Census 2000 counted

208.1 million civilians

18 and older in the

United States.1 Within

this population,

approximately 

26.4 million or 

12.7 percent were veterans. Census data

define a civilian veteran as someone 18 and

older who is not currently on active duty,

but who once served

on active duty in the

United States Army,

Navy, Air Force,

Marine Corps, or

Coast Guard, or who

served in the

Merchant Marine during World War II.2 This

definition includes

people who served for

even a short time.

Census 2000 collected

data about the periods and length of

service for veterans.

Period of military

service data distinguish veterans who

served during wartime from those who

served during peacetime. Questions

about period and length of military service provide information necessary to estimate the number of veterans who are

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued May 2003

C2KBR-22

Veterans: 2000

Census 2000 Brief

By 

Christy Richardson 

and 

Judith Waldrop

1 The text of this report

discusses data for the United

States, including the 50

states and the District of Columbia. Data for the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are shown in Table 2

and Figure 4. 2 Active duty does not include active duty for

training in the military Reserves or National Guard,

such as the 4 to 6 months of initial training or yearly summer camps.

a. Has this person ever served on active duty in

the U.S. Armed Forces, military Reserves, or

National Guard? Active duty does not include training

for the Reserves or National Guard, but DOES include

activation, for example, for the Persian Gulf War.

Yes, now on active duty

Yes, on active duty in past, but not now

No, training for Reserves or National 

Guard only Skip to 21

No, never served in the military Skip to 21

b. When did this person serve on active duty 

in the U.S. Armed Forces? Mark a box for

EACH period in which this person served.

April 1995 or later

Some other time

World War II (September 1940—July 1947)

Korean conflict (June 1950—January 1955)

February 1955 to July 1964

Vietnam era (August 1964—April 1975)

May 1975 to August 1980

September 1980 to July 1990

August 1990 to March 1995 (including Persian Gulf War)

c. In total, how many years of active-duty military

service has this person had?

Less than 2 years

2 years or more

x

Figure 1.

Reproduction of the Questions on 

Veterans Status From Census 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

20
2 U.S. Census Bureau

eligible to receive specific

benefits.3

Decennial censuses have included a

question on veterans since 1840.

In the 1990 census, veterans data

were collected from the population

15 and older, and data were

released for those 16 and older.

Veteran status information was also

collected from people 15 and older

in Census 2000, but the Census

2000 data are reported here only

for the population 18 and older. 

The Census 2000 long form was

distributed to 1 in 6 households in

the United States. Question 20,

the veterans item on this form,

asked respondents about any

active-duty service in the U.S.

Armed Forces, military Reserves, or

National Guard; about periods of

service; and about the number of

years of active-duty military service (see Figure 1).

The 1990 census and Census 2000

questions asked about different

periods of service. The most

recent period on the Census 2000

questionnaire was April 1995 or

later, while in 1990 it was

September 1980 or later. The

1990 census provided a separate

category for World War I service;

Census 2000 asked people with

such service to mark the “Some

other time” category. In both 1990

and 2000, respondents could indicate that they served during more

than one period.

This report is part of a series that

presents population and housing

data collected by Census 2000. It

contains data on the veteran status

of the civilian population 18 and

older. It highlights the size of the

veteran population, changes

between 1990 and 2000, the distribution of the population by periods of service, and the distribution

of the population in regions,

states, counties, and places with

populations of 100,000 or more.

The total number of civilian

veterans in the United States

has been decreasing, but the

number of female veterans

has been increasing. 

During the last 20 years of the

20th Century, the veteran population declined as older veterans,

particularly Korean War, World War

II, and World War I veterans, aged

and died. In 1980, 28.5 million

civilian veterans lived in the United

States, but the number dropped to

27.5 million in 1990, and to 

26.4 million in 2000.4 The

declines occurred exclusively

among the male veteran population, which fell from 27.4 million

in 1980 to 24.8 million in 2000.

Although women made up only 

6.0 percent of the total veteran

population in 2000, their numbers

have steadily increased, as shown

in Figure 2. Of the 26.4 million

veterans in the United States in

2000, 24.8 million were men and

1.6 million were women.

Vietnam era veterans

accounted for the largest

veteran population in 2000.

Vietnam era veterans constituted

the largest group of veterans in

Census 2000, accounting for 

8.4 million people or 31.7 percent

of the total veteran population (see

Table 1 and Figure 3).5 World War II

veterans made up the next largest

group, 5.7 million people or 

3 The estimates in this report are based

on responses from a sample of the population. As with all surveys, estimates may

vary from the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors. All statements made in this report have undergone

statistical testing and are significant at the

90-percent confidence level unless otherwise

noted.

Figure 2.

Number of Male and Female Civilian Veterans 

Aged 18 and Over: 1980, 1990, and 2000

Note: Individuals may be included in more than one period of service. The 1980 and 1990

veteran populations may include a small number of people who were 16 and 17 years old.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1980 and 1990 censuses and Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(In thousands. Data based on sample. For more information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, 

see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

1980 Census 1990 Census Census 2000

Women

Men

1,593

27,406

1,108

26,330

1,151

24,810

4 The 1980 and 1990 veteran populations

may include a small number of people who

were 16 and 17 years old.

