American Community Survey Briefs

Characteristics of Female Veterans—An 

Analytic View Across Age-Cohorts: 2015

INTRODUCTION

As women who served in the armed forces transition 

from military to civilian life, some differences between 

the new veterans and their nonveteran counterparts 

exist. In some cases, these differences may linger for 

some time as they age. This segment of veterans is 

one of the highest priority groups of interest of both 

the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of 

Labor.1 Female veterans are a small subpopulation of 

both veterans and civilian women as a whole, making them an often under-studied population. In 2015, 

1.6 million women were veterans of the armed forces. 

They accounted for 8.4 percent of the total veteran 

population and 1.2 percent of the total adult female 

population. Eighty-two percent of all female veterans 

were of working-age (18 to 64 years old), compared 

with 79.0 percent of all nonveteran women.

This brief examines the transition of female veterans 

from the military to civilian life. As there is no perfect 

measure of this transition, nor perfect data that align 

to the life course of veterans, this analysis uses three 

different age snapshots as career proxies to determine if female veterans are different from nonveterans 

throughout their working ages, or if the differences 

are more prominent at the early stage of the transition 

from military to civilian life. The data used in this brief 

are from the 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) 

1-year estimates and represent the civilian population 

1 For more information about Department of Veterans Affairs, see 

<www.womenshealth.va.gov/WOMENSHEALTH/programoverview

/strategic_priorities.asp> and for more information about Department 

of Labor, see <www.dol.gov/vets/womenveterans/>.

of women 18 to 64 years old living in the United 

States. 

The ACS does not have a measure of years of work 

experience, therefore age is being used as a proxy in 

this brief. Women are categorized by age groups that 

correspond with approximate career stages. Women 

between the ages of 18 to 34 were considered earlycareer, those between the ages of 35 to 44 were midcareer, and those 45 to 64 years old were late-career. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF FEMALE VETERANS 

AND NONVETERANS

The age distributions of women vary by veteran status, 

particularly among the early-career group (see Figure 

1). This is primarily because female veterans are typically still serving in the military between the ages of 

18 and 24. By age 25, many female service members 

begin the transition to veterans. There is a peak in 

the female veteran age distribution at the age of 53, 

reflecting the increase in the number of women who 

entered the military at the start of the All Volunteer 

Force in 1973. In contrast, the age makeup of female 

nonveterans is relatively stable across the entire age 

range. Overall, the median age of female veterans was 

higher than female nonveterans only in the early-career 

age group, while not significantly different in the older 

age groups (see Table 1).

A higher percentage of early-career aged female veterans were married compared with their nonveteran 

counterparts (see Figure 2). The marriage pool experienced during military service and benefits available to married members of the military may serve 

Issued August 2017

ACSBR/15-03

By Daphne A. Lofquist
2 U.S. Census Bureau

to encourage female veterans to 

marry at a younger age while still 

serving in the military.2, 3 

A lower percentage of female 

veterans who were mid-career and 

late-career were married than their 

female nonveteran counterparts. 

Early-career female veterans had a 

higher percentage with a child in 

the household than did early-career 

nonveterans. The lowest percentage of both female veterans and 

nonveterans with a child in the 

2 National Center for Veterans Analysis 

and Statistics, “America’s Women Veterans: 

Military Service History and VA Benefit 

Utilization Statistics,” National Center for 

Veterans Analysis and Statistics, Department 

of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, 

November 2011, <www.va.gov/VETDATA

/docs/SpecialReports/Final_Womens

_Report_3_2_12_v_7.pdf>. 3 The difference in age structure between 

female veterans and nonveterans may affect 

some of the characteristic differences for the 

early-career age group.

household were in the late-career 

group.

Early-career nonveterans were more 

likely to have a bachelor’s degree or 

higher than veterans. The opposite 

was true for mid-career women, 

with female veterans having a 

higher percentage with a bachelor’s 

degree or higher. Female veterans 

may delay their education by going 

into the military service, therefore 

it may take female veterans longer 

to complete a bachelor’s degree. 

Female veterans may also be taking 

advantage of the educational benefits provided by the GI Bill after 

military service, acquiring their 

degrees at an older age than female 

nonveterans, so is not surprising 

that they surpass female nonveterans by mid-career ages.4 A higher 

4 For more information about the 

Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill, see 

<http://benefits.va.gov/gibill/>.

percentage of female veterans were 

also enrolled in college compared 

with female nonveterans, across all 

age groups (see Figure 2).

