Elite Lawyers!
(Based on data from the 111th Congress)
Law is the most popular degree at the Capitol Hill (it has been the case for a long time). Nearly 52% of the senators, and 36% of congressional representatives have a degree in law. There are some differences across parties and across houses, with Republicans likelier to have a law degree than Democrats in the Senate (58% to 48%), and the reverse holding true for the Congress, where a greater share of Democrats holds law degrees than Republicans (40% to 32%). Less than 10% of members of congress have a degree in the natural sciences or engineering. Nearly 8% have a degree from Harvard, making Harvard’s the largest alumni contingent at the Capitol. Yale is a distant second with less than half the number that went to Harvard.