1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-1378

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF VETERANS: AUGUST 2003

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces were less likely to be unemployed than nonveterans in August 2003,

the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Veterans had an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent, compared with 5.9 percent for nonveterans. Veterans who had been recently

discharged from the Armed Forces had a jobless rate of 6.9 percent. Nine percent of all veterans had a

service-connected disability. (Beginning with this release, the focus has been expanded to cover all veterans,

not just those who served during the Vietnam era.)

The survey of veterans was conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau as

a special supplement to the August 2003 Current Population Survey (CPS). The 2003 supplement was cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans

Employment and Training Service. Such a biennial supplement has been conducted since 1985. For a

description of the survey, including definitions of terms used in this release, see the Technical Note.

Characteristics of Veterans

There were 23.7 million veterans (men and women) in the civilian noninstitutional population as of August

2003. About 15 million, or nearly two-thirds, served during either World War II, the Korean War, or the

Vietnam era. Accordingly, 62 percent of all veterans were at least 55 years old and nearly 40 percent were

65 years old or over. Only about 1 percent of all veterans were under the age of 25. About 8.6 million

veterans served during other service periods, which include the periods between World War II, the Korean

War, and the Vietnam era, as well as the period from the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975 to the

present. The majority of all veterans, 87 percent, were white, 10 percent were black, 1 percent were Asian,

and 5 percent were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Six percent of all veterans (1.4 million) were women.

(See tables 1 and 2.)

The unemployment rates of male veterans ages 25 to 34 (4.7 percent) and ages 35 to 44 (3.8 percent)

were lower than the rates of their nonveteran peers (6.3 and 4.8 percent, respectively) in August 2003.

Among those 45 to 54 years old, however, veterans had a higher jobless rate than nonveterans (5.4 versus

3.6 percent). Female veterans ages 25 to 34 had a relatively high unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, but the

rate was much lower for those ages 35 to 44 (3.4 percent). Among female nonveterans in these age groups,

unemployment rates did not differ nearly as much—6.2 percent for those 25 to 34 years and 5.2 percent for

those 35 to 44 years old. Female veterans ages 45 to 54 had a jobless rate of 5.4 percent, little different

from their nonveteran contemporaries.
2

The rate of unemployment for black veterans was much lower than for black nonveterans—4.8 percent

compared with 11.3 percent in August 2003. For whites, the unemployment rate for veterans was only

somewhat lower than the rate for nonveterans—4.5 percent versus 5.1 percent. Among Hispanics, veterans

and nonveterans both had unemployment rates around 7 percent.

The employment distribution for male veterans and nonveterans was very similar. About 90 percent of

male veterans were employed in four of the five major occupational categories: management and professional occupations; production, transportation, and material moving occupations; sales and office occupations;

and natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations. Among women, around three-fourths of

veterans as well as nonveterans worked in two major job categories—management and professional occupations and sales and office occupations. (See table 3.)

Disabled Veterans

In August 2003, about 2.2 million veterans, or 9 percent of the total, reported having a service-connected disability. (See table 4.) Veterans with a service-connected disability are assigned a disability rating

by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ratings range from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percentage

points, depending on the severity of the condition. Nearly half of disabled veterans reported a disability

rating of less than 30 percent, while 21 percent had a rating of 60 percent or higher.

The incidence of service-connected disabilities was not very different between those who served during

World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era and those who served during other service periods.

However, veterans of the three selected wartime periods were more likely than other veterans to have a very

serious disability. Among disabled veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era,

24 percent had a disability rating of 60 percent or more; among disabled veterans of other service periods,

14 percent reported such a disability rating.

Only one-third of the disabled veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era were

in the labor force in August 2003. This low rate of labor force participation reflects the age of this group

(80 percent were 55 years or older) as well as the effect of their disabilities. Among veterans of these

periods who did not have a service-connected disability, 46 percent were in the labor force. The unemployment rate of disabled veterans of the selected wartime periods was 3.5 percent.

Among veterans of other service periods with a disability, 75 percent were in the labor force, essentially

the same as the proportion for nondisabled veterans from these periods. The unemployment rate of disabled

veterans from other service periods was 6.1 percent.

About 16 percent of employed disabled veterans worked for the federal government. This compares

with 6 percent of nondisabled veterans and 2 percent of nonveterans. Nearly 30 percent of disabled

veterans were employed in federal, state, and local government combined, compared with 17 percent of

nondisabled veterans and 14 percent of nonveterans. (See table 5.)