EMPLOYMENT OF 

FEMALE VETERANS AND 

NONVETERANS

As a percentage of their respective populations, early-career and 

mid-career female veterans were 

employed at higher rates than were 

female nonveterans (see Figure 

3). Female veterans and nonveterans who were in the mid-career 

age group had a higher percentage employed than those in the 

other age groups. Veterans and 

nonveterans in the late-career age 

category had the lowest percentage employed. A higher percentage 

of female nonveterans in all age 

groups were not in the labor force 

Figure 1. 

Percentage of Female Veterans and Nonveterans by Single Year of Age: 2015

Note: For more information, see <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

Percent

Early-career

(18 to 34 years)

Mid-career

(35 to 44 years)

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Veteran

Nonveteran

0

1

2

3

4

4442403836343230282624222018 46 646260585654525048
U.S. Census Bureau 3

compared with their veteran counterparts (see Table 1). 

A higher percentage of employed 

female veterans were employed 

full-time, year-round (35 hours 

or more per week for 50 to 52 

weeks) than female nonveterans, 

regardless of age (see Figure 4). 

The largest difference was for the 

early-career female veterans and 

nonveterans (68.7 percent and 54.9 

percent, respectively). Full-time, 

year-round employed female veterans had higher median earnings in 

each age group (see Table 1). 

Female nonveterans were more 

likely to be self-employed than 

female veterans overall, regardless of age (see Figure 4). The 

relationship between age and selfemployment, however, was similar 

for both veterans and nonveterans. 

The highest percentages of female 

veterans and nonveterans who 

Figure 2. 

Selected Characteristics of Female Veterans and Nonveterans by Age: 2015 

Note: For more information, see <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

Percent married

45.1

29.6

55.4

61.0

51.5

60.9

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career 

(35 to 44 years)

Early-career 

(18 to 34 years)

Percent with children in the household

Veterans Nonveterans

49.1

33.4

63.6 65.6

15.6 18.4

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career 

(35 to 44 years)

Early-career

(18 to 34 years)

Percent with a bachelor’s degree or higher

25.7 27.4

43.8

37.1 37.1

30.1

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career 

(35 to 44 years)

Early-career

(18 to 34 years)

Percent enrolled in college

33.7

27.0

14.0

5.9 6.1

2.4

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career

(35 to 44 years)

