The “average” lawmaker in America today is a “white, male, Protestant baby boomer, with a graduate degree and a business background — a stereotype of the American ‘establishment,'” says a new study.

“But the truth is, there’s nothing average about the nation’s 7,383 legislators; in fact, only 50 actually have all six of those characteristics.”

That’s according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Senate President Ron Kouchi smiles during closing session of the legislature. 7 may 2015. photograph Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Hawaii Senate President Ron Kouchi. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

“State lawmakers are less diverse than the country in general, but they reflect the wide variety of people they serve more closely than ever before,” the report explains.

Here’s a few takeaways from Hawaii’s Legislature:

  • Women hold half the eight Republican seats but just 29 percent of all seats.
  • Minority lawmakers, mostly of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, constitute majorities among the Democrats and Republicans alike.
  • 9 percent are business owners while 17 percent are lawyers.
  • 43 percent are baby boomers while 13 percent are millennials.
  • 17 percent are Protestant, 7 percent are Catholic and 72 percent are “unspecified.”

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