Veterans of Virginia
Virginia is home to nearly 720,000 veterans. In observance of National Veterans Day (11 November), we developed a brief demographic profile of veterans in the Commonwealth.
Who are they?
About a third of veterans are between the ages of 35 – 55. While nationally only 8 percent of veterans are women, in Virginia the share is higher at 12 percent.
Three-quarters of the veteran population are White, and 20 percent are Black or African American; Asians and individuals identifying with two or more races each account for about 1.5 percent. Four percent of veterans are Hispanic or Latino, who may be of any race.
Where are they?
Concentration of veterans is highest in Northern Virginia and in the Hampton Roads region. Nearly 82,000 veterans live in Fairfax County while 62,000 are residents of Virginia Beach.
When did they serve?
Finally, a look at the historical service records tells us the duration of service for veterans above 18 years of age. The timeline tracks the main military engagements, spanning from the Pre-World War II era until now – broken up by the proportion of veterans who have been involved in the military over the time horizon graphed below. Over a third of Virginia’s veterans served between 1990 and 2013, and more than a quarter served during the Vietnam Era.
More information on veterans of the United States Armed Forces is available at Virginia Department of Veteran Services as well as the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
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NOTE: All data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2013 3-Year American Community Survey.