U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

Veterans’ Racial and Ethnic Composition 

and Place of Birth: 2011

American Community Survey Briefs

Issued December 2012

ACSBR/11-22

By Jason-Harold Lee and Julia B. Beckhusen

INTRODUCTION

In 2011, about 21.5 million (9.1 percent) civilians 18 

years and older in the United States were veterans of 

past and current conflicts or have served during periods of peace. The American Community Survey (ACS) 

collects data on veterans in order to help government 

agencies, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

to establish programs for job counseling, training, and 

placement of veterans. The Department of Labor uses 

these data to set standards to determine if government 

contractors fulfill contractual obligations prohibiting 

employment discrimination. State and local governments, in addition to private organizations, use these 

data to provide valuable veteran services, such as medical services and nursing home care. This brief highlights civilian veterans 18 years and older who currently 

reside in the United States, focusing on racial, ethnic, 

and regional diversity. 

RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY

When analyzing the racial composition of civilian veterans in 2011, veterans as a whole were more likely 

to be non-Hispanic White compared to nonveterans.1

1 Federal surveys now give respondents the option of reporting 

more than one race. Therefore, two basic ways of defining a race group 

are possible. A group such as African American may be defined as 

those who reported Black or African American and no other race (the 

race-alone or the single-race concept) or as those who reported Black 

regardless of whether they also reported another race (the race-aloneor-in-combination concept). Hispanics may be any race. The U.S. Census 

Bureau uses a variety of approaches when analyzing race. In this report, 

the term “non-Hispanic White” refers to individuals who are not Hispanic 

or Latino and reported White and no other race (White, not Hispanic or 

Latino). “Black or African American” refers to individuals who may be 

Hispanic or Latino and reported Black or African American and no other 

race. “All Other Races” refers to individuals who may be Hispanic or 

Latino and reported Asian alone, Pacific Islander alone, American Indian 

alone, Alaskan Native alone, or multiple races. Race and ethnicity are 

defined throughout the report in terms of the following categories: 

(1) White, not Hispanic or Latino; (2) Black or African American; (3) All 

Other Races; and (4) Hispanic or Latino.

The degree of racial and ethnic diversity among veterans decreased with age. Although older veterans were 

predominately non-Hispanic White, younger veterans 

reflect the increasing diversity in the military today.2

Figure 1 shows the racial and ethnic distribution of the 

veteran population compared with that of the nonveteran population stratified by five age groups. 

For the youngest age group, 18 to 34 years, 65.4 percent of veterans identified themselves as non-Hispanic 

White, compared with 56.9 percent of nonveterans. 

About 14.9 percent of veterans reported their race as 

Black or African American and 10.5 percent reported 

All Other Races. In addition, 13.6 percent of the veteran population between 18 and 34 years reported 

their ethnicity as Hispanic.3 For each of the older age 

groups, the percentage of non-Hispanic White veterans 

and nonveterans increased significantly. The share of 

2 For more information on diversity in today’s military, see

<http://prhome.defense.gov/RFM/MPP/ACCESSION%20POLICY

/PopRep2010/summary/Sect_II.pdf>. 3 Adding race and Hispanic origin categories may not sum to 100 

percent.

Reproduction of the Veteran Status 

Question From the 2011 American 

Community Survey.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

civilian veterans 75 years and older 

that was non-Hispanic White was 

90.3 percent compared with 78.7 

percent of nonveterans. For the 

remaining veteran population in 

the oldest age group, 5.1 percent 

reported their race as Black or 

African American, 2.5 percent as 

part of the All Other Races category, and 2.8 percent described 

their ethnicity as Hispanic. 

PLACE OF BIRTH

Figure 2 shows the geographical 

distribution of veterans born in 

the United States by their place 

of birth. In 2011, 95.5 percent 

of all veterans were born in 1 of 

the 50 states or in the District of 

Columbia. Just under one-third of 

the total U.S.-born veteran population came from six states: New 

York (8.0 percent), California (6.8 

percent), Pennsylvania (6.6 percent), Texas (5.7 percent), Ohio 

(5.2 percent), and Illinois (5.0 

percent). A smaller percentage of 

native-born veterans were born 

abroad to American parents (0.9 

percent), born in Puerto Rico (0.5 

Figure 1. 

