Narrow majorities in U.S. House have become more common but haven’t always led to gridlock
House Republicans held the fifth-smallest majority in U.S. history at the start of the current congress, tied with the 107th and 83rd Congresses.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Drew DeSilver
Senior Writer/Editor
Drew DeSilver is a senior writer at Pew Research Center.
Publications
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Who pays, and doesn’t pay, federal income taxes in the U.S.?
Since 2000, there has been a downward trend in average effective tax rates for all but the richest taxpayers.
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Most U.S. bank failures have come in a few big waves
After two of the largest U.S. banks collapsed in March, some have started to wonder if a new widespread banking crisis is coming.
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Turnout in 2022 House midterms declined from 2018 high, final official returns show
Nearly 107.7 million valid votes were cast in the 2022 House elections, representing about 45.1% of the estimated voting-eligible population.
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House gets younger, Senate gets older: A look at the age and generation of lawmakers in the 118th Congress
The median age of voting House lawmakers is 57.9 years, while the new Senate’s median age is 65.3 years.
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Freedom Caucus likely to play a bigger role in new GOP-led House. So who are they?
In the U.S. House, Freedom Caucus members and allies have less seniority than other Republicans and are more likely to come from the South.
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118th Congress has a record number of women
Women make up 28% of all members of the 118th Congress, a considerable increase from where things stood even a decade ago.
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New Congress will have a few more veterans, but their share of lawmakers is still near a record low
The new House will have 80 members who’ve served in the military, or 18.4% of members. That’s up from 75, or 17.2%, in the 117th Congress.
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Few former presidents have run for their old jobs – or anything else – after leaving office
Donald Trump’s decision to seek the White House again puts him among a small group of ex-presidents who have then run for elective office.
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Turnout in U.S. has soared in recent elections but by some measures still trails that of many other countries
When comparing turnout among the voting-age population in recent national elections in 50 countries, the U.S. ranks 31st.
