USA Facts: Jobs gained, Jobs lost. . .Data behind the news. . .Does Congress look like America?

 

What’s the deal with Senate appointments? After South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham passed away in July, Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline, to serve in his stead until a special election. It was the first time in Senate history that anyone was appointed to a sibling’s seat — but not the first time a family member filled one. Here’s how the upper chamber of Congress fills empty seats.

Governors have made 210 appointments to fill vacant Senate seats since the 17th Amendment took effect in 1913 — an average of about two a year. Twelve appointees have been chosen to fill a family member’s seat. (The 17th Amendment established the direct election of senators by the voters. It also allows governors to temporarily appoint people to fill Senate vacancies, if the state’s legislature permits.)   Women have accounted for 75% of family appointments, and more than three-quarters of them succeeded a late husband.   Of the 65 women who have served in the Senate, 21 of them first arrived by appointment rather than election — more than half of appointed women filled a relative's seat.   Appointees often don't remain in the Senate after the term. Of the 210 Senate vacancy appointments, 62% of appointees ran again, and about 53% of those were elected to serve another term.   Five states do not allow Senate appointments. Kentucky, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin leave the seat empty until voters decide. See the data ​​ Share the facts forward this newsletter to a friend! Does Congress look like the US? The 119th Congress convened on January 3, 2025. These people are elected to represent the people, but how closely do they resemble those people? Census data shows how this legislative body compares to the American public overall. Let’s start with age. The average American was 39.4 years old in 2025. The average American of voting age was about 48.5 years old. At the start of the 119th Congress, the average senator was 63.9 years old, while the average representative was 57.9. Average ages in both the Senate and the House started climbing in the early 1980s and were their highest around 2021. Congress has age-based eligibility restrictions, so it’s pretty much always going to have a higher average age than the general population. The Senate’s minimum age requirement is 30. For the House of Representatives, it’s 25.   As of August 2025, women accounted for 28.7% of Congress (129 women served in the House, and 26 in the Senate). However, women comprised 50.9% of the American population.   One of the biggest differences between Congress and the US population is education level. Ninety-nine percent of senators had bachelor’s degrees as of January 2025, as did 96% of House members. By comparison, 38.7% of the public 25 and older had received a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2024.   About 20.5% of the American population is Hispanic, compared to 10.4% of Congress. Meanwhile,12.2% of Congress identified as Black or African American, compared to 15.4% of the US population.   The rate of veterans in Congress is more than three times the national rate. In January 2025, 18.1% of congressmembers (98 out of 541 people) had served or were serving in the US military. An estimated 5.9% of the population was veterans in 2024, or about 15.7 million people. See the data A crash course in government today Calling all high school civics teachers! We’re teaming up with Crash Course to help you educate students on the state of the US government. Find the first video, Why is American politics so divisive?, right here on Tuesday. We’ll also provide classroom-ready materials and articles to supplement your lessons. More videos covering campaign finance, the Electoral College, the two-party system, and more, coming soon!   Data behind the news President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China meet this week in the nation's capital with trade on the docket. Get a primer on where trade between the US and China stands. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years to address inflation. Learn more about the Fed in this video. Acing the weekly fact quiz is not for the casual fact fan! One last fact Jobs grew in 26 states and Washington, DC, in July. Maryland gained the most jobs, 11,700. Wyoming gained a little over 100, the fewest of any state. Meanwhile, New Jersey lost the most jobs compared to the month prior: 25,600.