Veterans Recently Discharged from Active Duty

Nearly 450,000 veterans were discharged from active duty between January 2001 and August 2003.

Women made up 13 percent of these recently discharged veterans, blacks made up 12 percent, and

Hispanics made up 9 percent. All of these percentages were greater than these groups’ share of total

veterans. The labor force participation rate for recently discharged veterans was 89 percent, and their

unemployment rate was 6.9 percent. (See table 6.)
3

NOTE: This release has been changed to reflect a shift in focus from veterans of the

Vietnam era to veterans from all service periods. Because of the changing composition of the

veteran population, this news release does not identify Vietnam-era veterans separately as was

done in prior releases based on the biennial veterans supplement.

One in five recently discharged veterans had a service-connected disability. Nearly three-fifths of the

newly separated veterans with a disability had a disability rating of 30 percent or higher, compared with

about two-fifths of veterans discharged between 1991 and 2000. (See table 7.)
Technical Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from a supplement

to the August 2003 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly

survey of about 60,000 households which provides the national

data on total employment and unemployment. The CPS is

conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor

Statistics (BLS).

The supplement was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department

of Veterans Affairs and by the U.S. Department of Labor’s

Veterans Employment and Training Service. Questions were

asked of persons 18 years of age and older regarding their prior

service in the U.S. Armed Forces and whether they had a

service-connected disability.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-

5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling

and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample

estimates will differ from the “true” population values they

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies

depending on the particular sample selected, and this

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate.

There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that

an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6

standard errors from the “true” population value because of

sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the

90-percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain

information for all respondents in the sample, inability or

unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information,

and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.

Standard practice in the CPS is for one member of the

household to answer questions for all the household members.

In the case of the supplementary questions about veterans,

however, several attempts were made to collect the information

directly from the veterans. This was done because some of the

information would be best provided by the veterans

themselves.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS

and information on estimating standard errors, see the

“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of the BLS

monthly periodical, Employment and Earnings.

Definitions

The definitions underlying the data in this release are as

follows:

Veterans are men and women who previously served on

active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Members of the

Reserves and National Guard are counted as veterans if they

had ever been called to active duty.

Nonveterans are men and women who never served on

active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.

World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam-era veterans are

men and women who served in the Armed Forces during these

periods, regardless of where they served.

Veterans of other service periods are men and women who

served in the Armed Forces at any time other than World War

II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. Although U.S. Armed

Forces were engaged in several armed conflicts during other

service periods, these conflicts were more limited in scope and

included a smaller proportion of the Armed Forces than the

three selected wartime periods. Veterans who served during

one of the selected wartime periods and during another period

are classified as World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam-era

veterans.

Veteran status is provided from responses to the question,

“Did you ever serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces?”

Period of service is provided from answers to the question

asked of veterans, “When did you serve?” The following

service periods are identified:

Vietnam era — February 1961-May 1975

Korean War — June 1950-January 1955

World War II — September 1940-July 1947

Other service periods — All other periods

Vietnam-era veterans are those who served anywhere

between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975, plus those who were

in Southeast Asia between February 28, 1961, and August 4,

1964.

Presence of service-connected disability is provided by

answers to the question, “Has the Department of Veterans

Affairs (VA) or the Department of Defense determined that you

have a service-connected disability; that is, a health condition

or impairment caused or made worse by military service?”

Service-connected disability rating is based on answers to

the question, “What is your current service-connected

disability rating?” Answers can range from 0 to 100 percent,

in increments of 10 percentage points. Ratings are determined

from a rating schedule published in the Code of Federal

Regulations, Title 38, “Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans’

Relief,” Part 4—“Schedule for Rating Disabilities.” The rating

schedule is “primarily a guide in the evaluation of disability

resulting from all types of diseases and injuries encountered as

a result of or incident to military service. The percentage

ratings represent, as far as can practicably be determined, the

average impairment in earning capacity resulting from such

diseases and injuries and their residual conditions in civil

occupations.” Part 4 contains a listing of hundreds of possible

disorders and assigns ratings of 0 through 100 percent in steps

of 10 percent for each, with instructions for rating multiple disorders.

