Today's Date: March 28, 2024
PMI Foods Gives Easter Donation of 15,000 Pounds of Prime Rib to New Life Church in Arkansas   •   Suffolk Kicks off 2024 “Build With Us @ Suffolk” Program in Boston for Trade Partners, Opening Doors for Minority-,   •   Visit Visalia Recognizes Autism Awareness Month in April   •   John Legend to Perform at City Year Los Angeles’ 13th Annual Spring Break Event   •   Carnegie Learning Named 2024 SIIA CODiE Award Finalist for Best Educational Game and Best AI Implementation in Ed Tech   •   Amerex Group Unveils Red Carter Swimwear's Revitalized Collection   •   Jamieson Wellness Publishes Inaugural Sustainability Impact Report   •   Coachella Concerned That People Have Sex, Says AHF   •   Fosun Management on 2023 Annual Results: Focusing on Core Industries with Established Advantages   •   Torrid Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results and Initiates Fiscal 2024 Guidance   •   YMCA of the USA Partners With Old Spice To Increase High School Graduation Among Boys And Young Men Of Color Through Mentorship   •   VIRGIN HOTELS CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVE TRAVEL FOR NEURODIVERSE TRAVELERS   •   Equalpride Partners with TransLash Media for Trans Day of Visibility, Amplifying Voices of Black Trans Femmes in the Arts   •   Sypher Secures Strategic Partnership with FAIA to Fuel Growth   •   Make-A-Wish and celebrity wish granters announce goal to recruit 1 million people to become "WishMakers"   •   Parkland Corporation Announces the Results of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders   •   Fastenal Releases 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report   •   Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink   •   Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. Expands OTC Portfolio for Children with the Introduction of bébé Bottoms™   •   Empire State Realty Trust Receives WELL Health-Safety Leadership Award; Becomes Among the First Commercial Office and Multifamil
Bookmark and Share

State Legislators Charted on New Interactive Map

 

State Legislatures: They Are Changing

The National Conference of State Legislatures shows the demographic, gender and occupation of the nation's 7,382 state legislators.

Over the last 20 years, the make-up of state legislatures across the country has changed. As the U.S. population grows, legislative districts grow larger and more diverse.

The National Black Caucus of State Legislators, the Joint Center for Economic Studies and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and the Women's Legislative Network worked in conjunction with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to collect data on the occupation, gender, racial and ethnic makeup of state legislators.

"More state legislators are working full time for the state. They have overtaken attorneys as the largest occupation in legislatures across the country," said William T. Pound, executive director for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "Also, more retired individuals are being elected to the nation's statehouses. They make up the third largest occupational group."

A new interactive map on the NCSL website allows you to examine the makeup of each state’s legislature by ethnicity, gender, age, religion and occupation and compare those figures to national averages.

The average age of a state legislator is 56 and has increased slightly in recent years as the number of retired legislators has risen. Nearly half of the nation's state legislators are between 50 and 64 years of age; almost 4 percent are between 20 and 34.

Since 1969, the number of women serving in legislatures has increased from several hundred to 1,789 or 24.2 percent of state legislative seats nationwide. In 1970, there were only 169 African-American lawmakers; today there are 628. Latinos hold more than 3 percent of all the legislative seats in the nation. Currently, there are more African Americans and Hispanics serving in state legislatures than at any time in the nation's history.

NCSL has been collecting demographic data over the past two decades. It has been used by state legislators, legislatures and the media to understand how leadership at the state level has become more diverse and more reflective of the constituents served.

NCSL's new interactive map can be found on our website.

NCSL is the bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staff of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.

 



Back to top
| Back to home page
Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News