Early-career

(18 to 34 years) 
4 U.S. Census Bureau Table 1. Selected Characteristics of Female Veterans and Nonveterans by Age: 2015 Characteristic Total (18–64 years old) Early-career (18–34 years old) Mid-career (35–44 years old) Late-career (45–64 years old) Veterans Nonveterans Veterans Nonveterans Veterans Nonveterans Veterans Nonveterans Percent Margin of error (±) Percent Margin of error (±) Percent Margin of error (±) Percent Margin of error (±) Percent Margin of error (±) Percent Margin of error (±) Percent Margin of error (±) Percent Margin of error (±) Total population 18 to 64 years old . . . . . . . . . . 1,290,977 17,963 99,134,471 23,290 298,951 9,686 36,635,123 28,208 286,054 9,793 20,184,087 23,198 705,972 12,785 42,315,261 25,437 Median Age (in years) . . . . . . . 46.8 0.3 41.4 0.1 29.8 0.4 26.4 0.1 40.3 0.3 40.0 0.1 54.5 0.3 54.9 0.1 Marital Status Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.9 0.7 49.4 0.1 45.1 1.7 29.6 0.2 55.4 1.6 61.0 0.2 51.5 0.8 60.9 0.1 Divorced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.8 0.6 12.2 0.1 16.6 1.2 3.6 0.1 23.1 1.3 13.3 0.1 28.9 0.7 19.2 0.1 Widowed or separated . . . . . . . . 6.7 0.3 5.3 0.1 4.8 0.7 1.9 0.1 5.3 0.8 4.9 0.1 8.1 0.5 8.4 0.1 Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.6 0.6 33.1 0.1 33.5 1.5 65.0 0.2 16.2 1.2 20.8 0.1 11.5 0.6 11.5 0.1 Children1 Has child in the household . . . . 34.0 0.7 33.5 0.1 49.1 1.5 33.4 0.1 63.6 1.6 65.6 0.2 15.6 0.6 18.4 0.1 No child in the household . . . . . 66.0 0.7 66.5 0.1 50.9 1.5 66.6 0.1 36.4 1.6 34.4 0.2 84.4 0.6 81.6 0.1 Educational Attainment High school diploma or less . . . . 17.3 0.6 35.3 0.1 18.0 1.5 33.2 0.2 12.9 1.1 32.3 0.2 18.9 0.7 38.5 0.1 Some college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.7 0.7 34.1 0.1 56.3 1.8 39.3 0.2 43.3 1.7 30.6 0.2 44.1 1.0 31.3 0.1 Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . 35.9 0.7 30.5 0.1 25.7 1.6 27.4 0.2 43.8 1.4 37.1 0.2 37.1 0.8 30.1 0.1 School Enrollment Enrolled in college . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 0.5 12.2 0.1 33.7 1.6 27.0 0.1 14.0 1.1 5.9 0.1 6.1 0.4 2.4 0.1 Not enrolled in college . . . . . . . . 85.8 0.5 87.8 0.1 66.3 1.6 73.0 0.1 86.0 1.1 94.1 0.1 93.9 0.4 97.6 0.1 Poverty In poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.5 0.5 15.7 0.1 13.4 1.0 21.3 0.2 10.2 1.0 14.9 0.2 9.3 0.5 11.5 0.1 Not in poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89.5 0.5 84.3 0.1 86.6 1.0 78.7 0.2 89.8 1.0 85.1 0.2 90.7 0.5 88.5 0.1 Employment Status In civilian labor force . . . . . . . . . 72.3 0.6 71.1 0.1 75.8 1.5 72.9 0.1 78.6 1.3 75.9 0.2 68.3 0.9 67.2 0.1 Employed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94.3 0.4 93.9 0.1 91.5 1.0 91.5 0.1 94.6 0.7 94.7 0.1 95.4 0.4 95.7 0.1 Unemployed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 0.4 6.1 0.1 8.5 1.0 8.5 0.1 5.4 0.7 5.3 0.1 4.6 0.3 4.3 0.1 Not in the labor force . . . . . . . . . 27.7 0.6 28.9 0.1 24.2 1.5 27.1 0.1 21.4 1.3 24.1 0.2 31.7 0.9 32.8 0.1 Total employed population 18 to 64 years old . . . . . . 879,775 15,647 66,143,427 74,324 207,343 8,396 24,440,076 49,360 212,514 8,511 14,503,671 64,723 459,918 18,358 27,199,680 88,869 Work Status Full-time, year-round . . . . . . . . . 75.1 0.7 64.6 0.1 68.7 1.8 54.9 0.1 76.7 1.6 70.5 0.2 77.2 0.9 70.2 0.1 Less than full-time, year-round . 24.9 0.7 35.4 0.1 31.3 1.8 45.1 0.1 23.3 1.6 29.5 0.2 22.8 0.9 29.8 0.1 Class of Worker2 Private worker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.1 0.8 77.0 0.1 60.3 2.1 84.9 0.1 60.5 1.6 75.2 0.2 59.9 1.0 70.8 0.2 Local, state, federal government . 34.8 0.8 16.0 0.1 37.1 2.0 11.5 0.1 34.9 1.7 17.1 0.2 33.7 0.9 19.5 0.1 Self-employed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 0.3 6.9 0.1 2.7 0.6 3.5 0.1 4.4 0.6 7.5 0.1 6.3 0.4 9.5 0.1 Poverty In poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 0.4 8.6 0.1 8.7 1.1 13.7 0.1 5.2 0.8 7.8 0.1 3.4 0.4 4.4 0.1 Not in poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94.9 0.4 91.4 0.1 91.3 1.1 86.3 0.1 94.8 0.8 92.2 0.1 96.6 0.4 95.6 0.1 Median earnings (in 2015 inflation-adjusted dollars) All employed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30,080 926 $29,726 107 $30,884 619 $21,130 56 $41,186 853 $35,547 115 $42,067 609 $35,752 91 Full-time, year-round . . . . . . . . . $45,509 555 $39,927 129 $36,304 1,150 $31,790 110 $47,444 3,058 $42,060 161 $49,810 1,994 $43,398 462 1 Only includes children of the householder, spouse, or is the grandchild of the householder and the parent is present. 2 Does not include upaid family workers. Totals may not sum to 100 percent. Note: For more information, see <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

were self-employed were in the 

late-career group (6.3 percent and 

9.5 percent, respectively), while 

the lowest percentages were in the 

early-career group (2.7 percent and 

3.5 percent, respectively). 