5 Veterans may have served during more

than one period of service.
21.7 percent of all veterans, followed by veterans who served from

February 1955 to July 1964 

(4.4 million or 16.5 percent) and

those who served during the

Korean War (4.0 million or 15.3 percent). Veterans who served from

September 1980 to July 1990

accounted for 3.8 million or 

14.4 percent of the veteran population. Finally, those who served

from May 1975 to August 1980 

(2.8 million or 10.5 percent) and

those who served in August 1990

or later (3.0 million or 11.5 percent)

made up the smallest percentages

of the total veteran population,

respectively. This last group

includes Gulf War veterans.6

Table 1 shows selected characteristics of the veteran population by

period of service. In 2000, the

median age of all veterans living in

the United States was 57.4. Both

age and period of service are timedependent and closely related to

each other. The median age

ranged from 33.3 years for those

serving since August 1990 to 

76.7 years for World War II veterans. In total, 16.7 million veterans

were under the age of 65 and 

9.7 million were 65 and over. 

Table 1 also shows the percentage

of veterans who were women by

period of service. Nearly 10.0 percent of veterans who served from

May 1975 to August 1980 and 

13.0 percent of those who served

from September 1980 to July 1990

were women. In the most recent

period of service, August 1990 or

later, 15.7 percent were women.

These numbers at least partially

reflect the growing involvement of

women in the military. Women

U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table 1.

Number and Percentage of Civilian Veterans Aged 18 and Over by Period of Service and

Other Characteristics: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Period of service Number

in 2000

Percentage

of all

veterans

Median

age

Percentage

women

Percentage

employed

Percentage

in poverty

in 1999

Percentage

disabled

All veterans 18 years and over........ 26,403,703 100.0 57.4 6.0 54.7 5.6 29.1

August 1990 or later (including Gulf War) .... 3,024,503 11.5 33.3 15.7 81.4 6.2 16.3

September 1980 to July 1990............... 3,806,602 14.4 38.8 13.0 82.7 5.5 18.2

May 1975 to August 1980 .................. 2,775,492 10.5 45.5 9.9 78.0 5.6 22.7

Vietnam era (August 1964 to April 1975) ..... 8,380,356 31.7 53.2 3.2 75.4 5.1 24.8

February 1955 to July 1964 ................ 4,355,323 16.5 62.8 2.4 51.4 4.9 29.4

Korean War (June 1950 to January 1955) . . . . 4,045,521 15.3 70.1 2.2 24.6 4.5 33.6

World War II (September 1940 to July 1947) . 5,719,898 21.7 76.7 4.2 11.6 4.8 45.2

Some other time .......................... 323,785 1.2 74.3 4.5 16.1 6.6 46.4

Note: The figures do not add to 100 percent because veterans may have served in more than one time period.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3 and special tabulations.

Figure 3.

Number of Civilian Veterans Aged 18 and Over 

by Period of Service: 2000

Note: Individuals may be included in more than one period of service.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(In millions. Data based on sample. For more information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Some other time

World War II (September

1940 to July 1947)

Korean War (June 1950

to January 1955)

February 1955 to

July 1964

Vietnam era (August

1964 to April 1975)

May 1975 to

August 1980

September 1980 to

July 1990

August 1990 or later

(including the Gulf War)

0.3

3.0

3.8

2.8

8.4

4.4

4.0

5.7

6 “Gulf War” refers to active-duty service

at any time in August 1990 or later, until the

time of Census 2000.
made up 4.2 percent of the World

War II veteran population and 

2.2 percent of the Korean War veteran population. 

A large percentage of U.S.

veterans were employed.

The majority of U.S. veterans 

(54.7 percent) were employed in

2000, as shown in Table 1.7

Reflecting the ties between age and

period of service, and age and

employment, veterans who served

most recently were most likely to

be employed in 2000. Among veterans serving in August 1990 or later,

81.4 percent were employed, while

82.7 percent of those who served

from September 1980 to July 1990

were employed. They were closely

followed by veterans who served

from May 1975 to August 1980

(78.0 percent). More than three

quarters (75.4 percent) of veterans

of the Vietnam era were employed

in 2000, and more than half 

(51.4 percent) of those who served

from February 1955 to July 1964

were employed. The percentage

employed was low for Korean War

veterans (24.6 percent) and World

War II veterans (11.6 percent), many

of whom were likely to be retired.

Poverty rates were low among

veterans for every period of

service.

Overall, 5.6 percent of veterans

lived in poverty in 1999, as shown

in Table 1, compared with 

10.9 percent of the U.S. adult population in general. The youngest veterans, those who served in August

1990 or later, were among the most

likely to be poor, with a poverty rate

of 6.2 percent. The poverty rate for

Vietnam era veterans was 5.1 percent. Korean War and World War II

veterans had among the lowest

poverty rates for veterans, 4.5 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively.

The oldest veterans had the

highest disability rates in 2000.

