US Veterans by State: Where America's Veterans Live

Roughly 16 million Americans have served in the armed forces and are now veterans — but where they live is far from even. Veterans make up about 11% of adults in some states and under 4% in others, a pattern shaped by where bases sit, where service members retire, and where the population is concentrated. This guide maps the veteran share of the population, ranks states by veteran headcount, and explains the geography of where veterans settle.

How many veterans are there?

About 16 million U.S. adults are military veterans, a number that has slowly declined for decades as the large cohorts who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam age, and as the all-volunteer force keeps the military smaller than in the draft era. The map above shades each state by veterans as a share of its adult population — a better measure of how present veterans are in a community than raw headcount.

Which states have the most veterans?

By share of the population, the most veteran-heavy states are Alaska, Virginia, and Montana, where around 9–11% of adults have served. By raw headcount, the biggest states win — Texas, California, and Florida are home to the most veterans simply because they're the most populous. The lowest veteran shares are in dense Northeastern states like New York and New Jersey, under 4%. The ranking below sorts states by total veteran population.

Why some states have more veterans

Veterans cluster for a few clear reasons. States with major military bases — Virginia's enormous naval presence, the bases dotting the South and West — see many service members settle nearby after leaving the military. Warm-weather, low-cost states like Florida and the Carolinas draw military retirees, much as they draw civilian ones. And states with their own strong service traditions tend to keep producing and retaining veterans. Dense, expensive coastal metros, by contrast, have both fewer bases and higher costs that push veterans elsewhere.

An aging veteran population

The veteran population is not only shrinking but aging. With no military draft since 1973 and a smaller active force, each new generation produces fewer veterans than the last, while the massive WWII and Vietnam-era cohorts pass on. That has real consequences for the Department of Veterans Affairs and for communities built around military populations — and it's why the total veteran count, despite recent conflicts, continues its long, gradual decline.