include:
• 102 educators, employed as teachers, professors, instructors, school fundraisers, counselors, administrators, or
coaches (90 in the House, 12 in the Senate).
• 2 physicians in the Senate, 17 physicians in the House (including 1 Delegate), including 2 dentists, 2 veterinarians,
and 1 psychiatrist; 3 psychologists (both in the House), an optometrist (in the Senate), and 5 nurses (all in the House).
• 5 ordained ministers, all in the House.
• 5 Peace Corps volunteers, all in the House.
• 3 sheriffs and 1 deputy sheriff, 2 FBI agents (all in the House), and a firefighter in the Senate.
• 2 physicists, 6 engineers, and 1 microbiologist (all in the House, with the exception of 1 Senator who is an engineer);
33 former mayors (24 in the House, 9 in the Senate.
• 5 radio talk show hosts (4 House, 1 Senate), 6 radio or television broadcasters (5 House, 1 Senate), 7 reporters or
journalists (5 in the House, 2 in the Senate), and a radio station manager and a public television producer (both in the
House).
• 9 accountants in the House and 2 in the Senate
• 5 software company executives, all in the House.
• 3 pilots, all in the House, and 1 astronaut, in the Senate.
• 1 screenwriter, 1 comedian, and 1 documentary film maker, all in the Senate, and 1 professional football player, in the
House.
• 28 farmers, ranchers, or cattle farm owners (25 House, 4 Senate).
• 2 almond orchard owners, (both in the House), 1 cattle farm owner (a Senator), 1 vintner (a House Member), 1
fisherman (a House Member), and 1 fruit orchard worker (a House Member).
• 7 social workers in the House and 2 in the Senate.
• 9 current members of the military reserves (8 House, 1 Senate), and 7 current members of the National Guard (6
House, 1 Senate).
Education
• Roll Call Member profiles at the beginning of the 113th Congress, reported 21 members of the House and 1 Senator
have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma.
• 7 Members of the House have associate's degrees as their highest degree, and 1 House Member has an L.P.N.
(nursing) degree.
• 85 members of the House and 14 Senators earned a master's degree as their highest education degree.
• 169 Members of the House (38% of the House) and 57 Senators (57% of the Senate), held law degrees.
• 19 House Representatives have doctoral (Ph.D. or D.Phil.) degrees.
• 22 Members of the House and 3 Senators have a medical degree.
• 3 Representatives and one Senator in the 113th Congress are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy and 1 Senator
and 1 Representative graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
• 1 Senator and 2 Representatives were Rhodes Scholars, 2 Representatives were Fulbright Scholars, 2 Representatives
were Marshall Scholars, and 1 Representative was a Truman Scholar.
Religion
• Statistics gathered by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, report that 98 percent of the Members of the 113th
Congress cite a specific religious affiliation, with the vast majority being Christian.
Other findings by Pew:
• 56% of the members (247 in the House, 52 in the Senate) are Protestant, with Baptist as the most represented
denomination.
• 31% of the members (136 in the House, 27 in the Senate) are Catholic.
• 6.2% of the members (22 in the House, 11 in the Senate) are Jewish.
• 2.8% of the members (8 in the House, 7 in the Senate) are Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
• 3 Members (2 in the House, 1 in the Senate) are Buddhist, 2 House members are Muslim, and 1 House Member is
Hindu.
• Other religious affiliations represented include Greek Orthodox, Quaker, Unitarian Universalist, Christian Science
Unitarian Universalist, and Christian Science.
Foreign Birth
• 9 Representatives and three Senators (2.2% of the entire 113th Congress) were born outside the United States; their
places of birth include: Canada, Cuba, Great Britain, Japan, Peru, and Thailand.
Military Service
• At the beginning of the 113th Congress, there were 108 members (20% of the total membership) who had served or
were serving in the military, 10 fewer than at the beginning of the 112th Congress (118 Members) and 12 fewer than in
the 111th Congress (120 members).
• According to CQ Roll Call, the House currently has 87 veterans (including 2 female members, as well as 2 Delegates);
the Senate has 18.
• 8 House members and 1 Senator are still serving in the Reserves, and 6 House Members and one Senator are still
serving in the National Guard. Both of the female veterans are combat veterans.
-Bill Lucey
February 21, 2013
Source: Congressional Research Service, CQ Roll Call, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
Assignment: After reading this selection, write a one page paper to respond to the following questions:
Does the make-up of Congress say anything about our country? Why do you think there are not more minorities
represented? Do you think the make-up (mostly white, wealthy, and aristocratic) have any bearing on the legislation that
passes? How so? Do you think the “common man” should be better represented? Why or why not? Could anything like
that be accomplished? What would it take to do so?