While the 114th Congress will have more women and minorities than ever before, it is still overwhelmingly white and male – and still a long way from reflecting the demographics of the country.
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After the new Congress gets sworn in on Tuesday, there will be 96 racial minorities and a record-breaking 104 women. According to data crunched by The Washington Post, that means Congress will be mostly male (81% in the House and 80% in the Senate) and mostly white (80% in the House and 94% in the Senate).
In addition, according to Pew Research Center, members of the new Congress are overwhelmingly Christian. Ninety-two percent of lawmakers have identified themselves as Christian, with approximately 57% Protestant and 31% Catholic — statistics that mirror the 113th Congress.
Like previous years, the demographic makeup of Congress does not reflect the country as a whole. According to the United States Census Bureau, 63% of people in the country are non-Hispanic white, 51% are female and 73% are Christian.
Still there has been some progress, with a number of history-making lawmakers set to begin their congressional careers on Tuesday. That includes Mia Love of Utah, who will become the first black Republican woman in Congress and the first Haitian-American member from either party. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa will be the first woman in Congress from the Hawkeye State. And New York Republican Elise Stefanik, 30, will be the youngest woman in Congress.
