The changing face of Congress in 7 charts
The 119th Congress is the most racially and ethnically diverse in history, and it includes the nation’s first openly transgender legislator at the federal level.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Congress
119th Congress brings firsts for women of color
In the Senate, two Black women are serving concurrently for the first time. And in the House, two states and one U.S. territory elected their first Black, Hispanic or Pacific Islander woman lawmaker.
Faith on the Hill
Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session.
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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.
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In Divided Washington, Americans Have Highly Negative Views of Both Parties’ Leaders
Americans express highly negative views of President Joe Biden, congressional leadership in both parties and Congress more broadly. Views of the economy remain overwhelmingly negative, and there has been a sharp rise in the share who say the country cannot solve many of its important problems.
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Immigrants and children of immigrants make up at least 15% of the 118th Congress
At least 81 voting members of Congress (15%) are foreign born or have at least one parent who was born in another country.
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22 states have ever elected a Black woman to Congress
Overall, 57 Black women – among a total of 106 women of color – have ever been elected to the national legislature.
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The changing face of Congress in 8 charts
The 118th Congress achieved a variety of demographic milestones when its members took office, though it still remains out of step with the U.S. population.
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Nearly all members of the 118th Congress have a bachelor’s degree – and most have a graduate degree, too
In the 118th Congress, 94% of representatives and all but one senator hold at least a bachelor’s degree, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
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House Freedom Caucus on Twitter: Going negative and getting attention
House Freedom Caucus members and their allies produced 28% of all tweets from GOP House members between September 2022 and mid-January 2023.
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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 breaks record for lesbian, gay and bisexual representation
Thirteen voting members of the 118th Congress identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual – the highest number of openly LGB members in history.
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118th U.S. Congress continues to grow in racial, ethnic diversity
A quarter of voting members of the 118th U.S. Congress identify their race or ethnicity as something other than non-Hispanic White.