Almost 3 out of every 10 veterans

(29.1 percent) were disabled (see

Table 1).8 However, 1 in 3 Korean

War veterans (33.6 percent) and

almost 1 in 2 World War II veterans

(45.2 percent) were disabled.

Approximately 1 in 4 Vietnam veterans (24.8 percent) was disabled.

The disability rates for those who

served most recently, from

September 1980 to July 1990 or in

August 1990 or later, were the lowest, at 18.2 percent and 16.3 percent, respectively.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

OF VETERANS

The following discussion of the

geographic distribution of veterans

focuses on the civilian population

18 and older.

In 2000, the largest veteran

populations lived in the South

and the Midwest.9

The veteran population was largest

in the South (9.9 million) and the

Midwest (6.1 million), the two most

populous regions of the country

(see Table 2). The West and

Northeast had veteran populations

of 5.7 million and 4.6 million,

respectively. The percentage of

civilians 18 and older who were veterans varied only slightly among

the regions, ranging from 11.5 percent in the Northeast to 13.4 percent in the South.

Between 1990 and 2000, the number of veterans decreased in every

region except the South, where it

increased from 9.3 million to 

9.9 million (a 6.7 percent increase).

The greatest decline was in the

Northeast, where the number of

veterans dropped from 5.5 million

to 4.6 million or 15.4 percent. The

veteran population fell 7.6 percent

in the Midwest and 2.7 percent in

the West.

Between 1990 and 2000, veterans

declined as a percentage of the

civilian population in all regions.

The percentage of veterans in the

West fell 2.3 percentage points,

while it dropped 2.2 percentage

points in the Northeast. The

Midwest and the South experienced smaller declines, 1.7 percentage points and 0.9 percentage

points, respectively.

The most populous state,

California, had the greatest

number of veterans.

California was the only state that

was home to more than 2.5 million

veterans in 2000. Additionally, six

other states had veteran populations of one million or more:

Florida, Texas, New York,

Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois.

Together, these seven states, which

contained 44.6 percent of the total

U.S. population 18 and older,

accounted for 11.0 million veterans

or 41.6 percent of the U.S. total.

Among the 50 states and the

District of Columbia, Alaska had

4 U.S. Census Bureau

7 Among the general population 20 and

older, 61.3 percent were employed according

to Census 2000.

8 Veterans responding to Census 2000

were considered to have a disability if they

answered “yes” to having a sensory, physical, mental, or self-care disability; or they

answered “yes” to having a disability affecting their ability to go outside the home; or

they were under 65 years old and answered

“yes” to having an employment disability. 9 The Northeast region includes the

states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Midwest region includes the states of

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North

Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The South region includes the states of

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South

Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West

Virginia, and the District of Columbia, a state

equivalent. The West region includes the

states of Alaska, Arizona, California,

Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,

New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and

Wyoming. 
U.S. Census Bureau 5

Table 2.

Veteran Status of the Civilian Population Aged 18 and Over for the United States,

Regions, and States, and for Puerto Rico: 1990 and 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

1990* 2000

Total civilian

population 18

and over

Veteran population

Total civilian

population 18

and over

Veteran population Veteran periods of service

Number Percent Number Percent

Percentage in the following periods:

WWII Korea Vietnam Gulf**

United States ..... 190,120,343 27,481,055 14.5 208,130,352 26,403,703 12.7 21.7 15.3 31.7 11.5

Region

Northeast............. 40,048,451 5,489,799 13.7 40,513,717 4,642,102 11.5 25.8 16.1 28.7 7.5

Midwest .............. 45,530,120 6,597,258 14.5 47,671,646 6,096,476 12.8 21.7 15.0 31.2 9.7

South................ 64,931,795 9,316,232 14.3 74,066,441 9,941,610 13.4 20.1 15.2 32.5 14.0

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,609,977 5,880,963 14.8 45,878,548 5,723,515 12.5 20.9 15.3 33.4 12.1

State

Alabama ............. 3,078,549 434,787 14.1 3,310,446 447,397 13.5 19.0 16.7 32.9 13.5

Alaska ............... 368,403 68,252 18.5 419,320 71,552 17.1 8.5 8.6 41.2 21.4

Arizona .............. 2,760,050 464,023 16.8 3,747,180 562,916 15.0 23.5 17.4 30.7 11.8

Arkansas ............. 1,789,273 265,055 14.8 1,987,107 281,714 14.2 21.4 15.7 32.0 11.9

California ............. 22,516,192 3,001,905 13.3 24,501,941 2,569,340 10.5 22.5 15.7 32.4 10.8

Colorado ............. 2,480,094 409,932 16.5 3,177,044 446,385 14.1 16.6 13.7 36.3 15.1

Connecticut ........... 2,600,983 373,933 14.4 2,557,792 310,069 12.1 26.2 16.1 29.6 6.8

Delaware ............. 513,564 80,909 15.8 585,855 84,289 14.4 20.1 15.7 31.7 11.8

District of Columbia ..... 497,090 57,874 11.6 454,454 44,484 9.8 24.1 16.6 29.5 11.1

