From the aging heroes of World War II to the younger generation serving in the post-9/11 conflicts, America's 18 million veterans are a vast and diverse population whose service, sacrifices, and current needs are defined by more than just a uniform.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, there were 18.0 million Veterans living in the United States, representing 8.6% of the adult civilian population.
- Veterans make up 7.0% of the U.S. population aged 18 and older as of 2023.
- About 92% of Veterans are male, while 8% are female according to 2022 data.
- In 2022, 13% of Veterans reported having a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher.
- PTSD affects 11-20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
- 30% of Vietnam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.
- Veteran unemployment rate was 3.1% in 2023, below national 3.8%.
- 5.9 million Veterans in labor force, 29% of total in 2023.
- Veteran labor force participation rate: 57.8% vs 62.5% non-Vets in 2023.
- 9.4 million VA disability compensation recipients in 2023.
- Average annual VA disability payment: $18,000 for 100% rating in 2023.
- 1.2 million Veterans enrolled in CHAMPVA in 2022.
- 40,000 homeless Veterans in HUD-VASH program.
- 37,000 homeless Veterans on a single night in 2023.
- 11% of homeless adults are Veterans vs 7% population.
Veterans are a diverse and aging group who often face significant health and economic challenges.
Benefits
19.4 million VA disability compensation recipients in 2023.
Verified2Average annual VA disability payment: $18,000 for 100% rating in 2023.
Verified31.2 million Veterans enrolled in CHAMPVA in 2022.
Verified4GI Bill users: 800,000 active in FY2022.
Directional5$10 billion paid in GI Bill benefits in FY2022.
Single source6500,000 pensions paid to wartime Veterans in 2022.
Verified7VA home loan guarantees: 400,000 in FY2022.
Verified8$100 billion in VA health care spending for 9 million enrolled in 2023.
Verified91.3 million caregiver program participants in 2023.
Directional10Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: $5 billion to 400,000 survivors.
Single source1170% of post-9/11 GI Bill transferred to dependents.
Verified12Vocational Rehabilitation: 100,000 participants annually.
Verified13Burial benefits: 150,000 claims processed yearly.
Verified14Adaptive housing grants: 2,000 awarded in 2022.
Directional154 million life insurance policies managed by VBA.
Single source16$2.5 billion in education benefits for 700,000 in FY2021.
Verified17Commissary/exchange savings: $1.5 billion for Veterans annually.
Verified1825 million prescriptions filled monthly via VA.
Verified19Dental care for 1.5 million priority group Veterans.
Directional20Prosthetics provided to 250,000 Veterans yearly.
Single source21Telehealth visits: 6 million for Veterans in 2022.
Verified22300,000 automobiles adapted via grants annually.
Verified23Clothing allowance: 50,000 Veterans receive yearly.
Verified241 million headstones/markers provided since 1973.
Directional25Pre-need eligibility: 1.2 million Veterans enrolled.
Single source26State cemetery grants: $50 million in 2022.
VerifiedBenefits Interpretation
The immense scale of these numbers—from disability payments and health care to education and burials—painstakingly quantifies a solemn, ongoing national promise to care for those who served and for the families they leave behind.
Demographics
1In 2021, there were 18.0 million Veterans living in the United States, representing 8.6% of the adult civilian population.
Verified2Veterans make up 7.0% of the U.S. population aged 18 and older as of 2023.
Verified3About 92% of Veterans are male, while 8% are female according to 2022 data.
Verified4The median age of Veterans in 2021 was 65 years old.
Directional56.4 million Veterans served during the Gulf War era (1990-2001), comprising 35% of all living Veterans in 2021.
Single source65.3 million post-9/11 Veterans are alive as of 2023, making up 29% of the Veteran population.
Verified716.2 million Veterans served in wartime, representing 90% of all Veterans in 2021.
Verified8Veterans aged 75 and older number 4.8 million, or 27% of all Veterans in 2021.
Verified91.8 million female Veterans live in the U.S., accounting for 10% of the total Veteran population in 2022.
Directional109.1 million Veterans served only during peacetime, 51% of living Veterans as of 2021.
Single source11Hispanic or Latino Veterans number 1.4 million, or 8% of all Veterans in 2021.
Verified12Black or African American Veterans total 2.0 million, comprising 11% of Veterans in 2021.
Verified13Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander Veterans are 0.7 million, 4% of total in 2021.
Verified14American Indian or Alaska Native Veterans number 0.2 million, 1% of Veterans in 2021.
Directional1554% of Veterans are married, compared to 49% of non-Veterans in 2022.
