The youngest, oldest and average age of lawmakers in the US Congress

As the age issue dominates the 2024 race for the White House between the country's two oldest presidents, an increasing number of Americans support age limits for their politicians and lawmakers.

The average age of members serving in the national legislature is 61, according to the Biographical Data Directory of the U.S. Congress . The median age is 58 in the House of Representatives and 65 in the Senate, according to data analyzed by Pew Research Center last year.

New members sworn into the current 118th Congress in 2023 brought the average age of voting members down in the House and up in the Senate by about one year. The average age of congressional lawmakers remains higher than the national average, which is 39, according to the U.S. Census Bureau .

Who is the youngest member of Congress?

At 25, Rep. Matthew Alejandro Frost , D-Fla., became the youngest person elected to the 118th Congress in 2022. He is now 27 years old.

Frost, a former March for Our Lives and ACLU activist, is known for advocating for gun control and LGBTQ+ rights and is the first member of Gen Z to serve in Congress.

The seat to represent Florida's 10th Congressional District, which includes the University of Central Florida and the Orlando area, became open after Democrat Val Demings announced she would run to replace Republican Marco Rubio in the Senate.

Frost won the race against Republican army veteran Calvin Wimbish, receiving more than 58% of the vote.

Who is the oldest member of Congress?

At 90, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, is the oldest member of the U.S. Congress. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1959 and to the Senate in 1980.

In 2022, he won reelection for another six-year term, meaning he will be 95 when it expires.

A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll earlier this year showed Grassley has a 47% approval rating.

If he completes his current term, he will become the second-oldest member of Congress ever after Sen. Strom Thurmond , R-S.C., who served until he was 100 in 2003.

Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @rachelbarber_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The youngest, oldest and average age of lawmakers in the US Congress