Veterans Day 2012: Nov. 11

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Veterans

21.5 million

The number of military veterans in the United States in 2011.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/S2101>

1.6 million

The number of female veterans in 2011.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21001>

2.3 million

The number of black veterans in 2011. Additionally, 1.2 million veterans were Hispanic; 264,695 were Asian; 153,223 were American Indian or Alaska Native; 27,469 were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and 17.2 million were non-Hispanic white. (The numbers for blacks, Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and non-Hispanic whites cover only those reporting a single race.)
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21001B>
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21001D>
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21001I>
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/C21001C>
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21001E>
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21001H>

9.2 million

The number of veterans 65 and older in 2011. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.8 million were younger than 35.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21001>

When They Served

7.5 million

Number of Vietnam-era veterans in 2011: 5.1 million served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present); 1.8 million in World War II (1941-1945); 2.4 million in the Korean War (1950-1953); and 5.4 million in peacetime only.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21002>

51,079

Number of living veterans in 2011 who served during the Vietnam era and both Gulf War eras and no other period.
Other living veterans in 2011 who served during three wars:
43,942 served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam era.
Living veterans in 2011 who served during two wars and no other period:
876,663 served during both Gulf War eras.
205,205 served during both the Korean War and the Vietnam era.
129,972 served during both World War II and the Korean War.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21002>

Where They Live

3

Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in 2011. These states were California
(1.9 million), Florida (1.6 million) and Texas (1.6 million).
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/S2101/0400000US06|0400000US12|0400000US48>

14.0%

Percent of people 18 and older in Alaska who were veterans in 2011. The percent of the 18-and- older population who were veterans was 12 percent or more in Maine, Montana, Virginia and Wyoming.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/DP02/0400000US02|0400000US23|0400000US30|0400000US51|0400000US56>

Income

$35,821

Annual median income of veterans, in 2011 inflation-adjusted dollars, compared with
$25,811 for the population as a whole.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/S2101>

On the Job

9.1 million

Number of veterans 18 to 64 in the labor force in 2011.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/C21005>

Disabilities

3.5 million

Number of veterans with a service-connected disability rating. Of this number, 810,245 have a rating of 70 percent or higher. Severity of one’s disability is scaled from 0 to 100 percent and eligibility for compensation depends on one’s rating.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/B21100>