Florida ............... 10,275,382 1,719,129 16.7 12,283,486 1,875,597 15.3 27.8 17.8 28.0 10.7

Georgia .............. 4,865,246 693,225 14.2 5,954,362 768,675 12.9 14.6 13.0 34.4 17.3

Hawaii ............... 801,517 119,256 14.9 878,220 120,587 13.7 18.7 15.0 34.5 15.2

Idaho ................ 724,306 116,609 16.1 920,973 136,584 14.8 20.0 14.4 32.3 14.9

Illinois ............... 8,759,325 1,162,158 13.3 9,158,208 1,003,572 11.0 23.0 15.0 30.1 9.7

Indiana............... 4,239,391 623,098 14.7 4,504,723 590,476 13.1 20.1 14.5 31.3 10.0

Iowa................. 2,129,083 310,122 14.6 2,192,132 292,020 13.3 23.0 16.3 31.4 9.0

Kansas .............. 1,854,980 280,806 15.1 1,962,154 267,452 13.6 22.1 14.6 32.6 12.4

Kentucky ............. 2,808,878 380,610 13.6 3,028,902 380,618 12.6 19.6 14.9 32.6 11.9

Louisiana ............. 3,086,591 404,186 13.1 3,232,426 392,486 12.1 20.4 14.5 32.2 13.7

Maine................ 940,466 159,333 16.9 969,780 154,590 15.9 20.9 16.1 33.1 9.3

Maryland ............. 3,689,812 558,613 15.1 3,910,942 524,230 13.4 18.8 13.8 32.1 14.0

Massachusetts......... 4,793,859 656,850 13.7 4,847,708 558,933 11.5 26.8 16.6 28.4 7.1

Michigan ............. 7,088,397 1,005,699 14.2 7,341,880 913,573 12.4 21.6 14.5 31.4 9.0

Minnesota ............ 3,317,776 489,498 14.8 3,630,355 464,968 12.8 20.7 15.2 32.8 8.3

Mississippi ............ 1,892,443 237,977 12.6 2,054,721 249,431 12.1 19.9 16.1 31.0 14.8

Missouri .............. 3,920,715 613,859 15.7 4,153,926 592,271 14.3 21.2 15.7 31.6 10.3

Montana ............. 594,845 102,536 17.2 668,651 108,476 16.2 20.7 14.9 34.2 10.7

Nebraska ............. 1,179,872 177,852 15.1 1,253,717 173,189 13.8 20.7 16.3 32.3 12.6

Nevada .............. 925,692 182,084 19.7 1,480,440 238,128 16.1 18.1 16.8 34.8 12.2

New Hampshire........ 854,028 141,617 16.6 926,066 139,038 15.0 19.8 15.4 33.6 9.2

New Jersey ........... 6,105,807 817,409 13.4 6,321,650 672,217 10.6 26.9 16.6 28.1 6.7

New Mexico........... 1,098,172 178,022 16.2 1,300,288 190,718 14.7 19.8 15.9 34.7 12.8

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,151,119 1,707,476 12.1 14,278,716 1,361,164 9.5 25.7 16.0 27.7 7.6

North Carolina ......... 5,084,798 719,458 14.1 5,997,177 792,646 13.2 18.2 14.6 32.3 14.9

North Dakota .......... 470,571 64,772 13.8 474,210 61,365 12.9 19.8 14.8 32.7 12.7

Ohio................. 8,331,105 1,259,535 15.1 8,458,130 1,144,007 13.5 22.1 14.5 30.7 9.6

Oklahoma ............ 2,369,564 377,148 15.9 2,536,569 376,062 14.8 20.2 15.4 34.6 12.9

Oregon .............. 2,188,212 384,189 17.6 2,574,798 388,990 15.1 22.1 14.4 33.9 9.4

Pennsylvania .......... 9,374,206 1,450,037 15.5 9,354,471 1,280,788 13.7 26.3 16.0 28.7 7.5

Rhode Island .......... 794,112 118,330 14.9 797,047 102,494 12.9 26.9 16.4 29.6 7.8

South Carolina......... 2,604,958 381,691 14.7 2,967,197 420,971 14.2 17.4 14.9 34.1 15.2

South Dakota.......... 510,794 76,923 15.1 548,771 79,370 14.5 20.3 17.4 31.3 12.4

Tennessee ............ 3,772,465 531,723 14.1 4,274,395 560,141 13.1 18.0 14.6 33.9 12.5

Texas................ 12,525,484 1,726,617 13.8 14,871,550 1,754,809 11.8 18.6 14.3 34.6 15.0

Utah................. 1,146,986 146,630 12.8 1,510,842 161,351 10.7 22.1 15.4 31.7 13.2

Vermont .............. 433,871 64,814 14.9 460,487 62,809 13.6 20.3 15.4 32.2 8.2

Virginia .............. 4,674,603 733,092 15.7 5,211,916 786,359 15.1 15.9 13.6 35.4 20.3

Washington ........... 3,677,089 653,068 17.8 4,336,464 670,628 15.5 18.2 13.7 35.9 14.0

West Virginia .......... 1,403,095 210,941 15.0 1,404,936 201,701 14.4 22.0 16.2 32.5 9.3

Wisconsin ............ 3,728,111 532,936 14.3 3,993,440 514,213 12.9 21.4 15.1 30.6 9.0

Wyoming ............. 328,419 54,457 16.6 362,387 57,860 16.0 18.0 13.9 36.2 14.4

Puerto Rico ........... 2,491,952 138,150 5.5 2,714,765 146,001 5.4 15.1 26.8 26.8 10.1

*1990 data includes veterans aged 16 and older.