Year of discharge is determined by answers to the question,

“In what year were you last separated from active duty in the

Armed Forces?”
Table 1. Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, sex, race,

and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)

Veteran status, period of service,

sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Percent

of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total

Percent

of

population

Total

Percent

of

labor force

TOTAL

Total, 18 years and over ....................................... 212,931 143,737 67.5 135,427 63.6 8,310 5.8 69,194

 Veterans ............................................................ 23,731 13,483 56.8 12,882 54.3 601 4.5 10,248

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era ............. 15,158 6,953 45.9 6,630 43.7 323 4.7 8,204

 Other service periods ...................................... 8,573 6,530 76.2 6,252 72.9 278 4.3 2,044

 Nonveterans ...................................................... 189,200 130,253 68.8 122,545 64.8 7,709 5.9 58,947

Men

Total, 18 years and over ....................................... 102,223 77,001 75.3 72,686 71.1 4,315 5.6 25,222

 Veterans ............................................................ 22,331 12,603 56.4 12,049 54.0 554 4.4 9,728

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era ............. 14,690 6,804 46.3 6,491 44.2 313 4.6 7,885

 Other service periods ...................................... 7,641 5,799 75.9 5,558 72.7 241 4.2 1,843

 Nonveterans ...................................................... 79,892 64,398 80.6 60,638 75.9 3,761 5.8 15,494

Women

Total, 18 years and over ....................................... 110,708 66,736 60.3 62,741 56.7 3,995 6.0 43,972

 Veterans ............................................................ 1,400 880 62.9 833 59.5 47 5.4 520

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era ............. 468 149 31.9 139 29.7 10 6.9 319

 Other service periods ...................................... 932 731 78.5 694 74.5 37 5.0 201

 Nonveterans ...................................................... 109,308 65,855 60.2 61,907 56.6 3,948 6.0 43,453

White

Total, 18 years and over ....................................... 174,865 118,160 67.6 112,205 64.2 5,954 5.0 56,705

 Veterans ............................................................ 20,696 11,521 55.7 11,008 53.2 513 4.5 9,175

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era ............. 13,633 6,230 45.7 5,941 43.6 288 4.6 7,403

 Other service periods ...................................... 7,062 5,291 74.9 5,066 71.7 224 4.2 1,772

 Nonveterans ...................................................... 154,169 106,639 69.2 101,198 65.6 5,441 5.1 47,530

Black or African American

Total, 18 years and over ....................................... 24,458 16,318 66.7 14,568 59.6 1,750 10.7 8,141

 Veterans ............................................................ 2,278 1,480 65.0 1,409 61.8 72 4.8 798

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era ............. 1,114 524 47.0 489 43.9 35 6.6 590

 Other service periods ...................................... 1,164 956 82.2 920 79.0 37 3.8 208

 Nonveterans ...................................................... 22,180 14,838 66.9 13,159 59.3 1,679 11.3 7,343

Asian

Total, 18 years and over ....................................... 9,016 6,088 67.5 5,729 63.5 359 5.9 2,928

 Veterans ............................................................ 225 131 58.5 130 57.7 2 1.3 93

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era ............. 134 51 38.1 51 37.9 – – 83

 Other service periods ...................................... 90 80 88.9 79 87.3 1 1.9 10

 Nonveterans ...................................................... 8,792 5,957 67.8 5,600 63.7 357 6.0 2,835

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total, 18 years and over ....................................... 26,270 18,392 70.0 17,052 64.9 1,340 7.3 7,879

 Veterans ............................................................ 1,078 700 64.9 654 60.7 45 6.5 379

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era ............. 548 299 54.6 277 50.5 23 7.6 249

 Other service periods ...................................... 530 400 75.5 378 71.2 22 5.6 130

 Nonveterans ...................................................... 25,192 17,692 70.2 16,397 65.1 1,295 7.3 7,500

 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed

Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all

other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never

served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the

periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean

War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May

1975. More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this

release. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented

for all race groups. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by

ethnicity as well as by race. Dash represents or rounds to zero.
Table 2. Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and age, August 2003, 

not seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)

Veteran status, period of service,

and age

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Percent

of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total

Percent

of

population

Total

Percent

of

labor force

TOTAL

VETERANS

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 23,731 13,483 56.8 12,882 54.3 601 4.5 10,248

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 294 252 85.9 232 79.1 20 7.9 41

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 1,495 1,370 91.7 1,300 87.0 70 5.1 125

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 2,919 2,657 91.0 2,557 87.6 100 3.8 261

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 4,266 3,612 84.7 3,418 80.1 195 5.4 654

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 5,865 4,043 68.9 3,878 66.1 165 4.1 1,822

 65 years and over ................................... 8,893 1,548 17.4 1,497 16.8 52 3.3 7,344

WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era1

Total, 35 years and over ............................. 15,158 6,953 45.9 6,630 43.7 323 4.7 8,204

