Answer: Pretty Old

https://embed.deepnote.com/1788cf53-812b-436a-aae3-3adadab0ecd9/c8620bc951c14ea5975055c4a0b9fe32/ee89788f582342538960137dfc47677c?height=506.994140625

As of 09/09/2024, the average age of a sitting US senator is:

https://embed.deepnote.com/1788cf53-812b-436a-aae3-3adadab0ecd9/c8620bc951c14ea5975055c4a0b9fe32/4a5495f107ff484bb99995f18515d749?height=93.810546875

To put this number into context, the age of the average American is **38.9 years.** So the average senator is 25 years older than the average American.

According to the census, only 1 in 6 Americans are older than 65.

So another way of thinking about this is only 1 in 6 Americans are older than the average senator.

The Oldest Senators

There are currently seven senators older than 80. Three Republicans, two Democrat, and an Independent.

https://embed.deepnote.com/1788cf53-812b-436a-aae3-3adadab0ecd9/c8620bc951c14ea5975055c4a0b9fe32/8ad302aa7e5f45d8aebbe9ab4ff83278?height=2798.234375

Are the Oldest Senators at Risk for Dementia?

You might feel that a Senator that can’t relate to you generationally means your issues will be ignored (how will these gerontocrats understand my dank memes??). However, whether this bias exists is hard to prove.