**Gulf war veterans include those who served on active duty in August 1990 or later.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.
6 U.S. Census Bureau 15.5 to 17.1 14.0 to 15.4 12.7 to 13.9 5.4 to 12.6 The Veteran Population: 2000 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3. American Factfinder at factfinder.census.gov provides census data and mapping tools. Percent of people, 18 years and over, who are veterans by state 18.0 to 39.1 15.0 to 17.9 12.7 to 14.9 8.5 to 12.6 Less than 8.5 U.S. percent 12.7 U.S. percent 12.7 (Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf.) Figure 4. 0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles Percent of people, 18 years and over, who are veterans by county
the highest percentage of veterans,

17.1 percent (see Table 2).

Veterans accounted for about 

16.2 percent of the adult population in Montana, followed by

Nevada, Wyoming, and Maine.10

New York state (9.5 percent) and

the District of Columbia (9.8 percent) had the lowest percentages

of veterans in their populations.11

Even though the number of veterans fell nationwide between 1990

and 2000, some states saw

increases. The state with the most

rapidly growing veteran population

was Nevada, the state with the

fastest growing total population.

In Nevada, veterans increased by

30.8 percent, from 182,000 to

238,000. Increases of 10 percent

or more were recorded in veteran

populations in Arizona, Idaho,

Georgia, South Carolina, North

Carolina, and Utah.

Twenty-five states and the District

of Columbia recorded declines in

their veteran populations during

the 1990s. Among the states, New

York had the largest decline — 

20.3 percent. The 23.1 percent

decline in the veteran population

in the District of Columbia was not

statistically different from declines

in New York, New Jersey, or

Connecticut.

The percentage of the civilian population 18 and over who were veterans fell in every state and the

District of Columbia. Nevada, the

state with the largest percent

increase in the number of veterans,

was also the state with the largest

decline in veterans as a percent of

the total population 18 and over.

Because of rapid growth of nonveterans in Nevada, the veteran population dropped from 19.7 percent

of all civilian Nevadans 18 and

older to 16.1 percent, a 3.6 percentage-point decline. 

The proportion of veterans fell by

2 percentage points or more in

almost half of the states in the

Northeast and the West. In the

Midwest, most states fell by at

least 1 percentage point, but less

than 2 percentage points. States in

the South experienced the least

decline. The decline in Texas and

the District of Columbia was about

2 percentage points, but it was

less than 1 percentage point in

many other Southern states. 

Rural and nonmetropolitan

counties had the highest

concentrations of veterans.

Figure 4 shows the percentage of

veterans in 2000 for each county in

the United States. The highest concentrations of veterans were found

in many Florida counties, numerous

counties of the upper Great Lakes

areas, various western counties with

low populations excluding California

and Utah, and in scattered counties

along the East Coast, all containing

or near military bases. In general,

Census 2000 found the highest concentrations of veterans in rural and

nonmetropolitan counties. Florida

was an exception, probably because

of retiree migration. The lowest

concentrations of veterans were

found in the counties of the lower

Mississippi River valley, many

Appalachian counties, and several

counties in the Rio Grande valley of

southern Texas.

Hampton, Virginia, had the

greatest concentration of

veterans of any place of

100,000 or more in the United

States.12

Among places of 100,000 or more,

Hampton, Virginia, near the

country’s largest naval station, had

the greatest concentration of veterans in 2000, 27.1 percent (see

Table 3). It was followed by

Clarksville, Tennessee (24.4 percent), and Fayetteville, North

Carolina (23.7 percent) — whose

U.S. Census Bureau 7

10 The percentage of veterans in the population was not statistically different in

Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, and Maine. 11 The percentage of veterans in the population was not statistically different in New

York and the District of Columbia.

12 Census 2000 shows 245 places in the

United States with 100,000 or more population. They include 238 incorporated places

(including four city-county consolidations)

and seven census designated places that are

not legally incorporated. For a list of these

places by state, see www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t6.html.

Table 3.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More With the Highest

Percentage of Veterans in the Civilian Population

Aged 18 and Over: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place Number of

veterans

Percent of

veterans

90-percent

confidence

interval

Hampton, VA .................... 28,312 27.1 26.5 - 27.8

Clarksville, TN ................... 15,319 24.4 23.7 - 25.1

Fayetteville, NC .................. 19,060 23.7 23.0 - 24.4

Virginia Beach, VA ............... 60,260 21.7 21.4 - 22.1

Colorado Springs, CO ............ 51,609 20.2 19.9 - 20.6

Norfolk, VA ...................... 30,068 19.9 19.5 - 20.4

Newport News, VA . .............. 24,021 19.9 19.4 - 20.4

Columbus, GA* .................. 24,984 19.6 19.1 - 20.1

Chesapeake, VA ................. 25,621 18.9 18.4 - 19.4

Portsmouth, VA .................. 12,955 18.4 17.8 - 19.1

*Columbus city is consolidated with Muscogee County.

