Veteran share, explained

What it measures

The veteran share is the percentage of the civilian population age 18 and older who are veterans of the US Armed Forces. A veteran is anyone who served on active duty in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, or Coast Guard and was discharged honorably or under honorable conditions. National Guard and Reserve service alone (without an active-duty period) does not qualify under the Census definition. The denominator excludes active-duty military personnel themselves.

The Census Bureau publishes veteran share for the United States, every state, county, metro, city, and ZIP code through ACS Table B21001.

Why it matters

Veterans qualify for a wide range of federal benefits, VA healthcare, GI Bill education, VA home loans, disability compensation, employment preference, and the geographic distribution of veterans drives the location of VA medical centers, regional offices, and outreach programs. Local governments use veteran share to plan for veteran-specific services (mental-health support, homelessness prevention, veteran-business outreach). The metric also predicts demographic features: veterans skew older and more male than the general population, and metros with high veteran shares typically have older age structures overall.

How the Census measures it

ACS Table B21001, Sex by Age by Veteran Status for the Civilian Population 18 Years and Over. CensusEasy uses the count of veterans divided by the civilian population 18+.

How to read the numbers

The US veteran share is about 7%. State rates range from about 4% (New York, New Jersey, California) to over 12% (Alaska, Virginia, Wyoming, Maine). Among metros, the highest figures are in retirement-and-military areas (Pensacola FL, Fayetteville NC, Jacksonville NC, Colorado Springs CO) where active-duty bases plus retired-veteran inflow combine. The lowest are in immigrant-heavy coastal metros where the foreign-born population dilutes the native-born veteran base. A metro veteran share above 10% typically indicates either a major active military presence nearby (drawing veterans who chose to stay after discharge) or a veteran-retirement attraction (warm weather, low cost of living, VA medical-center presence).

Caveats and limitations

The veteran share has been trending downward at the national level for decades as the WWII-era veteran cohort ages out and the all-volunteer military since 1973 has produced fewer veterans per capita than the conscription era. Veteran share is also a lagging indicator, current military recruiting and discharge patterns affect the metric only over 30+ year horizons.