Although several incoming members of Congress will make history in their own districts and states, this past election cycle brought minimal changes to the demographic makeup of the U.S. House. Men and white Americans continue to make up a greater share of Congress than the national population, even as the House has become considerably more diverse over the past century (and remains more diverse than the upper chamber).
Women will continue to make up less than a third of the House, per data compiled by the Center for American Women and Politics. And while the number of Republican women grew in 2021 and 2023, it will shrink by a few members in 2025, as the number of Democratic women will remain basically unchanged.
White Americans currently make up a larger share of the House (72%) than the nation (59%), according to Pew Research, and an analysis of the incoming freshman class, along with the outgoing members of Congress, shows that trend continuing. In total, the number of white, non-Hispanic members of Congress will shrink by three in the new year.
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