10 Facts About America's Veterans

On Veterans Day, we pay our respects to the men and women who have served in the armed forces both at home and abroad. But who are these dedicated individuals? Let’s look at these ten facts using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Pew Research Center, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

1) The U.S. has 17.4 million veterans, as of 2019.

Veterans make up 7% of the overall adult population. Learn more.

2) 61% of U.S. veterans have been deployed at least once, and 36% have served in a combat zone, as of 2019.

Learn more.

3) 50% of veterans are 65 or older, as of 2019.

8% of veterans were younger than age 35. Learn more.

4) 89% of veterans are men, while 11% are women, as of 2021.

The number of female veterans is expected to increase from around 2 million in 2021 to approximately 2.2 million in 2046. On the other hand, the number of male veterans is projected to drop from about 17 million in 2021 to around 10.3 million in 2046. Learn more.

5) 79% of veterans own a home, as of 2019.

In comparison, 67% of nonveterans own a home. Learn more.

6) 24% of veterans are from racial or ethnic minorities, as of 2019.

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7) At 11%, Alaska is the state with the highest proportion of veterans in its population in 2019.

Montana and Virginia come in second — 10% of their residents are veterans. For the country as a whole, 7% of residents are veterans. Learn more.

8) 79% of U.S. veterans said in 2019 that they would advise a young person close to them to join the military.

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9) 17% of the members of the 117th Congress have prior military service, as of 2021.

The share of senators who are veterans reached a post-Korean War peak of 81% in 1975, while the share among House members peaked in 1967 at 75%. Learn more.

10) 12% of the veterans in the workforce are women, as of 2019.

Overall, women account for 47% of the American workforce. Learn more.