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from other places not listed in this table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.
percentages were not statistically

different. Six of the 10 places with

the highest concentrations of veterans were in Virginia. With the

exception of Colorado Springs,

Colorado, home of the Air Force

Academy, all of the places with the

highest concentrations were located in the Southern region of the

United States.

In 2000, the concentrations of

veterans in places varied

depending on their period of

service.

The list of places with the greatest

concentrations of Gulf War veterans13 was similar to the list of

places with the greatest concentration of veterans in general (see

Table 4). In both cases, Hampton,

Virginia, topped the list. Gulf War

veterans made up 13.4 percent of

the adult civilian population in

Hampton; followed by Clarksville,

Tennessee, with 11.4 percent; and

Fayetteville, North Carolina, with

9.0 percent.

Tables 5, 6, and 7 show the top

ten places with the highest concentrations of Vietnam, Korean War,

and World War II veterans, respectively. The tables suggest that the

places with the highest concentrations of Vietnam veterans tend to

contain or be near military facilities

in the South and West, and that the

highest concentrations of Korean

War and World War II veterans tend

to be in retirement areas in Florida,

Arizona, or California, and other

places with warm climates.

Caution must be used in interpreting these data, since the percentages in the numbers are so close

that two places may not be statistically different from one another. 

Among places with populations of

100,000 or more, Hialeah, Florida,

and East Los Angeles, California

(CDP),14 had the lowest

concentrations of veterans. Many

of the places with low concentrations of veterans were areas with

large populations of foreign-born

residents, as shown in Table 8.

Some of the places with low concentrations were areas with large

student populations, such as Provo,

Utah, and Cambridge,

Massachusetts.

8 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 4.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More With the Highest

Percentage of Gulf War Veterans in the Civilian

Population Aged 18 and Over: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place Number of Gulf

War veterans

Percent of Gulf

War veterans

90-percent

confidence

interval

Hampton, VA .................... 13,981 13.4 12.9 - 13.9

Clarksville, TN ................... 7,184 11.4 10.9 - 12.0

Fayetteville, NC .................. 7,221 9.0 8.5 - 9.4

Virginia Beach, VA ............... 21,176 7.6 7.4 - 7.9

Newport News, VA . .............. 8,010 6.6 6.3 - 6.9

Norfolk, VA ...................... 9,931 6.6 6.3 - 6.9

Columbus, GA* . . . . .............. 7,373 5.8 4.9 - 6.7

Colorado Springs, CO ............ 14,650 5.7 5.6 - 5.9

Chesapeake, VA ................. 6,413 4.7 4.5 - 5.0

Augusta-Richmond, GA** ......... 6,300 4.6 4.3 - 4.8

*Columbus city is consolidated with Muscogee County.

**In 2000, Richmond County and the incorporated place of Augusta-Richmond County are

coextensive.

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from other places not listed in this table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

Table 5.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More With the Highest

Percentage of Vietnam Era Veterans in the Civilian

Population Aged 18 and Over: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place

Number of

Vietnam era

veterans

Percent of

Vietnam era

veterans

90-percent

confidence

interval

Fayetteville, NC .................. 6,935 8.6 8.2 - 9.1

Virginia Beach, VA ............... 22,763 8.2 8.0 - 8.4

Colorado Springs, CO ............ 20,011 7.8 7.6 - 8.1

Clarksville, TN ................... 4,872 7.8 7.3 - 8.2

Anchorage, AK................... 12,801 7.3 7.0 - 7.5

Columbus, GA* . . . . .............. 9,245 7.3 6.9 - 7.6

Hampton, VA .................... 7,555 7.2 6.9 - 7.6

Chesapeake, VA ................. 9,638 7.1 6.8 - 7.4

Newport News, VA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,115 6.7 6.4 - 7.0

Sunrise Manor, NV ............... 7,208 6.7 6.4 - 7.0

*Columbus city is consolidated with Muscogee County.

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from other places not listed in this table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

13 Includes veterans who served anytime

in August 1990 or later, until the time of

Census 2000.

14 East Los Angeles, California, is a

Census Designated Place and not an incorporated city.
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

What was the racial and ethnic

makeup of veterans in 2000? 

Census 2000 allowed respondents

to choose more than one race.

With the exception of the Two or

more races group, all race groups

discussed in this report refer to

people who indicated only one

racial identity among the six major

categories: White, Black or African

American, American Indian and

Alaska Native, Asian, Native

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander,

and Some other race.15 The use of

the single-race population in this

report does not imply that it is the

preferred method of presenting or

analyzing data. The Census

Bureau uses a variety of approaches.16

Table 9 shows that, in 2000, 

82.9 percent of veterans and 

72.3 percent of the total civilian

population 18 and older were

White (and no other race), not of

Hispanic origin.17 The next largest

population of veterans was in the

single-race group of Black or

African American, representing 

9.7 percent of the veteran population. Slightly more than 11.0 percent of the general population was

Black or African American.

