Average US Senate Age Drops to 63 for 120th Congress
The United States Senate average age will fall to 63 in January as younger incoming members offset the aging of returning senators.
The average age of the United States Senate will decrease to 63 when the 120th Congress convenes in January. This shift occurs as incoming senators enter the chamber nearly 15 years younger on average than those they are replacing, though the overall decline is tempered by returning members who have aged over the previous two years.
Demographic splits among new members show incoming Democrats average 53 years old, while incoming Republicans average 58. The age range of the new cohort spans from 37-year-old James Talarico of Texas, the youngest incoming member, to 74-year-old Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the oldest. These calculations include the projected victories of Mary Peltola in Alaska and Scott Colom in Mississippi.
While public polling indicates majority support for age limits for elected officials, a New York Times analysis suggests such limits remain unlikely to materialize through the electoral process. The analysis found that incumbents aged 65 or older almost always won primary races when challenged by younger candidates.