Single source16Veterans in rural areas represent 22% of the rural population but only 13% of urban in 2021.
Verified177.2 million Vietnam-era Veterans are alive, 40% of all Veterans in 2021.
Verified18Korean War Veterans number 0.5 million, 3% of living Veterans as of 2021.
Verified19World War II Veterans total 66,000 living in 2021, less than 1%.
Directional20Veterans with service-connected disabilities: 4.8 million, 27% in 2022.
Single source2135% of Veterans live in the South, highest regional concentration in 2021.
Verified22California has the largest Veteran population at 1.5 million in 2021.
Verified23Texas Veterans number 1.4 million, second highest in 2021.
Verified24Florida has 1.3 million Veterans in 2021.
Directional25Veterans with college degrees: 34%, higher than non-Veterans at 32% in 2022.
Single source2624% of Veterans served in the Army, largest branch representation in 2021.
Verified27Navy Veterans: 19%, Air Force: 18%, Marines: 10% in 2021.
Verified28Coast Guard Veterans: 1% of total living Veterans in 2021.
Verified29Multiple branch service Veterans: 2% in 2021.
Directional30Veterans living alone: 22%, compared to 15% non-Veterans in 2022.
Single source3125% of U.S. adults aged 75+ are Veterans in 2021.
VerifiedDemographics Interpretation
While our veterans are a diverse and aging mosaic of service, from Gulf War to peacetime, their collective portrait reveals a stoic and decorated pillar of American society, still standing tall but increasingly shouldering the burdens of age and isolation.
Employment
1Veteran unemployment rate was 3.1% in 2023, below national 3.8%.
Verified25.9 million Veterans in labor force, 29% of total in 2023.
Verified3Veteran labor force participation rate: 57.8% vs 62.5% non-Vets in 2023.
Verified4Gulf War-era II Veterans unemployment: 3.4% in 2023.
Directional526% of Veterans employed in management/professional occupations.
Single source6Veteran median weekly earnings: $1,233 vs $1,118 non-Vets in 2023.
Verified7Disability employment gap: 7.5% employed vs 47.2% non-disabled Vets.
Verified812% of Veterans self-employed in 2022.
Verified9Post-9/11 Vets underemployed: 15% in 2023.
Directional103.2 million Veteran-owned businesses employ 5.8 million in 2022.
Single source11Apprenticeship completion rate for Vets: 70% vs 55% civilians.
Verified1241% of Vets aged 25-64 have bachelor's degree or higher.
Verified13STEM employment among Vets: 20% vs 10% non-Vets.
Verified14Transition unemployment peak: 12.1% within first year post-service.
Directional15Female Veteran unemployment: 3.5% in 2023.
Single source16Black Veteran unemployment: 6.2% vs 5.5% white Vets in 2023.
Verified171.1 million Vets participated in VA vocational rehab in 2022.
Verified1865% employment success rate from VA VR&E program.
Verified19Veteran hiring preference used by 80% federal agencies.
Directional2025% of DoD civilian workforce are Veterans.
Single source21Gig economy participation: 28% of post-9/11 Vets.
Verified22Median income for Vet households: $78,000 vs $65,000 non-Vet in 2022.
Verified2314% of Vets in service occupations, lower than non-Vets at 18%.
Verified24Construction employment: 10% of Vets.
Directional258th consecutive year of record low Vet unemployment at 3.1% in 2023.
Single source262.4 million Vets aged 55+ in labor force in 2023.
VerifiedEmployment Interpretation
While veterans collectively outperform their civilian counterparts in areas like lower unemployment, higher earnings, and leadership roles, this headline success masks a more complex battlefield at home, where significant gaps in participation, underemployment, and disparities for disabled, Black, and newly-transitioned veterans reveal the war for economic security is far from over for all who served.
Health
1In 2022, 13% of Veterans reported having a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher.
Verified2PTSD affects 11-20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Verified330% of Vietnam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.
Verified4Gulf War Veterans experience chronic fatigue syndrome at rates 2-3 times higher than non-deployed.
Directional520% of post-9/11 Veterans have a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Single source6Diabetes prevalence among Veterans is 24.4%, higher than general population at 13.2% in 2021.
Verified740% of Veterans aged 65+ have three or more chronic conditions in 2022.
Verified8Agent Orange exposure linked to 15% higher prostate cancer risk in Vietnam Veterans.
Verified912% of Veterans screen positive for depression annually.
Directional10Suicide rate among Veterans is 1.5 times higher than non-Veterans, 17.8 per 100,000 in 2021.
Single source11Opioid use disorder affects 10% of Veterans in VA care in 2022.