Race and Hispanic Origin by Veteran Status and Age for the Civilian Population 

18 Years and Older

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

www.census.gov/acs/www/)

1 The ACS gives the respondent the option of choosing more than one race. These categories include individuals who chose only one race.

2 Five categories make up this population: American Indian and Alaska Native alone, Asian alone, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander alone, Some Other Race alone, and Two or More Races, where “alone” refers to respondents who chose only one race category. 3 This includes individuals who reported a race other than “White.” Adding race and Hispanic origin categories may not sum to 100 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey. 

White, not Hispanic or Latino1

Hispanic or Latino3

All Other Races2

Black or African American1

18 to 34 years 35 to 54 years 55 to 64 years 65 to 74 years 75 years and over

2

8 3

9 4 10

16

6

13

7

18 to 34 years 35 to 54 years 55 to 64 years 65 to 74 years 75 years and over

8 4 9

3

10 5 8

16

21

14

18 to 34 years 35 to 54 years 55 to 64 years 65 to 74 years 75 years and over

9 5

10 7 1111 14 12

18 15

Veterans Nonveterans

18 to 34 years 35 to 54 years 55 to 64 years 65 to 74 years 75 years and over

57

65

90

73 75

87

64

71

81 79
U.S. Census Bureau

3

AK

HI

Fi

Place of Birth Distribution of Veterans Born in the United States: 2011

gure 2.

Note: "Veterans" includes veterans 18 years and older born in the Unit

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey.

ed States 

and Puerto Rico that currently reside in 1 of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.

0 100 Miles

0 100 Miles

0 500 Miles

Percent by state

4.3 or more2.0–4.2

1.0–1.9

Less than 1.0

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TX

FL

OK

GA AL

AR

LA

NC

MS

VA

TN

KY

SC

WV

MD

DE

PA

NY

ME

VT

NJ

NH

MA

CT

RI

KS

SD

IL

NE

IA

MN

ND

WI

MO

IN

MI

OH

CA

MT

AZ

ID

NV

CO

NM

OR

UT

WY

WA

Puerto Rico is not part of any census region.

WEST

WEST

0 100 Miles

WEST

22.3% MIDWEST

21.9%

NORTHEAST

15.4%

SOUTH

40.4%
4 U.S. Census Bureau

percent), or born in the remaining 

Island Areas (0.1 percent).4

There were distinct regional differences in the birthplaces of 

U.S.-born veterans. About 9.0 million veterans, or 40.4 percent of 

all veterans born in the United 

States, were born in the South. 

In comparison, 4.8 million (22.3 

percent) came from the West, 4.7 

million (21.9 percent) came from 

the Midwest, and 3.3 million (15.4 

percent) came from the Northeast. 

The remaining veteran population 

was born outside the United States 

and its territories without 

U.S. citizenship. Although the 

majority of individuals serving in 

the U.S. Armed Forces are U.S. citizens, citizenship is not a requirement to join the military. Lawful 

Permanent Residents (LPRs) of the 

United States have been eligible 

to enlist in the military since the 

4 The U.S. Island Areas consist of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the 

U.S. Virgin Islands.

Revolutionary War.5 Special provisions of the Immigration and 

Nationality Act (INA) have made 

it possible for noncitizen members of the military to obtain U.S. 

citizenship.6 In 2011, 2.9 percent 

of veterans were either naturalized 

citizens or noncitizens. Less than 

5 Approximately half of the Army enlistees 

in 1840 were immigrants, and between 1862 

and 2000, more than 660,000 military veterans became citizens through naturalization. 

In 2005, roughly 35,000 noncitizens served 

in the military, and approximately 8,000 

enlist each year. For more information, see 

Center for Naval Analyses: Non-Citizens in 

Today’s Military: Final Report on the Internet 

at <http://cna.org/sites/default/files

/research/D0011092.A2.pdf>. 6 If the service occurred during peacetime, 

members qualify if they: (1) Served honorably 

in the U.S. Armed Forces for at least 1 year, 

(2) obtained lawful permanent resident status, and (3) filed an application while still in 

the service or within 6 months of separation. 

