Daily Almanac for
May 15, 2008
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American Veterans By the Numbers

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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23.7 million
The number of military veterans in the United States in 2006.

Female Vets

1.7 million
The number of female veterans in 2006.

16%
Percentage of Persian Gulf War veterans in 2006 who were women.

Race and Hispanic Origin

2.4 million
The number of black veterans in 2006. Additionally, 1.1 million veterans are Hispanic, 292,000 are Asian, 169,000 are American Indian or Alaska Native, and 28,000 are Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. (The numbers for blacks, Asians, American Indians, and Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders cover only those reporting a single race.)

When They Served

9.2 million
The number of veterans age 65 or older in 2006. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.9 million were younger than 35.

8 million
Number of Vietnam-era veterans in 2006. Thirty-three percent of all living veterans served during this time (1964-1975). In addition, 4.6 million served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present); 3.2 million in World War II (1941-1945); 3.1 million in the Korean War (1950-1953); and 6.1 million in peacetime.

430,000
In 2005, number of living veterans who served during both the Vietnam era and in the Gulf War.

Other living veterans in 2006 who served in two or more wars:
350,000 served during both the Korean and Vietnam wars.
78,000 served during three periods: World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War.
294,000 served in World War II and the Korean War.

Where They Live

6
Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in 2006. These states are California (2.2 million), Florida (1.7 million), Texas (1.7 million), New York (1.1 million), Pennsylvania (1.1 million), and Ohio (1 million).

Education

25%
Percent of veterans 25 years and over with at least a bachelor's degree in 2006.

90%
Percent of veterans 25 and older with a high school diploma or higher in 2006.

Income and Poverty

$34,437
Annual median income of veterans, in 2006 inflation-adjusted dollars.

5.9%
Percentage of veterans living in poverty, as of 2006. The corresponding rate for nonveterans was 12.3%.

On the Job

11.1 million
Number of veterans 18 to 64 in the labor force in 2006.

Disabilities

6.1 million
Number of veterans with a disability. More than half this number (3.5 million) were 65 and older.

Voting

17.4 million
Number of veterans who voted in the 2004 presidential election. 74% of veterans cast a ballot, compared with 63% of nonveterans.

Business Owners

14.5%
Percentage of owners of firms that responded to the 2002 Survey of Business Owners who were veterans. Respondent veteran business owners totaled 3 million.

68%
Percentage of veteran owners of respondent firms who were 55 and older. This compares with 31% of all owners of respondent firms. Similarly, in 2002, 55% of veteran-owned respondent firms with employees reported that their businesses were established, purchased, or acquired before 1990, compared with 36% of all employer respondent firms.

7%
Percentage of all respondent veteran owners who were disabled as the result of injury incurred or aggravated during active military service.

Benefits

2.7 million
Number of veterans who received compensation for service-connected disabilities as of 2006. Their compensation totaled $26.6 billion.

Jan. 21, 2007
The date of death of the last World War I veteran receiving compensation or pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

$72.4 billion
Total amount of federal government spending for veterans benefits programs in fiscal year 2006. Of this total, $34.5 billion went to compensation and pensions and $31.3 billion for medical programs.

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