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 25 20 2 ( ) 17 2 () 3 2 () 5

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 2,864 2,403 83.9 2,265 79.1 138 5.8 461

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 4,806 3,430 71.4 3,284 68.3 146 4.3 1,377

 65 years and over ................................... 7,462 1,100 14.7 1,064 14.3 36 3.3 6,361

Other service periods

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 8,573 6,530 76.2 6,252 72.9 278 4.3 2,044

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 294 252 85.9 232 79.1 20 7.9 41

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 1,495 1,370 91.7 1,300 87.0 70 5.1 125

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 2,893 2,637 91.1 2,540 87.8 97 3.7 256

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 1,402 1,209 86.2 1,153 82.2 56 4.7 193

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 1,059 613 57.9 594 56.1 19 3.1 445

 65 years and over ................................... 1,431 448 31.3 432 30.2 16 3.5 983

NONVETERANS

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 189,200 130,253 68.8 122,545 64.8 7,709 5.9 58,947

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 27,069 19,423 71.8 17,239 63.7 2,184 11.2 7,646

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 37,553 30,883 82.2 28,939 77.1 1,944 6.3 6,670

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 40,791 33,881 83.1 32,190 78.9 1,691 5.0 6,910

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 36,355 29,649 81.6 28,478 78.3 1,171 3.9 6,707

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 22,034 13,217 60.0 12,653 57.4 565 4.3 8,817

 65 years and over ................................... 25,398 3,201 12.6 3,047 12.0 155 4.8 22,197

MEN

VETERANS

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 22,331 12,603 56.4 12,049 54.0 554 4.4 9,728

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 227 199 87.6 179 78.8 20 10.0 28

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 1,296 1,205 92.9 1,148 88.6 56 4.7 91

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 2,553 2,346 91.9 2,257 88.4 89 3.8 206

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 3,923 3,342 85.2 3,161 80.6 180 5.4 581

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 5,732 3,988 69.6 3,828 66.8 159 4.0 1,744

 65 years and over ................................... 8,600 1,524 17.7 1,475 17.1 49 3.2 7,077

WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era1

Total, 35 years and over ............................. 14,690 6,804 46.3 6,491 44.2 313 4.6 7,885

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 25 20 2 ( ) 17 2 () 3 2 () 5

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 2,729 2,292 84.0 2,163 79.2 129 5.6 437

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 4,723 3,405 72.1 3,260 69.0 145 4.3 1,319

 65 years and over ................................... 7,212 1,088 15.1 1,052 14.6 36 3.3 6,125

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and age, August 2003, 

not seasonally adjusted — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Veteran status, period of service,

and age

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Percent

of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total

Percent

of

population

Total

Percent

of

labor force

MEN — Continued

Other service periods

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 7,641 5,799 75.9 5,558 72.7 241 4.2 1,843

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 227 199 87.6 179 78.8 20 10.0 28

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 1,296 1,205 92.9 1,148 88.6 56 4.7 91

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 2,528 2,326 92.0 2,240 88.6 86 3.7 202

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 1,194 1,050 87.9 999 83.7 51 4.9 144

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 1,009 583 57.8 568 56.3 14 2.5 426

 65 years and over ................................... 1,388 436 31.4 423 30.5 13 2.9 952

NONVETERANS

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 79,892 64,398 80.6 60,638 75.9 3,761 5.8 15,494

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 13,450 10,032 74.6 8,935 66.4 1,097 10.9 3,418

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 18,065 16,563 91.7 15,512 85.9 1,051 6.3 1,502

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 18,894 17,437 92.3 16,607 87.9 830 4.8 1,457

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 15,906 14,039 88.3 13,532 85.1 507 3.6 1,867

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 7,657 5,187 67.7 4,968 64.9 218 4.2 2,470

 65 years and over ................................... 5,920 1,139 19.2 1,083 18.3 57 5.0 4,781

WOMEN

VETERANS

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 1,400 880 62.9 833 59.5 47 5.4 520

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 67 53 2 ( ) 53 2 ( ) – – 13

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 199 166 83.3 152 76.5 14 8.2 33

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 366 311 85.0 300 82.1 10 3.4 55

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 343 271 78.9 256 74.6 14 5.4 73

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 133 55 41.5 49 37.2 6 2 ( ) 78

 65 years and over ................................... 292 25 8.4 22 7.4 3 2 ( ) 268

WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era1

Total, 35 years and over ............................. 468 149 31.9 139 29.7 10 6.9 319

