Politics
Mapped: The Age of U.S. Senators, by State
Mapped: The Age of U.S. Senators, by State
The passing of California Senator Dianne Feinstein at the age of 90 is throwing a spotlight on America’s political establishment, not only with the government narrowly escaping shutdown, but on questions of ageism, representation, and fitness for office.
Feinstein had a noteworthy career. As the longest-running woman in the Senate’s history, she served the nation’s most populous state.
Yet Feinstein’s growing health complications along with two incidents of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell freezing while speaking this year highlight the growing trend of America’s aging leadership.
The above graphic shows the age of U.S. senators, by state as of October 5, 2023.
How the Age of U.S. Senators Breaks Down
Today, 66% of senators are over the age of 60.
While senators have historically been older than the American population, consider how the median age in the U.S. is 39 according to the 2020 U.S. Census, and the median age of the Senate prior to Feinstein’s passing was 65.
We can see in the below table how the Senate has become growingly older, influenced by longer lifespans and the increased likelihood of members running for re-election (and winning). In addition, members in the Baby Boomer generation, ages 58 to 77 years old, often have more resources and wealth to help secure their seat.
Name | Senator Age | State | Party |
---|---|---|---|
Grassley, Chuck | 90 | Iowa | Republican |
Sanders, Bernard | 82 | Vermont | Independent |
McConnell, Mitch | 81 | Kentucky | Republican |
Risch, James E. | 80 | Idaho | Republican |
Cardin, Benjamin L. | 80 | Maryland | Democratic |
King, Angus S., Jr. | 79 | Maine | Independent |
Durbin, Richard J. | 78 | Illinois | Democratic |
Blumenthal, Richard | 77 | Connecticut | Democratic |
Markey, Edward J. | 77 | Massachusetts | Democratic |
Carper, Thomas R. | 76 | Delaware | Democratic |
Shaheen, Jeanne | 76 | New Hampshire | Democratic |
Welch, Peter | 76 | Vermont | Democratic |
Manchin, Joe, III | 76 | West Virginia | Democratic |
Romney, Mitt | 76 | Utah | Republican |
Hirono, Mazie K. | 75 | Hawaii | Democratic |
Warren, Elizabeth | 74 | Massachusetts | Democratic |
Wyden, Ron | 74 | Oregon | Democratic |
Stabenow, Debbie | 73 | Michigan | Democratic |
Reed, Jack | 73 | Rhode Island | Democratic |
Schumer, Charles E. | 72 | New York | Democratic |
Murray, Patty | 72 | Washington | Democratic |
Boozman, John | 72 | Arkansas | Republican |
Crapo, Mike | 72 | Idaho | Republican |
Wicker, Roger F. | 72 | Mississippi | Republican |
Fischer, Deb | 72 | Nebraska | Republican |
Hickenlooper, John W. | 71 | Colorado | Democratic |
Kennedy, John | 71 | Louisiana | Republican |
Blackburn, Marsha | 71 | Tennessee | Republican |
Cornyn, John | 71 | Texas | Republican |
Barrasso, John | 71 | Wyoming | Republican |
Brown, Sherrod | 70 | Ohio | Democratic |
Scott, Rick | 70 | Florida | Republican |
Collins, Susan M. | 70 | Maine | Republican |
Menendez, Robert | 69 | New Jersey | Democratic |
Tuberville, Tommy | 69 | Alabama | Republican |
Braun, Mike | 69 | Indiana | Republican |
Moran, Jerry | 69 | Kansas | Republican |
Capito, Shelley Moore | 69 | West Virginia | Republican |
Lummis, Cynthia M. | 69 | Wyoming | Republican |
Warner, Mark R. | 68 | Virginia | Democratic |
Graham, Lindsey | 68 | South Carolina | Republican |
Rounds, Mike | 68 | South Dakota | Republican |
Johnson, Ron | 68 | Wisconsin | Republican |
Tester, Jon | 67 | Montana | Democratic |
Whitehouse, Sheldon | 67 | Rhode Island | Democratic |
Rosen, Jacky | 66 | Nevada | Democratic |
Merkley, Jeff | 66 | Oregon | Democratic |
Murkowski, Lisa | 66 | Alaska | Republican |
Hoeven, John | 66 | North Dakota | Republican |
Cassidy, Bill | 66 | Louisiana | Republican |
Smith, Tina | 65 | Minnesota | Democratic |
Hassan, Margaret Wood | 65 | New Hampshire | Democratic |
Kaine, Tim | 65 | Virginia | Democratic |
Van Hollen, Chris | 64 | Maryland | Democratic |
Peters, Gary C. | 64 | Michigan | Democratic |
Cantwell, Maria | 64 | Washington | Democratic |
Hyde-Smith, Cindy | 64 | Mississippi | Republican |
Hagerty, Bill | 64 | Tennessee | Republican |
Klobuchar, Amy | 63 | Minnesota | Democratic |
Casey, Robert P., Jr. | 63 | Pennsylvania | Democratic |
Marshall, Roger | 63 | Kansas | Republican |
Tillis, Thom | 63 | North Carolina | Republican |
Cramer, Kevin | 62 | North Dakota | Republican |
Thune, John | 62 | South Dakota | Republican |
Baldwin, Tammy | 61 | Wisconsin | Democratic |
Daines, Steve | 61 | Montana | Republican |
Coons, Christopher A. | 60 | Delaware | Democratic |
Paul, Rand | 60 | Kentucky | Republican |
Kelly, Mark | 59 | Arizona | Democratic |
Cortez Masto, Catherine | 59 | Nevada | Democratic |
Ricketts, Pete | 59 | Nebraska | Republican |
Bennet, Michael F. | 58 | Colorado | Democratic |
Sullivan, Dan | 58 | Alaska | Republican |
