Report Released by U.S. Census Bureau Shows New Veteran Population Information
June 06, 2020
The makeup of the U.S. Armed Forces is constantly changing as well as the type of wars Americans face. As a result, the veteran population will also continue to change. A new report entitled, “Those Who Served: America’s Veterans from World War II to the War on Terror,” was recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. This report utilizes data from the 2018 American Community Survey, which is a survey that provides yearly data on population and housing information. The report looks at the 18 million Americans, which is approximately 7 percent of the population, who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in 2018. This report yielded some very interesting findings, including that the size of the veteran population is declining and that the number of female veterans is on the rise.
The Declining Veteran Population
According to the report, the veteran population has been declining for decades as military experience becomes less common and veterans of older wars age and die. The armed forces are smaller today mainly due to voluntary enlistment that began in 1973 rather than having the draft. Between 2000 and 2018, the veteran population declined by one-third from 26.4 million to 18 million. Additionally, there are now fewer than 500,000 World War II veterans alive today, which is down from 5.7 million in 2000. The veteran population is expected to continue to decline by 2.5 million over the next decade. The shrinking veteran population delineated by period and total can be seen here.
The Growing Number of Female Veterans
According to the report, between 1980 and 2018, the proportion of female veterans has more than doubled from approximately 4 percent to 9 percent. By 2040, the proportion of female veterans is expected to grow to 17 percent of all veterans. Women veterans are starting to make up a higher share of recent cohorts because they began serving in a combat capacity in the 1990s. To see the historical and projected trends of female veterans click here.
The Health of Today’s Veterans
The report also discussed data concerning the health of today’s veterans. The results showed that about one-quarter of all veterans had a service-connected disability in 2018. However, the prevalence of the service-connected disabilities varied depending on the period of service. Veterans who served during peacetime before 1975 had the lowest percentage of service-connected disabilities while the highest percentage was found among Post-9/11 and Gulf War veterans. More than one-third of these Post 9/11 and Gulf War veterans have a service-connected disability. The report states, “[p]ost-9/11 veterans may be more likely to have a service-connected disability because of distinctive tours of duty or service conditions that other cohorts did not experience. For example, thanks to medical advances, veterans today are more likely to survive injuries that would have been fatal in past decades.”
Some additional highlights of this report include:
- The largest cohort of veterans alive in 2018 served during the Vietnam Era (6.4 million), which lasted from 1964 to 1975. The second-largest cohort of living veterans served during peacetime only (4.0 million).
- The median age of veterans in 2018 was 65. By service period, Post-9/11 veterans were the youngest with a median age of about 37; Vietnam Era veterans had a median age of about 71; and World War II veterans were the oldest with a median age of about 93.
- Veterans from recent service periods have the highest levels of education. More than three-quarters of Post-9/11 and Gulf War veterans had at least some college experience, and more than one-third of Gulf War veterans had a college degree.
- Post-9/11 veterans had a 43% chance of having a service-connected disability, after accounting for differences in demographic and social characteristics among veterans —significantly higher than that of veterans from other periods.
- Among veterans who had a service-connected disability, Post-9/11 veterans had a 39% chance of having a disability rating of 70% or more — significantly higher than for veterans from other periods.
For the full report released by the U.S. Census Bureau click here. If you are a veteran or know of a veteran who has a possible claim, please contact Legal Help for Veterans at (800) 693-4800 for assistance.