 35 to 44 years ......................................... – – – –––––

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 135 111 82.4 102 75.6 9 8.2 24

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 83 25 29.8 24 28.5 1 2 ( ) 58

 65 years and over ................................... 250 13 5.1 13 5.1 – – 237

Other service periods

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 932 731 78.5 694 74.5 37 5.0 201

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 67 53 2 ( ) 53 2 ( ) – – 13

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 199 166 83.3 152 76.5 14 8.2 33

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 365 310 85.0 300 82.1 10 3.4 55

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 208 159 76.6 154 74.0 5 3.4 49

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 50 30 2 ( ) 26 2 () 5 2 ( ) 19

 65 years and over ................................... 43 12 2 () 9 2 () 3 2 ( ) 31

NONVETERANS

Total, 18 years and over ............................. 109,308 65,855 60.2 61,907 56.6 3,948 6.0 43,453

 18 to 24 years ......................................... 13,619 9,391 69.0 8,304 61.0 1,087 11.6 4,228

 25 to 34 years ......................................... 19,488 14,319 73.5 13,427 68.9 893 6.2 5,168

 35 to 44 years ......................................... 21,897 16,444 75.1 15,583 71.2 861 5.2 5,453

 45 to 54 years ......................................... 20,449 15,609 76.3 14,946 73.1 663 4.2 4,840

 55 to 64 years ......................................... 14,377 8,030 55.9 7,684 53.4 346 4.3 6,347

 65 years and over ................................... 19,479 2,062 10.6 1,964 10.1 98 4.8 17,416

1 Because of the aging of the population, there are no longer any

veterans of these eras under 35 years of age. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.

 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed

Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all

other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never

served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the

periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the

Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era

in May 1975. More detailed information appears in the Technical Note

of this release. Dash represents or rounds to zero.
Table 3. Employed persons 18 years and over by occupation, veteran status, period of service, and sex, August 2003,

 not seasonally adjusted

(Percent distribution)

Occupation

Veterans

Nonveterans

Total

WW II, Korean

War, and 

Vietnam era

Other

service

periods

TOTAL

 Total, 18 years and over (thousands) ................................................ 12,882 6,630 6,252 122,545

 Percent .............................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

 Management, professional, and related occupations ............................ 35.1 36.7 33.5 34.7

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........... 18.4 20.6 16.0 14.2

 Professional and related occupations .................................................. 16.8 16.0 17.5 20.5

 Service occupations .............................................................................. 11.2 9.5 13.0 16.3

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................. 18.5 17.5 19.5 26.2

 Sales and related occupations ............................................................ 10.6 10.7 10.4 11.4

 Office and administrative support occupations .................................... 7.9 6.8 9.1 14.8

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........... 16.1 16.4 15.7 10.3

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .......................................... .5 .5 .4 .9

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................. 8.0 8.4 7.6 6.1

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .............................. 7.6 7.5 7.7 3.3

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............... 19.1 19.9 18.2 12.5

 Production occupations ....................................................................... 8.8 9.3 8.4 7.0

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................................ 10.3 10.6 9.8 5.5

Men

 Total, 18 years and over (thousands) ................................................ 12,049 6,491 5,558 60,638

 Percent .............................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

 Management, professional, and related occupations ............................ 34.6 36.6 32.2 31.9

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........... 18.6 20.7 16.1 15.4

 Professional and related occupations .................................................. 16.0 15.8 16.2 16.6

 Service occupations .............................................................................. 10.8 9.3 12.6 12.8

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................. 17.4 17.1 17.8 17.1

 Sales and related occupations ............................................................ 10.7 10.8 10.5 10.9

 Office and administrative support occupations .................................... 6.7 6.3 7.3 6.2

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........... 17.1 16.7 17.5 19.8

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .......................................... .5 .5 .5 1.4

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................. 8.4 8.5 8.3 12.0

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .............................. 8.1 7.7 8.7 6.4

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............... 20.1 20.2 20.0 18.3

 Production occupations ....................................................................... 9.3 9.4 9.2 9.2

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................................ 10.8 10.8 10.8 9.2

Women

 Total, 18 years and over (thousands) ................................................ 833 139 694 61,907

 Percent .............................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

 Management, professional, and related occupations ............................ 43.2 42.3 43.3 37.4

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........... 15.3 16.3 15.1 13.1

 Professional and related occupations .................................................. 27.8 26.1 28.2 24.3

 Service occupations .............................................................................. 16.3 14.7 16.7 19.6

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................. 34.2 36.6 33.7 35.1

 Sales and related occupations ............................................................ 9.3 4.3 10.3 11.8

 Office and administrative support occupations .................................... 24.9 32.3 23.4 23.2

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........... 2.0 1.5 2.1 1.1

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .......................................... – – – .4

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................. 1.8 .5 2.0 .4

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .............................. .2 .9 – .3

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............... 4.4 4.9 4.3 6.8

 Production occupations ....................................................................... 2.2 1.9 2.2 4.9

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................................ 2.2 3.0 2.1 1.9

 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed

Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other

service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in

the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between

World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the

Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. More

detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. 

Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational

classification system derived from the 2000 Standard Occupational

Classification system. Dash represents or rounds to zero.
Table 4. Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by period of service, presence of service-connected disability, 

reported disability rating, and sex, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)

Period of service, presence of disability,

 reported disability rating, and sex

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Percent

of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total

Percent

of

population

Total

Percent

of

labor force

TOTAL

VETERANS

With service-connected disability ............................................. 2,168 988 45.5 941 43.4 47 4.8 1,181

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 976 533 54.6 509 52.1 25 4.6 442

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 508 269 52.9 260 51.1 9 3.4 239

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 459 97 21.1 90 19.6 7 7.1 362

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 226 89 39.4 82 36.5 7 7.4 137

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 18,175 10,374 57.1 9,901 54.5 473 4.6 7,802

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 3,387 2,122 62.6 2,041 60.2 81 3.8 1,265

WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era

With service-connected disability ............................................. 1,521 500 32.9 482 31.7 18 3.5 1,021

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 630 242 38.5 233 36.9 10 4.0 388

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 351 144 41.0 144 41.0 – – 207

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 367 62 17.0 58 15.9 4 1 ( ) 304

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 172 51 29.6 47 27.5 4 1 ( ) 121

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 11,633 5,398 46.4 5,129 44.1 269 5.0 6,236

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 2,004 1,056 52.7 1,019 50.9 37 3.5 948

Other service periods

With service-connected disability ............................................. 648 488 75.3 458 70.7 30 6.1 160

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 346 291 84.1 276 79.8 15 5.1 55

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 157 125 79.4 116 73.7 9 7.2 32

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 92 34 37.2 31 34.3 3 1 ( ) 58

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 53 38 1 ( ) 35 1 () 3 1 ( ) 15

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 6,542 4,976 76.1 4,772 72.9 204 4.1 1,566

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 1,383 1,066 77.1 1,022 73.9 44 4.2 317

Men

VETERANS

With service-connected disability ............................................. 2,009 899 44.7 862 42.9 37 4.1 1,110

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 915 491 53.6 471 51.5 20 4.0 424

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 458 236 51.4 230 50.1 6 2.6 222

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 414 87 21.0 82 19.9 5 5.4 327

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 222 86 38.6 79 35.6 7 7.7 137

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 17,154 9,739 56.8 9,290 54.2 449 4.6 7,416

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 3,168 1,965 62.0 1,897 59.9 68 3.5 1,203

WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era

With service-connected disability ............................................. 1,479 490 33.2 473 32.0 17 3.5 988

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 623 242 38.9 233 37.4 9 3.9 380

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 336 137 40.6 137 40.6 – – 200

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 347 60 17.4 56 16.2 4 1 ( ) 287

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 172 51 29.6 47 27.5 4 1 ( ) 121

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 11,249 5,272 46.9 5,012 44.6 260 4.9 5,977

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 1,962 1,042 53.1 1,006 51.3 36 3.5 920

Other service periods

With service-connected disability ............................................. 530 409 77.0 389 73.3 20 4.8 122

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 293 249 85.0 238 81.5 10 4.1 44

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 122 99 81.4 93 76.4 6 6.1 23

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 66 26 1 ( ) 26 1 () 1 1 ( ) 40

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 50 35 1 ( ) 32 1 () 3 1 ( ) 15

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 5,905 4,467 75.6 4,278 72.4 189 4.2 1,438

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 1,206 923 76.5 891 73.9 32 3.5 283

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by period of service, presence of service-connected disability, 

reported disability rating, and sex, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Period of service, presence of disability,

 reported disability rating, and sex

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Percent

of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total

Percent

of

population

Total

Percent

of

labor force

Women

VETERANS

With service-connected disability ............................................. 159 89 55.7 79 49.4 10 11.4 71

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 1,021 635 62.2 611 59.8 24 3.8 386

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 220 157 71.5 144 65.5 13 8.3 63

WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era

With service-connected disability ............................................. 42 10 1 () 9 1 ( ) – – 32

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 384 126 32.8 117 30.4 9 7.3 258

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 42 13 1 ( ) 13 1 () 1 1 ( ) 28

Other service periods

With service-connected disability ............................................. 117 79 67.3 69 59.0 10 12.4 38

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 637 509 79.9 494 77.6 15 2.9 128

Presence of disability not reported ........................................... 178 143 80.7 131 73.7 12 8.6 34

1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.