Scott, Tim | 58 | South Carolina | Republican |
Gillibrand, Kirsten E. | 56 | New York | Democratic |
Duckworth, Tammy | 55 | Illinois | Democratic |
Lankford, James | 55 | Oklahoma | Republican |
Warnock, Raphael G. | 54 | Georgia | Democratic |
Booker, Cory A. | 54 | New Jersey | Democratic |
Fetterman, John | 54 | Pennsylvania | Democratic |
Ernst, Joni | 53 | Iowa | Republican |
Rubio, Marco | 52 | Florida | Republican |
Cruz, Ted | 52 | Texas | Republican |
Lee, Mike | 52 | Utah | Republican |
Heinrich, Martin | 51 | New Mexico | Democratic |
Luján, Ben Ray | 51 | New Mexico | Democratic |
Young, Todd | 51 | Indiana | Republican |
Budd, Ted | 51 | North Carolina | Republican |
Padilla, Alex | 50 | California | Democratic |
Murphy, Christopher | 50 | Connecticut | Democratic |
Schatz, Brian | 50 | Hawaii | Democratic |
Schmitt, Eric | 48 | Missouri | Republican |
Sinema, Kyrsten | 47 | Arizona | Independent |
Cotton, Tom | 46 | Arkansas | Republican |
Mullin, Markwayne | 46 | Oklahoma | Republican |
Laphonza Butler | 44 | California | Democratic |
Hawley, Josh | 43 | Missouri | Republican |
Britt, Katie Boyd | 41 | Alabama | Republican |
Vance, J.D. | 39 | Ohio | Republican |
Ossoff, Jon | 36 | Georgia | Democratic |
On the other end of the spectrum are nine senators under the age of 50, including Democrat Jon Ossoff of Georgia, at 36, and Republican senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, at 39. Laphonza Butler, 44, the newly appointed senator to replace Feinstein, also falls within this camp.
This trend of an older Senate may have policy ramifications.
Studies show that lawmakers’ identities can influence legislative behavior. Older members of Congress have been shown to have a higher likelihood of introducing legislation on prescription drugs and long-term care, and other issues affecting seniors.
Other studies show that racial minorities, women, and veterans are more likely to intervene in Congress in the interest of these groups.
Top U.S. Senators, by Time in Office
Along with the trend of an older Congress, the average number of years served has also increased.
Today, senators in the 118th Congress have served 11.2 years on average as of January 2023. Over the 20th century, turnover has decreased due to more senators seeking re-election, which stands in contrast to the Senate’s early history when turnover happened more frequently.
Below, we show the currently serving senators that have held office the longest, based on their time in both the Senate and the House:
Name | State | Party | Number of Years in Office |
---|---|---|---|
Grassley, Chuck | Iowa | Republican | 48 years |
Markey, Ed | Massachusetts | Democrat | 46 years |
Wyden, Ron | Oregon | Democrat | 42 years |
Schumer, Charles E. | New York | Democrat | 42 years |
McConnell, Mitch | Kentucky | Republican | 38 years |
Together, the top five U.S. senators have served a combined 216 years in office.
Misc
Visualized: Aircraft Carriers by Country
The U.S. controls 40% of global aircraft carrier fleet.
Visualized: Aircraft Carriers by Country
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Aircraft carriers are warships equipped with a full-length flight deck for carrying, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Since they allow naval forces to utilize air power without relying on local bases, they usually serve as the capital ships of a fleet.
In this graphic, we visualize the number of aircraft carriers in service by country as of May 2024.
This graphic only includes ships capable of carrying planes (excluding those designed solely for helicopters). The list is based on data from various sources.
U.S. Dominance
The U.S., with 11 aircraft carriers in total, owns 40% of the global fleet. Some of the American carriers can carry around 80 fighters. The country’s total combined deck space is over twice that of all other nations combined.
Country | In service | NATO Member |
---|---|---|
🇺🇸 United States | 11 | Yes |
🇨🇳 China | 3 | No |
🇮🇳 India | 2 | No |
🇮🇹 Italy | 2 | Yes |
🇯🇵 Japan | 2 | No |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2 | Yes |
🇫🇷 France | 1 | Yes |
🇷🇺 Russia | 1 | No |
🇪🇸 Spain | 1 | Yes |
🇹🇠Thailand | 1 | No |
🇹🇷 Turkey | 1 | Yes |
Total | 27 |
Along with France, the U.S. is the only nation with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. These ships can remain at sea for as long as crew provisions last, without the need for refueling.
In 2024, China’s newest, largest, and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, started sea trials. With the addition of this ship, the country becomes second in our ranking.
Of 11 countries that have aircraft carriers in their fleets, six are NATO members.
Learn More About War Machines from Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out ‘Visualized: Top 15 Global Tank Fleets.’ This visualization showcases the most powerful tank fleets as of 2024.
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