 Why are American politicians some of the oldest in the world? The average age of a house member is 58. Senator? 65. And it didn't used to be that way. Both average closer to 50 in 1981, which is also about the average for much of the western world right now. In the US, running for office is expensive. Really expensive. And boomers, though just 21% of the population, have more money than anybody else. So it's no shock they make up 49% of congress, because boomer voters tend to donate to boomer politicians. So even though 73% of Americans want age limits for elected officials, it's not gonna happen anytime soon. Because on top of the money, congress isn't going to vote to kick a bunch of themselves out, the two-party system makes it harder for newer candidates to enter the fold, and voting continues to get harder, which makes it less likely for newer younger candidates to succeed.