Hispanics accounted for 4.3 percent of the veteran population and

11.0 percent of the general population, and the single-race Asian

population composed 1.1 percent

of veterans and 3.7 percent of the

general population. The smallest

percentages of the veteran

population were the single-race

groups of American Indian and

Alaska Natives, at 0.7 percent,

U.S. Census Bureau 9

Table 6.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More With the Highest

Percentage of Korean War Veterans in the Civilian

Population Aged 18 and Over: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place

Number of

Korean War

veterans

Percent of

Korean War

veterans

90-percent

confidence

interval

Cape Coral, FL .................. 2,617 3.3 3.0 - 3.6

Fayetteville, NC .................. 2,499 3.1 2.8 - 3.4

Columbus, GA* .................. 3,773 3.0 2.8 - 3.2

Huntsville, AL .................... 3,595 3.0 2.8 - 3.2

Scottsdale, AZ ................... 4,685 2.9 2.7 - 3.0

Henderson, NV .................. 3,760 2.9 2.7 - 3.1

Clearwater, FL ................... 2,470 2.8 2.6 - 3.1

Oceanside, CA................... 3,145 2.8 2.6 - 3.0

Pueblo, CO...................... 2,133 2.8 2.6 - 3.0

Las Vegas, NV................... 9,480 2.7 2.6 - 2.8

*Columbus city is consolidated with Muscogee County.

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from other places not listed in this table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

Table 7.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More With the Highest

Percentage of World War II Veterans in the Civilian

Population Aged 18 and Over: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place

Number of

World War II

veterans

Percent of

World War II

veterans

90-percent

confidence

interval

Clearwater, FL ................... 4,744 5.4 5.1 - 5.8

Cape Coral, FL .................. 4,013 5.1 4.7 - 5.4

Oceanside, CA................... 5,036 4.5 4.2 - 4.7

Pueblo, CO...................... 3,201 4.2 3.9 - 4.5

Scottsdale, AZ ................... 6,604 4.0 3.8 - 4.2

Metairie, LA ..................... 4,620 4.0 3.8 - 4.2

St. Petersburg, FL................ 7,710 4.0 3.8 - 4.2

Santa Rosa, CA.................. 4,282 3.8 3.6 - 4.1

Mesa, AZ........................ 10,983 3.8 3.7 - 4.0

Independence, MO ............... 3,201 3.7 3.5 - 4.0

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from other places not listed in this table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

15 For further information on each of the

six major race groups and the Two or more

races population, see reports from the Census

2000 Brief series (C2KBR/01), available on the

Census 2000 Web site at www/census.gov/

population/www/cen2000/briefs.html.

16 This report draws heavily on Summary

File 3, a Census 2000 product that can be

accessed through American FactFinder, available from the Census Bureau’s Web site,

www.census.gov. Information on people

who reported more than one race, such as

“White and American Indian and Alaska

Native” or “Asian and Black or African

American,” is forthcoming in Summary File

4, which will also be available through

American FactFinder in 2003. About 2.6

percent of people reported more than one

race.17 Hereafter this report uses the term

Black to refer to people who are Black or

African American, the term Pacific Islander to

refer to people who are Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander, and the term Hispanic

to refer to people who are Hispanic or

Latino. 

Because Hispanics may be of any race,

data in this report for Hispanics overlap with

data for racial groups. Based on Census

2000 sample data, the proportion Hispanic

was 8.0 percent for Whites, 1.9 percent for

Blacks, 14.6 percent for American Indians

and Alaska Natives, 1.0 percent for Asians,

9.5 percent for Pacific Islanders, 97.1 percent for those reporting Some other race,

and 31.1 percent for those reporting Two or

more races.
followed by Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander, at 0.1 percent. These groups represented

0.8 percent and 0.1 percent of the

general population, respectively.

The above proportions change

somewhat when the population is

divided into younger veterans and

older veterans, as shown in 

Table 9. The non-Hispanic White

group makes up 78.9 percent of

younger veterans, but 89.9 percent

of veterans 65 and older. The

Black and Hispanic groups are

more concentrated among veterans

aged 18 to 64 (12.1 percent and

5.4 percent, respectively) than

among veterans 65 and older 

(5.7 percent and 2.4 percent,

respectively).

ABOUT CENSUS 2000

Why Census 2000 Asked

About Veteran Status 

Veteran status, including period of

military service, is used primarily

by the Department of Veterans

Affairs to measure the needs of

veterans and to evaluate the

impact of veteran benefits programs dealing with health care,

education and employment, and

disability and retirement. These

data are needed to conduct policy

analysis, program planning, and

budgeting, for federal veterans’

programs, and for reports to

Congress on veterans’ facilities and

services. Based on data about veterans, local agencies develop

health care and other services for

elderly veterans under the Older

Americans Act. 

Accuracy of the Estimates

The data contained in this report

are based on the sample of households who responded to the

Census 2000 long form.