 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces

during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service

periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed

Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the

Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of

the Vietnam era in May 1975. A service-connected disability is a health condition

or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated

disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a

rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." 

More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Dash

represents or rounds to zero. 
Table 5. Employed persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, presence of service-connected disability, 

and class of worker, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted

Veteran status, period of service, and 

presence of disability

Total

employed

(thousands)

Percent distribution by class of worker

Total

Agriculture

and related

industries

Nonagricultural industries

Total

Wage and salary workers

Selfemployed

and unpaid

family

workers

Private

sector

Government

Total Federal

State

and

local

Veterans1 ................................................... 12,882 100.0 2.1 97.9 71.7 17.3 6.4 10.9 9.0

 With service-connected disability ........... 941 100.0 1.5 98.5 62.7 29.8 15.9 13.9 6.0

 Without service-connected disability ...... 9,901 100.0 2.3 97.7 71.9 16.6 5.7 10.9 9.2

 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era1 .... 6,630 100.0 2.8 97.2 68.9 17.1 6.6 10.6 11.3

 With service-connected disability ......... 482 100.0 1.7 98.3 58.6 31.7 16.6 15.1 8.0

 Without service-connected disability .... 5,129 100.0 3.2 96.8 69.1 16.4 5.8 10.6 11.3

 Other service periods1 .............................. 6,252 100.0 1.4 98.6 74.6 17.5 6.2 11.3 6.5

 With service-connected disability ......... 458 100.0 1.3 98.7 67.0 27.8 15.1 12.7 3.8

 Without service-connected disability .... 4,772 100.0 1.4 98.6 75.0 16.7 5.5 11.3 6.9

Nonveterans ............................................... 122,545 100.0 1.8 98.2 77.5 13.7 2.0 11.7 6.9

1 Includes veterans who did not report presence of disability.

 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed

Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other

service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the

U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World

War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era,

and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. A service-connected

disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military

service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100

percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of

Federal Regulations, "Title 38." More detailed information appears in the

Technical Note of this release.
Table 6. Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by year of discharge from the Armed Forces, sex, race, 

and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)

Year of discharge, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Percent

of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total

Percent

of

population

Total

Percent

of

labor force

TOTAL

Prior to 1971 ..................................... 10,881 3,755 34.5 3,577 32.9 178 4.7 7,126

1971 to 1980 ..................................... 3,380 2,577 76.3 2,435 72.0 142 5.5 803

1981 to 1990 ..................................... 2,244 1,925 85.8 1,861 82.9 65 3.4 318

1991 to 2000 ..................................... 2,239 2,031 90.7 1,935 86.5 96 4.7 207

2001 to 2003 ..................................... 445 394 88.5 367 82.4 27 6.9 51

Year not available ............................. 4,543 2,800 61.6 2,707 59.6 93 3.3 1,742

Men

Prior to 1971 ..................................... 10,569 3,703 35.0 3,528 33.4 175 4.7 6,866

1971 to 1980 ..................................... 3,208 2,443 76.2 2,310 72.0 133 5.5 765

1981 to 1990 ..................................... 1,954 1,699 87.0 1,645 84.2 54 3.2 255

1991 to 2000 ..................................... 1,975 1,809 91.6 1,724 87.3 86 4.7 165

2001 to 2003 ..................................... 387 347 89.5 320 82.6 27 7.7 41

Year not available ............................. 4,238 2,602 61.4 2,522 59.5 80 3.1 1,636

Women

Prior to 1971 ..................................... 312 52 16.6 49 15.7 3 1 ( ) 260

1971 to 1980 ..................................... 172 134 78.1 125 72.8 9 6.9 38

1981 to 1990 ..................................... 290 226 78.1 215 74.2 11 5.0 64

1991 to 2000 ..................................... 264 222 84.0 211 80.1 10 4.7 42

2001 to 2003 ..................................... 58 47 1 ( ) 47 1 ( ) – – 10

Year not available ............................. 305 199 65.3 186 61.0 13 6.6 106