Verified1218% of female Veterans report military sexual trauma.
Verified13Hearing loss in Veterans: 30% compared to 17% general population.
Verified14Tinnitus affects 25% of Veterans seeking VA hearing care.
Directional1537% of Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans have musculoskeletal disorders.
Single source16COPD prevalence in Veterans: 12.5%, vs 6.4% civilians in 2021.
Verified1750% of homeless Veterans have mental illness.
Verified18Polytrauma cases in post-9/11 Veterans: over 50,000 treated since 2001.
Verified1923% of Veterans with SCI/D rated 70%+ disability.
Directional20Blindness/visual impairment in Veterans: 10 times higher than civilians.
Single source2115% of Veterans have sleep disorders like apnea.
Verified22Gulf War illness symptoms in 25-30% of 1990-1991 deployers.
Verified238% of Veterans have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Verified24Cancer incidence in Veterans 10% higher due to exposures.
Directional2527% of older Veterans have dementia risk factors.
Single source26Substance use disorder in 20% of Veterans with PTSD.
Verified2735% of Veterans use VA for primary care in 2022.
VerifiedHealth Interpretation
These sobering statistics paint a portrait of service's long shadow, where the physical and psychological tolls of duty—from deafening tinnitus and traumatic brain injuries to pervasive PTSD and heightened chronic diseases—compound into a lifetime of challenges far exceeding those of the civilians they swore to protect.
Homelessness
140,000 homeless Veterans in HUD-VASH program.
Verified237,000 homeless Veterans on a single night in 2023.
Verified311% of homeless adults are Veterans vs 7% population.
Verified4Chronic homelessness among Vets: 40% of total Vet homeless.
Directional5VA housed 43,000 homeless Vets in FY2022.
Single source660% reduction in Vet homelessness since 2009.
Verified713% of unsheltered homeless are Veterans.
Verified8Los Angeles has 4,000 homeless Veterans.
Verified970% of homeless Vets are severe mental illness or substance use.
Directional10HUD-VASH vouchers: 100,000 issued since 2008.
Single source1190% success rate in SSVF rapid re-housing.
Verified1220,000 Vets in GPD transitional housing.
Verified13Female homeless Vets: 10% of total, up from 4%.
Verified1450% of homeless Vets have PTSD.
Directional1565% of homeless Vets separated from military involuntarily.
Single source16Per diem contracts: 10,000 beds funded by VA.
Verified178th year VA exceeded homelessness reduction goals.
Verified1835 states saw Vet homelessness decrease in 2023.
Verified1925% of homeless Vets are aged 55+.
Directional20Grant Per Diem program served 50,000 Vets in 2022.
Single source2115% of homeless Vets are families with children.
Verified22Seattle/Tacoma: 1,200 homeless Vets.
Verified2380% of housed Vets stay housed after 1 year.
Verified24Substance abuse treatment for 20,000 homeless Vets yearly.
Directional2540% of Vet homelessness prevented via prevention programs.
Single source26New York City: 2,500 homeless Veterans.
Verified2712% increase in female Vet homelessness since 2018.
Verified2870,000 total permanent supportive housing placements since 2010.
VerifiedHomelessness Interpretation
Behind the encouraging 60% overall reduction since 2009 lies a stark, stubborn core: we are still failing those Veterans most in need, as evidenced by the disproportionate rates of chronic homelessness, mental health struggles, and involuntary separation that persist.
Sources & References
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- Reference 2CENSUScensus.govVisit source
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- Reference 5PTSDptsd.va.govVisit source
- Reference 6PUBLICHEALTHpublichealth.va.govVisit source
- Reference 7NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 8MENTALHEALTHmentalhealth.va.govVisit source
- Reference 9AUDIOLOGYaudiology.orgVisit source
- Reference 10RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 11HUDhud.govVisit source
- Reference 12POLYTRAUMApolytrauma.va.govVisit source
- Reference 13REHABrehab.va.govVisit source
- Reference 14SLEEPFOUNDATIONsleepfoundation.orgVisit source
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- Reference 18IVMFivmf.syracuse.eduVisit source
- Reference 19ADVOCACYadvocacy.sba.govVisit source
- Reference 20NCESnces.ed.govVisit source
- Reference 21BENEFITSbenefits.va.govVisit source
- Reference 22OPMopm.govVisit source
- Reference 23DIVERSITYdiversity.defense.govVisit source
- Reference 24CAREGIVERcaregiver.va.govVisit source
- Reference 25MILITARYONESOURCEmilitaryonesource.milVisit source