Trends in U.S. Veteran Demographics

RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute

Trends in U.S. Veteran Demographics

Veteran Population Size

The number of U.S. veterans has been steadily declining.

• In 2011, 9.1% of the of total U.S. adult population (21,489,275) were U.S. veterans.
• In 2023, 6.1% of the of total U.S. adult population (15,857,646) were U.S. veterans.

2023 Veteran Demographics

• Average age: 62 years old
• Race/ethnicity
  • White: 72.2%
  • Black: 12.4%
  • Hispanic/Latino: 8.6%
  • Multiracial/other race: 6.7%%
• Sex: Female = 10.9%
• Education: College degree or more = 32.1%

State of Residence

Veterans are heavily concentrated in states with large military installations, including Texas, Florida, and California.

States with Largest Populations of Veteran Residents

• Texas: 1,401,252
• California: 1,243,018
• Florida: 1,335,546
• Pennsylvania: 619,472
• New York: 565,564

States with Highest Percentages of Veteran Residents

• Alaska: 10.9%
• Montana: 9.4%
• Virginia: 9.1%
• Wyoming: 8.7%
• South Dakota: 8.4%
• South Carolina: 8.4%

Changing Veteran Demographics

Post-9/11 veterans are younger, more diverse, and more likely to have a college degree than earlier cohorts.

Average age

• Post-9/11 Service Era: 42 years old
• Pre-9/11 Service Era: 70 years old

Race/ethnicity

Sex

• Post-9/11 Service Era: Female = 17.0%
• Pre-9/11 Service Era: Female = 8.5%

Education

• Post-9/11 Service Era: College degree or more = 38.5%
• Pre-9/11 Service Era: College degree or more = 29.5%

SOURCE: Features information from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 2023. Time trends shown for 2011-2023.

NOTE: Post-9/11 refers to veterans who served after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Pre-9/11 refers to veterans who served exclusively prior to 9/11.

This infographic describes work done in RAND Education and Labor and documented in A Summary of Veteran-Related Statistics: Second Edition, by Megan S. Schuler, Aimee Bower, Carrie M. Farmer, Jessica Phillips, and Rajeev Ramchand, RR-A1363-5-v2, 2025 (available at www.rand.org/t/RRA1363-5-v2). To view this infographic online, visit www.rand.org/t/IGA1363-2-v2. This infographic is an update to a prior RAND infographic (IG-A1363-2) to reflect more-recent national data.

© 2025 RAND Corporation

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