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Issue brief

WOMEN VETERANS PROFILE

Women veterans are the fastest growing segment of the veteran community. In 2013,
about 2.2 million (or 10 percent) of the nation’s nearly 22 million veterans were women.
This number is projected to increase to 2.4 million by 2020. In contrast, the number of
male veterans is projected to decrease from 20.1 million to 17.2 million by 2020.1
AGE

In 2011, women veterans were more likely to be younger
than men veterans and older than non-veterans of either
gender. Almost 84 percent of women veterans were of
working age (17-64 years), compared to 55 percent of men
veterans and 81 percent of women non-veterans.2

Median Age

MEDIAN

AGE

MEDIAN

AGE

EMPLOYMENT BY PROFESSION

In 2013, more women veterans worked in management,
professional and related occupations than did men
veterans or non-veterans of either gender. Fewer women
veterans worked in sales, office and service occupations
than women non-veterans. Men veterans and men nonveterans worked at nearly the same rates for similar
occupations.4

Employment by Profession in Percent

MEDIAN

AGE

41 47 49 64

4.9

30.8

15.2

Male
Nonveterans

Women
Nonveterans

Women
Veterans

Male
Veterans

EDUCATION

47.8

In 2013, more women veterans completed some college or
obtained an Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s or higher
degree, compared to men veterans or non-veterans of
either gender.3

Women
Veterans

1.4

5.4

0.9

18.2

17.5

15.9

16.4

15.4

16.7

13.8

14.6

30.3

21.5

41.9

Production, Transportation and
Material Moving Occupations
Natural Resources, Construction
and Maintenance Occupations
Sales and Office Occupations

36.7

34.9

Service Occupations
Management, Professionals
and Related Occupations

Women
Male
Male
Nonveterans Veterans Nonveterans

Educational Attainment in Percent
Women
Women
Veterans

Male
Male
Veterans

Women
Nonveterans

Male
Nonveterans

43.1

29.4

32.7

29.9
21.2

20.9

High

Some College
or Associate

33.7
26.2

19.1

16.7
10.1

School

30.5

Bachelor’s

7.8

Master’s
or Higher

7.5 6.7

High

School

Some College
or Associate

Bachelor’s

Master’s
or Higher

Page 1

Issue brief
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

In 2013, women veterans worked in government more than
any other industry. The education and health services
industries employ the second highest percentage of women
veterans. Women veterans worked in education and health
services at a similar rate as women non-veterans.5

LOCATION

The map below shows the total population of women
veterans by state.8

Employment by Industry in Percent
2.6
28
2.8
39
3.9
54
5.4
44
4.4
65
6.5

0.1
0.5
1.5
1.2
1.5

0.2
0.8
1.5
1.1
1.5

1.9
4.6
52
5.2

2.8
6.4
6
4
2.0
7.4
7
4
3.5
7.2

7.2
9.1

9.1

6.2

9.4

8.9

4.4
36
3.6
13.7

10.8

1.3
1.9

2.1
3.4
3.4
4
9.0
2.2
57
5.7
39
3.9
6.6

24.1

6.9
28.6

16.9

20.0

Male
Veterans

Women
Nonveterans

Construction
Information
Transportation and Utilities

Women Veterans Population by State

Other Service

Less than
50,00

11.0

6.7

Male
Nonveterans

50,000 100,000

Greater than
100,000

Self-Employment
Financial Activities
Leasure and Hospitality
Manufacturing

10.5

10.6
Women
Veterans

Agricultural and Related
Industries
Wholesale Trade

8.0

10.4
8.3

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil
and Gas Extraction

5.6

13.6

22.5

1.2

The map below shows the population of women veterans
as a percentage of the total population of each state.

Professional and Business
Services
Retail Trade
Education and Health
Services
Government

INCOME LEVELS

In 2012, men and women veterans had a higher median
income than their non-veteran counterparts. However,
women veterans had a lower median income than men
veterans and men non-veterans.6 In 2011, about 7 percent
of women veterans and 3 percent of men veterans had no
earnings or income.7
Median Income Levels

Women
Nonveterans

$21,071
Page 2

Women
Veterans

$30,929

Male
Nonveterans

$31,586

Male
Veterans

$36,672

Women Veterans as Percentage
of Total State Population
Less than .5%

.5% - .99%

1% - 1.5%

Greater than 1.5%

The number and percentage of women veterans in each
state, as reflected in the maps, is listed below:

Issue brief
State

Total Population

Women Veteran Population

Women Veterans as Percentage of Total Population

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia

3,683,815
528,429
4,915,131
2,232,468
28,663,319
3,923,756
2,789,272
709,551
519,476
15,264,844
7,372,727