Nationally, approximately 1 out of

every 6 housing units was included

in this sample. As a result, the

sample estimates may differ somewhat from the100-percent figures

that would have been obtained if

all housing units, people within

those housing units, and people

living in group quarters had been

enumerated using the same

questionnaires, instructions,

enumerators, and so forth. The

sample estimates also differ from

the values that would have been

obtained from different samples of

housing units, people within those

housing units, and people living in

group quarters. The deviation of a

sample estimate from the average

of all possible samples is called the

sampling error. 

10 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 8.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More With the Lowest

Percentage of Veterans in the Civilian Population

Aged 18 and Over: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place Number of

veterans

Percent of

veterans

90-percent

interval

Hialeah, FL ...................... 28,312 2.1 1.9 - 2.2

East Los Angeles, CA, CDP* ...... 15,319 3.3 3.0 - 3.6

Miami, FL ....................... 19,060 4.2 4.0 - 4.3

Santa Ana, CA ................... 60,260 4.2 4.0 - 4.4

Provo, UT ....................... 51,609 4.4 4.1 - 4.7

El Monte, CA .................... 30,068 4.5 4.2 - 4.9

Cambridge, MA .................. 24,021 4.9 4.6 - 5.3

Paterson, NJ..................... 24,984 5.0 4.7 - 5.2

Elizabeth, NJ .................... 25,621 5.1 4.8 - 5.4

Laredo, TX ...................... 12,955 5.7 5.4 - 6.0

*East Los Angeles is a Census Designated Place (CDP) and not an incorporated city.

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from other places not listed in this table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

Table 9.

Percentage of Adults by Veterans Status, Race and

Hispanic Origin and Age: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Characteristics Total

population

Veterans

Total

18 to 64

years

65 years

and over

Total population 18 years

and over................... 208,130,352 26,403,703 16,740,194 9,663,506

White alone...................... 77.7 85.5 81.9 91.7

Black or African American alone. . . . 11.3 9.7 12.1 5.7

American Indian and Alaska Native

alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.4

Asian alone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 1.1 1.2 0.9

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

Islander alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0

Some other race alone. . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 1.4 1.9 0.5

Two or more races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 1.4 1.8 0.8

Hispanic or Latino (of any race) . . . . 11.0 4.3 5.4 2.4

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino. 72.3 82.9 78.9 89.9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.
In addition to the variability that

arises from the sampling procedures, both sample data and 

100- percent data are subject to

nonsampling error. Nonsampling

error may be introduced during

any of the various complex operations used to collect and process

data. Such errors may include:

not enumerating every household

or every person in the population,

failing to obtain all required information from the respondents,

obtaining incorrect or inconsistent

information, and recording information incorrectly. In addition,

errors can occur during the field

review of the enumerators’ work,

during clerical handling of the census questionnaires, or during the

electronic processing of the questionnaires.

Nonsampling error may affect the

data in two ways: (1) errors that

are introduced randomly will

increase the variability of the data

and, therefore, should be reflected

in the standard errors; and 

(2) errors that tend to be consistent in one direction will bias both

sample and 100-percent data in

that direction. For example, if

respondents consistently tend to

underreport their incomes, then

the resulting estimates of households or families by income

category will tend to be understated for the higher income

categories and overstated for the

lower income categories. Such

biases are not reflected in the standard errors.

While it is impossible to completely

eliminate error from an operation

as large and complex as the decennial census, the Census Bureau

attempts to control the sources of

such error during the data collection and processing operations.

The primary sources of error and

the programs instituted to control

error in Census 2000 are described

in detail in Summary File 3

Technical Documentation under

Chapter 8, “Accuracy of the Data,”

located at www.census.gov/

prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf.

All statements in this Census 2000

Brief have undergone statistical

testing and all comparisons are significant at the 90-percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted.

The estimates in tables, maps, and

other figures may vary from actual

values due to sampling and nonsampling errors. As a result, estimates in one category may not be

significantly different from estimates assigned to a different category. Further information on the

accuracy of the data is located at

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/

doc/sf3.pdf. For further information on the computation and use of

standard errors, contact the

Decennial Statistical Studies

Division at 301-763-4242. 

For More Information

The Census 2000 Summary File 3

data are available from the

American Factfinder on the Internet

(factfinder.census.gov). They were

released on a state-by-state basis

during 2002. For information on

confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, sampling error, and

definitions, also see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/

doc/sf3.pdf or contact the

Customer Services Center at 

301-763-INFO (4636).

Information on population and

housing topics is presented in the

Census 2000 Brief series, located

on the Census Bureau’s Web site at

www.census.gov/population/www/

cen2000/briefs.html. This series

presents information on race,

Hispanic origin, age, sex, household type, housing tenure, and

social, economic, and housing

characteristics, such as ancestry,

income, and housing costs.

To find information about the availability of data products, including

reports, CD-ROMs, and DVDs, call

the Customer Services Center at

301-763-INFO (4636), or e-mail

webmaster@census.gov.

U.S. Census Bureau 11
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Economics and Statistics Administration

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