November 6, 2014

The decline of the total number of veterans serving on the Hill will continue when the newly minted 114th Congress takes office next year.

In the House, the percentage of members who served in the uniformed services slipped to 18.6 percent – the lowest level since before World War II. Only 81 veterans (80 voting representatives and 1 non-voting delegate) will return to Washington in January. A total of 87 (20 percent) representatives had served in uniform at the start of the 113^th Congress.

The number in the Senate will increase slightly to 20 veterans (20 percent), one more than the number that took office at the start of the 113^th Congress.

Total representation falls from 20 percent of legislators to 19 percent.

The representation of veterans in Congress has declined steadily since it peaked at 74 percent for the House (1969-70) and 78 percent for the Senate (1977-78).

Some of the decline can be explained by an inevitable demographic shift. The 114^th Congress could be the first without representation from the Greatest Generation (pending the result of one run-off). However, the number of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans serving in Congress continues to grow with 22 heading to the Hill in 2015.

* This estimate assumes that current projections will hold up in some still-contested districts, and that Dan Sullivan wins the Alaska senate race and Martha McSally holds on to win Arizona’s 2^nd district. Both races were not officially declared. A run-off in Louisiana’s 6^th district (where one candidate is a vet) will be held, and was not included among the 79.