White

Prior to 1971 ..................................... 10,065 3,486 34.6 3,321 33.0 165 4.7 6,580

1971 to 1980 ..................................... 2,970 2,306 77.6 2,177 73.3 129 5.6 664

1981 to 1990 ..................................... 1,796 1,551 86.3 1,502 83.6 49 3.1 245

1991 to 2000 ..................................... 1,828 1,653 90.5 1,572 86.0 81 4.9 174

2001 to 2003 ..................................... 366 319 87.2 293 80.0 26 8.2 47

Year not available ............................. 3,670 2,205 60.1 2,142 58.4 63 2.9 1,465

Black or African American

Prior to 1971 ..................................... 559 175 31.3 163 29.1 12 7.1 384

1971 to 1980 ..................................... 293 191 65.2 178 60.6 14 7.1 102

1981 to 1990 ..................................... 348 293 84.4 278 80.0 15 5.2 54

1991 to 2000 ..................................... 319 291 91.4 287 90.2 4 1.3 27

2001 to 2003 ..................................... 55 52 1 ( ) 51 1 () 1 1 () 3

Year not available ............................. 705 477 67.8 452 64.1 25 5.3 227

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Prior to 1971 ..................................... 332 106 31.8 91 27.4 15 14.0 227

1971 to 1980 ..................................... 161 139 86.0 131 81.0 8 5.7 23

1981 to 1990 ..................................... 124 108 87.3 105 84.5 3 3.2 16

1991 to 2000 ..................................... 150 137 91.0 133 88.1 4 3.2 14

2001 to 2003 ..................................... 40 29 1 ( ) 20 1 () 9 1 ( ) 11

Year not available ............................. 270 181 66.9 175 64.7 6 3.2 89

1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.

 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed

Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other

service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the

U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between

World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam

era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. More detailed

information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Estimates for the

above race groups (white and black or African American) do not sum to totals

because data are not presented for all race groups. In addition, persons

whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and,

therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Asians are not

shown separately, as most estimates are too small to meet publication

standards. Dash represents or rounds to zero.
Table 7. Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by year of discharge from the Armed Forces, presence of

service-connected disability, and reported disability rating, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)

Year of discharge, presence of disability,

 and reported disability rating

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Percent

of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total

Percent

of

population

Total

Percent

of

labor force

Prior to 1976

With service-connected disability ............................................. 1,186 306 25.8 286 24.1 19 6.3 881

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 499 145 29.2 137 27.5 9 5.9 353

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 257 80 31.0 77 29.9 3 3.7 177

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 271 41 15.0 36 13.5 4 1 ( ) 230

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 160 40 24.8 36 22.5 4 1 ( ) 120

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 11,779 5,036 42.8 4,794 40.7 242 4.8 6,743

1976 to 1990

With service-connected disability ............................................. 418 234 55.9 227 54.4 6 2.7 184

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 223 161 72.1 155 69.7 5 3.3 62

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 97 52 53.8 52 53.8 – – 45

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 89 14 15.9 14 15.9 – – 75

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 10 7 1 () 6 1 () 1 1 () 3

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 3,059 2,648 86.5 2,533 82.8 115 4.3 412

1991 to 2000

With service-connected disability ............................................. 407 340 83.6 325 79.9 15 4.4 67

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 212 195 92.0 185 86.9 11 5.5 17

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 106 98 92.0 95 89.9 2 2.2 9

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 62 25 1 ( ) 23 1 () 2 1 ( ) 36

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 27 22 1 ( ) 22 1 () – – 5

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 1,816 1,676 92.3 1,598 88.0 78 4.7 140

2001 to 2003

With service-connected disability ............................................. 92 77 84.0 71 77.0 6 8.3 15

 Less than 30 percent disability rating .................................. 31 27 1 ( ) 27 1 () – – 4

 30 to 50 percent disability rating .......................................... 41 36 1 ( ) 33 1 () 4 1 () 5

 60 percent or higher disability rating .................................... 13 8 1 () 7 1 () 1 1 () 6

 Disability rating not reported ................................................ 6 5 1 () 3 1 () 2 1 () 1

Without service-connected disability ........................................ 352 316 89.6 295 83.8 21 6.6 36

1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.

 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces

during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service

periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S.

Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War

II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and

since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. Categories do not add to totals

shown on other tables because data are not shown for veterans whose

presence of disability was not reported, and because information on the year

of discharge was not available for approximately 4.5 million veterans. A

service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or

made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can

range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in

the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." More detailed information

appears in the Technical Note of this release. Dash represents or rounds to

zero.