Congress is about to get a little bit younger, with lawmakers' median age dropping by two-and-a-half years

• On January 2, the median member of Congress will be 61.7 years old.
• On January 3, when the 118th Congress takes over, the median member will be 59.2 years old.

The current Congress is the oldest in the history of the United States — the result of a combination of factors favoring incumbents, protecting seniority, and stripping younger generations of proportional representation.

But on January 3, that will change — at least a bit.

The incoming Congress is poised to be considerably younger than the outgoing one, thanks in part to significant shifts in the composition of Congress. This includes a once-a-decade redistricting cycle, some notable retirements, and a few lawmaker deaths. A competitive internecine primary cycle and a number of flipped seats for each party contributed, too.

Indeed, on the last day of the current 117th Congress, the median member will be 61.7 years of age, the oldest on record. At noon on January 3, when the new 118th Congress takes over, the median member will be 59.2 years old, a 2.5 year decrease in a matter of minutes, according to an Insider analysis of congressional age data.

This figure may shift slightly as a few variables and vacancies are addressed.

The House race in California's 13th District, for example, has not been called. There is one uncalled Senate race in Georgia which will conclude with a runoff next week. The death of Rep. Donald McEachin, a Democrat who represented Virginia's 4th District, will also necessitate a special election to replace him. The outcome of those three races are unlikely to significantly affect the overall age of Congress.

Assuming current membership holds, the number of septuagenarians in Congress will decrease significantly in January.

On the last day of the 117th Congress there will be 128 members and senators over the age of 70. On the first day of the 118th Congress, there will be 107 members over the age of 70.

That said, should the current 535 members of Congress continue to serve without any resignations, deaths, or special elections, the 118th Congress may indeed set records again.

Assuming current membership holds, the median age of Congress will be 61.1, as of December 1, 2024 — just short of the current Congress' advanced age.

But again assuming current membership holds, Congress would in fact have 137 members over the age of 70 on December 1, 2024, which would mean that more than one in four members of Congress body will be a septuagenarian.

That would be a record.

As it is, the top three incoming leaders of the Democratic Party in the House will, on balance, be 31 years younger than the current top three — Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Majority Whip James Clyburn.

In September, Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" project explored the costs, benefits, and dangers of life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age, where issues of profound importance to the nation's youth and future — technology, civil rights, energy, the environment — are largely in the hands of those whose primes have passed.

Join Insider on December 15 at Caveat in New York City for a special TTRPG event, Dungeons and Democracy. Beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET, you and host Walt Hickey will explore America's rapidly aging Congress as part of Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" series.