There are more lawyers in Congress than any other occupation: 217, or about 40% of the 106th Congress. According to Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, lawyers are followed by the following fields:

• 184 businessmen/bankers
• 124 public service/politicians
• 99 educators
• 28 farmers/ranchers
• 24 realtors
• 17 journalists
• 17 medical professionals
• 10 law enforcement officers
• 9 engineers
• 5 miscellaneous fields
• 3 professional athletes
• 3 skilled labor
• 3 health care providers
• 2 actors/entertainers
• 2 artists
• 2 clergy
• 2 military officers
• 1 aerospace professional
• 1 labor official
• 1 homemaker
• 1 secretary

The Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress issues a periodically updated report by Mildred Amer, entitled "Membership of the U.S. Congress: a Profile," which you might find of further interest. The report contains statistics on Member occupations, as well as age, gender, minority status, military experience, religion, and other information. Copies of the report can be obtained upon request from your Senator or Representative's office.

The current CRS report highlights some of the more interesting occupations held by Members of the last Congress -- the 105th. They include:

• 2 funeral directors, 1 florist, 1 librarian, 1 winery owner.
• 2 auctioneers, 1 volunteer fireman, 1 automobile assembly line worker, 1 river boat captain, 1 hotel bellhop, 1 jewelry maker, and 1 taxi driver.
• 76 former congressional staffers and 11 former White House staffers;
• 1 CIA agent, 1 CIA analyst, 1 FBI agent, 3 sheriffs, 2 police officers, a border patrol chief, 2 probation officers;
• 6 Peace Corp volunteers, 1 Director of the Peace Corps.