Facts About U.S. Veterans

Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Veterans

19.6 millionNumber of military veterans in the United States in 2013.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey 
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/DP02

1.6 millionNumber of female veterans in the United States in 2013.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21001

11.3%Percent of veterans in 2013 who were black. Additionally, 79.3 percent were non-Hispanic white; 1.4 percent were Asian; 0.7 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.2 percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; 1.2 percent were some other race. (The numbers for blacks, non-Hispanic whites, Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and some other race cover only those reporting a single race.)
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

6.0%Percent of veterans in 2013 who were Hispanic.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

9.3 millionNumber of veterans 65 years and older in 2013. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.6 million were younger than 35.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21001

When They Served

7.0 millionNumber of Vietnam-era veterans in 2013. Moreover, there were 5.2 million who served during the Gulf War Era (representing service from August 1990 to present); 1.3 million who served in World War II; 2.1 million who served in the Korean War; and 4.7 million who served in peacetime only. 
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21002

58,445

Number of living veterans in 2013 who served during the Vietnam Era and both periods of the Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001and September 2001 or later).

Other living veterans in 2013 who served during three wartime periods:

• 39,890 served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam Era.

Number of living veterans in 2013 who served during two wartime periods:

• 1,006,501 served during Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001) and Gulf War (September 2001 or later).
• 294,251 served during Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001) and the Vietnam Era.
• 175,676 served during the Korean War and the Vietnam Era.
• 92,670 served during World War II and the Korean War.

Sources: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21002

Where They Live

3Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in 2013. These states were California (1.7 million), Texas (1.5 million) and Florida(1.5 million).
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101/0100000US.04000

Education

26.8%Percent of veterans 25 years and older with a bachelor's degree or higher in 2013. In comparison, 29.9 percent of nonveterans had a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

29.1%Percent of veterans 25 years and older in 2013 whose highest educational attainment was a high school diploma or equivalency in 2013, compared with 27.7 percent of the nonveteran population.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

Income

$36,381Annual median income of veterans in 2013, compared with $25,820 for the nonveteran population.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21004

On the Job

7.7 millionNumber of veterans 18 to 64 years old in the labor force in 2013, of those 7.1 million were employed.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/C21005

Service Connected Disabilities

3.6 millionNumber of veterans with a service-connected disability rating in 2013. Of this number, 957,504 had a rating of 70 percent or higher. A "service-connected" disability is one that was a result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. Severity of one's disability is scaled from 0 to 100 percent, and eligibility for compensation depends on one's rating.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21100

Voting

14.7 millionNumber of veterans who voted in the 2012 presidential election. Seventy percent of veterans cast a ballot in that election, compared with 61.8 percent of all U.S. citizens 18 years and older.
Source: Table 13. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex, Veteran Status, and Age: November 2012
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2012/tables.html

12.4 millionNumber of veterans who voted in the 2010 congressional election. Fifty-seven percent of veterans voted in that election, compared with 45.5 percent of all U.S. citizens 18 years and older.
Source: Table 13. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex, Veteran Status, and Age: November 2010
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2010/tables.html