29,470
11,154
44,618
18,595
129,346
44,466
10,929
7,749
4,058
120,977
76,803

0.80%
2.11%
0.91%
0.83%
0.45%
1.13%
0.39%
1.09%
0.78%
0.79%
1.04%

Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

1,051,883
1,168,256
9,795,470
4,944,218
2,349,788
2,145,653
3,345,524
3,467,978
1,062,141
4,513,635
5,240,927
7,612,370
4,098,333
2,226,363
4,598,394
781,686
1,387,492
2,085,544
1,044,195
6,830,487
1,561,375
15,284,210
7,383,857
540,213
8,876,493
2,859,530
3,036,050
10,019,703
830,726
3,609,405
626,965
4,944,681
18,982,973
1,964,059
501,611
6,221,883
5,266,221
1,470,678
4,407,746
437,264

10,880
8,121
44,713
26,712
14,061
15,101
20,932
23,936
9,131
48,215
21,230
37,465
22,528
15,598
33,052
8,469
11,348
16,918
7,982
24,893
14,945
50,107
65,213
5,030
53,652
23,378
23,757
51,396
3,850
36,464
5,425
32,619
136,874
9,092
3,089
89,325
51,439
7,811
26,315
4,000

1.03%
0.70%
0.46%
0.54%
0.60%
0.70%
0.63%
0.69%
0.86%
1.07%
0.41%
0.49%
0.55%
0.70%
0.72%
1.08%
0.82%
0.81%
0.76%
0.36%
0.96%
0.33%
0.88%
0.93%
0.60%
0.82%
0.78%
0.51%
0.46%
1.01%
0.87%
0.66%
0.72%
0.46%
0.62%
1.44%
0.98%
0.53%
0.60%
0.91%
Page 3

Issue brief
MILITARY SERVICE

In 2011, nearly 9 percent of women veterans had served as
officers during their military service as compared to 6
percent of men veterans. Ninety-one percent of women
veterans were enlisted.9
Rank

Officers
Enlisted

In 2011, the percentage of working-age women with
children under 18 years old increased with age until 44
years, when the percentage began to decrease. Through
the age of 34, more women veterans than women nonveterans had children who were under 18 years of age.11

Women
Veterans

PARENTAL STATUS

Male
Veterans

Percentage of Working-Age Women with Children Under
18 Years Old by Age and Veteran Status in Percent

Officers
Enlisted

64.6

66.5

Women
Veterans

57.7
51.7

The largest cohort of men veterans served during the
Vietnam era, while the largest cohort of women veterans
served in the Gulf War 2 era (after 9/11) or during
peacetime only. Just over 72 percent of women veterans
served prior to 9/11.10

Women
Nonveterans
31.1

29.0

26.2
13.5

Period of Military Service of Veterans in Percent
Women Veterans

34.9
7.9

World War 2

3.3

10.7

Korean War

12.7
Vietnam Era

27.6

27.7

23.7
5

3.8 3.4

Male Veterans

11.2
Gulf War 1

17-24
24.9

10.4
Gulf War 2

Peacetime Only

Years

25-34
Years

35-44
Years

45-54
Years

55-64
Years

POVERTY LEVELS

In 2011, 10 percent of women veterans and 6.6 percent of
men veterans lived below the poverty threshold. These
rates were lower than for their non-veteran counterparts
(15.6 percent for women non-veterans and 13.3 percent for
men non-veterans).12

6.6% 10% 13.3% 15.6%
Male
Veterans

Page 4

Women
Veterans

Male
Women
Nonveterans Nonveterans

Issue brief
RACE/ETHNICITY

In 2011, women and men veterans of any race were less
likely to be Hispanic than non-veterans. Women veterans
of any race were more likely to be Hispanic than men
veterans.13

Race/Ethnicity of
Women in Percent
Women
Veterans

Race/Ethnicity of
Males in Percent
Male
Veterans

Women
Nonveterans

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES

In 2013, women veterans were more likely to be
unemployed than men veterans and women non-veterans.
However, the difference in the unemployment rate of
women veterans and women non-veterans was not
statistically significant. The unemployment rate for women
veterans was lower than the rate for men non-veterans.16

Male
Nonveterans

80.9
66.9 65.3

62.4

Unemployment
ploy
pl
oyme
oym
oy
men
m
n rate

MEN
VETERANS
%

6.5

25.3
19.5

19.3

15.2

White

Non-White Hispanic

6.8

Unemployment rate

WOMEN
VETERANS
%

6.9

U em
Unemployment
empl me t rate
te
e

MEN
%

NON-VETERANS
N
NON-VETERAN
ONN- ETER
ERAN
ANS

7.5

18.3

13.2

7.8

Non-Hispanic Non-Hispanic

Unemployment rate

WOMEN
NON-VETERANS
ON-VETERAN
ON-VETERANS
%

5.9

White

Non-White

Non-Hispanic Non-Hispanic

Hispanic

SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY

In 2011, about 14.5 percent of women veterans had a
service-connected disability, compared to 15 percent of
men veterans.14

Women
Veterans

14.5%

15%

with a
Service-Connected
Disability

Women
Veterans

with a
Service-Connected
Disability
Who are
Unemployed

Male
Veterans

with a
Service-Connected
Disability

12.2%

5.3%

Male
Veterans

with a
Service-Connected
Disability
Who are
Unemployed

Of those with a service-connected disability, women
veterans were more likely to be unemployed than men
veterans. In 2013, 12.2 percent of women veterans with a
service-connected disability were unemployed, compared
to 5.3 percent of men veterans.15
Page 5

Issue brief
SUMMARY

Comparisons between Women Veterans and Women Non-veterans

Compared to women non-veterans, women veterans:
• Were more likely to be older.
• Were more likely to have completed some college or obtained an Associate degree, a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s
degree or higher.
• Were more likely to be in management, professional and related occupations and less likely to be in service
occupations.
• Were more likely to work in government.
• Had a higher median income.
• Until the age of 34, were more likely to have children under 18 years of age.
• Were less likely to live below the poverty threshold.
• Were less likely to be of Hispanic ethnicity, regardless of race.