A higher percentage of female 

veterans were employed in the government (includes local, state, and 

federal government) than nonveterans, regardless of age (see Figure 

4). The largest difference was for 

early-career aged veterans and 

nonveterans (37.1 percent and 11.5 

percent, respectively). The percentage of female veterans employed 

in the government decreased by 

age while the percentage of female 

nonveterans increased by age. 

Figure 3. 

Employment-Population Ratio of Female Veterans 

and Nonveterans by Age: 2015 

* Denotes that estimates do not differ significantly.

Note: For more information, see <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

69.4 66.7

74.3

71.9

65.1 64.3

Late-career*

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career

(35 to 44 years)

Early-career 

(18 to 34 years)

Veterans Nonveterans

DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS

Veteran: An individual who has served (even for a short time), but is not now serving on active duty in the 

U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.

Civilian labor force: All people classified as employed or unemployed, excludes U.S. Armed Forces.

Not in labor force: All people who are not classified as members of the labor force. This category consists 

mainly of students, homemakers, retired workers, seasonal workers interviewed in an off season who were 

not looking for work, institutionalized people, and people doing only incidental unpaid family work (less 

than 15 hours during the reference week). 

Employed: This category includes all civilians who either (1) were “at work,” that is, those who did any 

work at all during the reference week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, 

worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family 

business; or (2) were “with a job but not at work,” that is, those who did not work during the reference week 

but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial 

dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons. Excluded from the employed are people whose only activity 

consisted of work around the house or unpaid volunteer work for religious, charitable, and similar organizations; also excluded are all institutionalized people and people on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Unemployed: This category includes all civilians classified as unemployed if they (1) were neither “at work” 

nor “with a job but not at work” during the reference week, and (2) were actively looking for work during 

the last 4 weeks, and (3) were available to start a job. Also included as unemployed are civilians who did 

not work at all during the reference week, were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been 

laid off, and were available for work except for temporary illness. 
6 U.S. Census Bureau

SUMMARY

This brief describes working-age 

female veterans and nonveterans 

and how they differed for key characteristics. Early-career female veterans were older, married, have a 

child in the household, and enrolled 

in college at higher rates than 

early-career female nonveterans. 

Mid- and late-career female veterans were more likely to be enrolled 

in college and to have a Bachelor’s 

degree or higher compared with 

similarly aged nonveterans. Female 

veterans, in all age groups, were 

more likely to be employed, work 

full-time, year-round, work in the 

government, and have higher 

median earnings than their nonveteran counterparts. 

Figure 4. 

Selected Characteristics of Employed Female Veterans and Nonveterans by

Age: 2015 

Note: For more information, see <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, 1-year estimates.

Percent employed full-time and year-round

68.7

54.9

76.7

70.5

77.2

70.2

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career

(35 to 44 years) 

Early-career

(18 to 34 years)

Percent self-employed

Veterans Nonveterans

2.7 3.5 4.4

7.5 6.3 9.5

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career

(35 to 44 years) 

Early-career

(18 to 34 years)

Percent employed in local, state, 

and federal government

37.1

11.5

34.9

17.1

33.7

19.5

Late-career

(45 to 64 years)

Mid-career 

(35 to 44 years)

Early-career

(18 to 34 years)
U.S. Census Bureau 7

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, go 

to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Web 

site on veteran statistics at 

<www.census.gov/topics

/population/veterans.html>.

SOURCE AND ACCURACY

Data presented in this brief are 

based on people and households 

that responded to the ACS in 2015 

and are subject to sampling and 

nonsampling error. All comparisons 

presented in this report have taken 

sampling error into account and 

are significant at the 90 percent 

confidence level, unless otherwise 

noted. Due to rounding, some 

details may not sum to totals. 

For information on sampling and 

estimation methods, confidentiality 

protection, and sampling and nonsampling errors, please see the 

“ACS Accuracy of the Data” document located at <www.census.gov

/programs-surveys/acs/technical

-documentation/code-lists.htlml>.