How Old is the 118th Congress?

As the members of the 118th Congress took office in January 2023, we found that Congress is making important strides toward a more diverse representation among its members. With the aid of CQ and FiscalNote’s data, we took a closer look at these trends in our annual Demographics of the 118th Congress report. The report shows the race, age, sex, alma mater, prior occupation, military service, marital status, and birthplace of each member of Congress, as well as trends and changes over time.

Notably, the first member of Generation Z reached Congress in 2023. Born in Orlando, Fla., in 1997, Democrat Maxwell Frost is Congress’s first Gen Z member, according to the Pew Research Center’s definition of the demographic group.

Read on for more details on the age of Congress, and download our 118th Congress demographics report for the full scoop.

What is the Average Age of Congress?

The average age of the 118th Congress is 58 years old, dropping three years from the previous Congress. Overall, members of Congress seem to be getting younger, though their average age is much higher than the median age of 38.8 years in the United States, according to 2021 Population Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Of its 435 members, the House has 64 members born in the 1980s — almost doubled from the previous Congress — and one born in the 1990s. The age group with the biggest gain compared to the 117th Congress was 40-49, while the 60-69 group saw the biggest losses.

Age of the Senate

The average age of the Senate is 64 years.

Here’s a breakout of each Senator with party and age. Looking to learn more insights about any of these members? Dive deeper with CQ’s full member bios that include, contracts, grants, companies in their district/state, and more.

Age of the House of Representatives

The average age of the House of Representatives is a bit younger at 57 years.

Here’s a breakout of each Representative with party and age. Ready to reach out? Knowlegis has the most up-to-date contact information for Congress and the best deliverability rate to the Hill.

Who are the Oldest Members of Congress?

The oldest members of the 118th Congress were born in the early 1930s. Most of them are Democrats.

Specifically, the five oldest members of congress are:

• Dianne Feinstein, age 89, is a Democratic Senator from California.

• Chuck Grassley, age 89, is a Republican Senator from Iowa.

• Grace Napolitano, age 86, is a Democratic House member from California.

• Bill Pascrell Jr., age 85, is a Democratic House member from New Jersey.

• Eleanor Holmes Norton, age 85, is a Democratic House member from the District of Columbia.

Who are the Youngest Members?

As for the youngest members of the 118th Congress, they are all part of the House of Representatives. Most were born in the 1980s except for the youngest member. Notably, the majority of these youngest members are Hispanic. To learn more about the racial makeup of the 118th Congress, download the full report.

Here are the five youngest members of Congress:

• Maxwell Frost, age 26, is the Democratic U.S. Representative for Florida's 10th Congressional District. He is the first Gen Z member of Congress.

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, age 33, is the Democratic U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district.

• Anna Paulina Luna, age 33, is the Republican U.S. Representative for Florida's 13th congressional district. She is also the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress from Florida.

• Greg Casar, age 33, the Democratic U.S. Representative for Texas's 35th congressional district.

• Sara Jacobs, age 33, is the Democratic U.S. Representative for California's 53rd congressional district.

How Does Age Relate to Party?

Overall, Democrats are slightly older than their Republican counterparts in Congress. The average age for Republicans in the House is 56 and 58 for Democrats. The Senate skews older, with an average age of 62 for Republicans and 65 for Democrats.

Connect with Members of the 118th Congress

CQ and FiscalNote’s government relations software allows professionals to build relationships with members of the 118th Congress. Identifying constituents of members with similar biographies lets you make stronger personal connections and build relationships with specific legislators or groups of legislators.

FiscalNote’s stakeholder and people datasets as well as CQ’s immense full member bios that include, contracts, grants, and companies in their district/state, as well as average interest groups ratings, lets you take things to the next level when building a report on the likely members most aligned with your issues.

Once you’re ready to start your outreach, FiscalNote’s legislator and staffer directory, Knowlegis, has the most up-to-date contact information for Congress as the best deliverability rate to the Hill, and the option of building mailing lists by issue area, party, role, caucus, voting record, committee, delegation and so on.