Comparisons between Women Veterans and Men Veterans

Compared to men veterans, women veterans:
• Were more likely to be younger.
• Were more likely to be in management, professional and related occupations and in sales and office occupations.
• Were more likely to work in government.
• Had a lower median income and were more likely to have no earnings or income.
• Were more likely to have served as officers.
• Were more likely to have served in the Gulf War 2 era or during peacetime only.
• Were more likely to live below the poverty threshold.
• Were more likely to be Hispanic, regardless of race.
• Were more likely to have a service-connected disability rating.

DEFINITIONS

• Earnings: Salary, wages, and self-employment income. [U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2011
(U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). 2011 American Community Survey PUMS (as cited in U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, NCVAS, Profile of Veterans: 2011 [PDF]). Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/
Profile_of_Veterans_2011.pdf]
• Income: The total of earnings and other sources of income such as pension, Supplemental Security Income, public
assistance, etc. Median Income is calculated for the total population with personal income greater than zero. [U.S.
Census Bureau. (2012). 2011 American Community Survey PUMS (as cited in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
NCVAS, Profile of Veterans: 2011 [PDF]). Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/Profile_of_
Veterans_2011.pdf]
• Non-veterans: Men and women who have never served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. [U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics. (2013). Current Population Survey Data on Women Veterans [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.dol.
gov/vets/womenveterans/outlook.pdf]
• Poverty threshold: Dollar amounts the Census Bureau uses to determine a family’s or person’s poverty status.
[U.S. Census Bureau. (no date). Poverty: Definitions. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/
methods/definitions.html]

Page 6

Issue brief
• Veterans: Men and women who previously served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were civilians at the
time they were surveyed. [U.S. Department of Labor. (2013). Current Population Survey Data on Women Veterans.
Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/vets/womenveterans/outlook.pdf]
• Unemployed persons: Persons aged 16 years and older who had no employment during the reference week, were
available for work, except for temporary illness, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during
the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be recalled to a job from which
they had been laid off need not have been looking for work to be classified as unemployed. [U.S. Department of
Labor. (2013). Bureau of Labor Statistics Glossary. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/bls/glossary.htm]
• Unemployment rate: The unemployment rate represents the number unemployed as a percent of the labor force.
[U.S. Department of Labor. (2013). Bureau of Labor Statistics Glossary. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/bls/
glossary.htm]

ENDNOTES
1

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2010). Veteran Population Projection Model 2011 – National Center for Veterans
Analysis and Statistics [Excel]. Retrieved from most recent version of data source: http://www.va.gov/VETDATA/docs/
Demographics/New_Vetpop_Model/3lVetPop11_Race_National.xlsx

U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). 2011 American Community Survey PUMS (as cited in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
NCVAS, Profile of Veterans: 2011 [PDF]). Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/Profile_of_
Veterans_2011.pdf

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). Current Population Survey, Unpublished Table 9. 2013 annual averages.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014). Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release, Table 4. Employed persons
18 years and over by occupation, sex, veteran status, and period of service, 2013 annual averages. Retrieved from http://
www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.t04.htm

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014). Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release, Table 5. Employed persons
18 years and over by industry, class of worker, sex, veteran status, and period of service, 2013 annual averages.
Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.t05.htm

U.S. Census Bureau. (2013). 2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates [Data file S2101]. Retrieved from http://
factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t#

U.S. Census Bureau. (2011). 2011 American Community Survey PUMS (as cited in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
NCVAS, Profile of Veterans: 2011 [PDF]). Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/Profile_of_
Veterans_2011.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau. (2013). 2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates [Data file B21001]. Retrieved from
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2010). Veteran Population Projection Model 2011 – National Center for Veterans
Analysis and Statistics [Excel]. Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/VETDATA/docs/Demographics/New_Vetpop_
Model/5lVetPop11_Rank.xlsx

Page 7

Issue brief
12

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release, Table 7. Employed persons
18 years and over by veteran status, presence of service-connected disability, period of service, and class of worker,
August 2013, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.t07.htm

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014). Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release, Table 1. Employment status
of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2013 annual
averages. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.t01.htm

Women’s Bureau
Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
October 2014

CONTACT US
Website: www.dol.gov/wb/
E-mail: WomensBureau@dol.gov
Mail:
WOMEN’S BUREAU
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210
Phone: 1-800-827-5335 or (202) 693-6710
Page 8

Full text of Women Veterans Profile

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