Noncitizens who served during periods of 

hostilities and whose service was honorable 

on or after September 11, 2001, and veterans of certain past wars and conflicts can 

immediately file for citizenship. Additionally, 

the Naturalization at Basic Training Initiative of August 2009 gives noncitizens the 

opportunity to naturalize when they graduate 

from basic training (Army and Navy). For 

more information, see “U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services—Naturalization through 

Military Service,” on the Internet at 

<www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem

.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a

/?vgnextoid=26d805a25c4c4210VgnVCM100

000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=ce613e4

d77d73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD>.

What Is the American 

Community Survey?

The American Community 

Survey (ACS) is a nationwide 

survey designed to provide 

communities with reliable and 

timely demographic, social, 

economic, and housing data for 

the nation, states, congressional districts, counties, places, 

and other localities every year. 

It has an annual sample size 

of about 3.3 million addresses 

across the United States and 

Puerto Rico and includes both 

housing units and group quarters (e.g., nursing facilities and 

prisons). The ACS is conducted 

in every county throughout the 

nation, and every municipio in 

Puerto Rico, where it is called 

the Puerto Rico Community 

Survey. Beginning in 2006, ACS 

data for 2005 were released for 

geographic areas with populations of 65,000 and greater. For 

information on the ACS sample 

design and other topics, visit 

<www.census.gov/acs/www>.

Table 1.

Countries of Birth of Foreign-Born Veterans: 2011

(For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www)

Country Naturalized 

and noncitizens

Margin 

of error1 Percent

Percent margin 

of error1

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636,128 14,943 636,128 0.1

Mexico* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82,394 5,948 13.0 0.2

Philippines* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73,638 4,548 11.6 0.2

Germany* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,140 3,105 8.0 0.1

Canada* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,600 3,078 5.8 0.1

Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,766 2,193 3.3 0.1

Jamaica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,871 2,642 3.1 0.1

Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,873 2,805 3.0 0.1

England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,261 2,383 2.7 0.1

China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,044 2,236 2.7 0.1

Vietnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,116 2,225 2.5 0.1

Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,516 2,474 2.4 0.1

All other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266,909 8,309 42.0 0.7

* The estimates for these countries are significantly different from the estimates for all other geographic areas at the 90 percent confidence level. 1

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability.The larger the margin of error 

in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate.This number, when added to or subtracted from the estimate, forms the 90 percent confidence 

interval.

Note: Because of sampling variability, some of the estimates in this table may not be statistically different from estimates for other geographic areas both listed 

and not listed in the table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

1.0 percent (0.4 percent) of the 

total veteran population remained 

noncitizens after their military service ended. Over half (58.5 percent) 

of the foreign-born veteran population came from 11 countries.7 Table 

1 shows these 11 countries and the 

number of veterans born in each. 

The largest share (12.9 percent) 

was born in Mexico, followed by 

the Philippines (11.6 percent), 

Germany (8.0 percent), and Canada 

(5.8 percent). 

7 Foreign-born persons include all people 

who indicated they were either a U.S. citizen 

by naturalization or they were not a citizen 

of the United States. Persons born abroad of 

American parents or born in Puerto Rico or 

other U.S. Island Areas are not considered 

foreign born.

SOURCE AND ACCURACY

The data presented in this report 

are based on the ACS sample 

interviewed in 2011. The estimates 

based on this sample approximate 

the actual values and represent the 

entire household and group quarters population. Sampling error is 

the difference between an estimate 

based on a sample and the corresponding value that would be 

obtained if the estimate were based 

on the entire population (as from a 

census). Measures of the sampling 

errors are provided in the form of 

margins of error for all estimates 

included in this report. All comparative statements in this report 

have undergone statistical testing, 

and comparisons are significant at 

the 90 percent level unless otherwise noted. In addition to sampling 

error, nonsampling error may be 

introduced during any of the operations used to collect and process 

survey data such as editing, reviewing, or keying data from questionnaires. For more information on 

sampling and estimation methods, 

confidentiality protection, and 

sampling and nonsampling errors, 

please see the 2011 ACS Accuracy 

of the Data document located at 

<www.census.gov/acs/www

/Downloads/data_documentation

/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data

_2011.pdf>.