Employment Situation of Veterans Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Friday, March 11, 2011                       USDL-11-0306

Technical information:  (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


                           EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF VETERANS -- 2010


The unemployment rate for veterans who served in the military at any time since
September 2001--a group referred to as Gulf War-era II veterans--was 11.5 percent
in 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless rate for
veterans of all eras combined was 8.7 percent, compared with 9.4 percent for non-
veterans. About 25 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans reported having a service-
connected disability in July 2010, compared with about 13 percent of all veterans.
//VET QCT Resilio Test 10/3/2023//

This information was obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly
sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides official statistics on employ-
ment and unemployment in the United States. Data about veterans are collected monthly
in the CPS; those monthly data are the source of the 2010 annual averages presented
in this release. In July 2010, a supplement to the CPS collected additional informa-
tion about veterans on topics such as service-connected disability. Information from
the supplement also is presented in this release. 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. For more information, see the Technical
Note, which provides definitions of terms used in this release.

Highlights from the 2010 data:

   -- Young male veterans (those ages 18 to 24) who served during Gulf War era II
      had an unemployment rate of 21.9 percent in 2010, not statistically different
      from the jobless rate of young male nonveterans (19.7 percent). (See table 2.)

   -- Male Gulf War-era II veterans ages 18 to 24 were more likely to participate
      in the labor force in 2010 than were their nonveteran counterparts--74.0 per-
      cent versus 67.5 percent. (See table 2.)

   -- Among all veterans, those with a service-connected disability had an unem-
      ployment rate of 9.1 percent in July 2010, about the same as the rate for
      veterans with no disability (8.7 percent). (See table 6.)

   -- About one-third of employed veterans with a service-connected disability
      worked in the public sector in July 2010; 1 in 5 veterans with a disability
      were employed by the federal government. (See table 7.)

   -- Gulf War-era II veterans who were current or past members of the Reserve or
      National Guard had an unemployment rate of 14.0 percent in July 2010, com-
      pared with a rate of 12.1 percent for those veterans who had not been mem-
      bers. (See table 8.)

   -- Regardless of their period of service, unemployment rates in 2010 for veterans
      with higher levels of education were lower than for those with less education.
      (See table 3.)

The Veteran Population

In 2010, 20.2 million men and 1.8 million women in the civilian noninstitutional pop-
ulation ages 18 and over were veterans. (See table 1.) In the CPS, veterans are de-
fined as men and women who have previously served on active duty in the U.S. Armed
Forces and who were civilians at the time they were surveyed.

Veterans are more likely to be men and older than were nonveterans. In part, this
reflects the characteristics of veterans who served during World War II, the Korean
War, and the Vietnam era. Veterans who served during these wartime periods account
for one-half (11.0 million) of the total veteran population. A total of 5.1 million
veterans served during Gulf War era I (August 1990 to August 2001) or Gulf War era II
(September 2001 forward). Another 5.9 million served outside the designated wartime
periods. Because age and other demographic differences affect labor force status, the
groups of veterans are examined separately in the next sections.

Gulf War-era II Veterans

In 2010, about 2.2 million of the nation's veterans had served during Gulf War era II.
About 17 percent of these veterans were women, compared with 3 percent of veterans
from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. Nearly two-thirds of all Gulf
War-era II veterans were under the age of 35. (See tables 1 and 2.)

In 2010, a large majority (82.2 percent) of Gulf War-era II veterans participated in
the labor force, and their unemployment rate was 11.5 percent. For those ages 18 to 24,
the unemployment rate was 20.9 percent, higher than that of Gulf War-era II veterans
ages 25 to 34 (13.1 percent). In general, Gulf War-era II veterans had unemployment
rates that were not statistically different from those of nonveterans of the same
gender and age group. (See table 2.)

Gulf War-era II veterans were twice as likely to work in the public sector as were
nonveterans--30 percent and 15 percent, respectively. About 16 percent of employed
veterans of the era worked for the federal government, compared with about 2 percent
of nonveterans. (See table 5.)

Veterans of Gulf War era II and nonveterans had similar occupational profiles after
accounting for gender. About one-third of the men in both groups worked in management
and professional occupations, a higher proportion than in any other major occupational
group. Among women, 44 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans and 41 percent of nonveter-
ans were employed in management and professional occupations. (See table 4.)

The July 2010 veterans supplement included questions to identify veterans who had ser-
ved in Iraq at any time since March 2003 or in Afghanistan at any time since October
2001. In July 2010, approximately one-third of Gulf War-era II veterans reported that
they had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. (Some veterans did not report their lo-
cation of service.) These veterans had an unemployment rate of 14.3 percent, not sta-
tistically different from Gulf War-era II veterans who served elsewhere (11.4 percent).
(See table 9.)

Gulf War-era I Veterans

For the 2.9 million veterans who served during Gulf War era I (August 1990 to August
2001), the proportion that were men (85 percent in 2010) was similar to that of Gulf
War-era II veterans. About 83 percent of the era's veterans were age 35 and over, com-
pared with 35 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans. (See tables 1 and 2.)

The labor force participation rate of veterans from Gulf War era I was 86.5 percent in
2010, slightly higher than the rate of Gulf War-era II veterans (82.2 percent). The un-
employment rate for Gulf War-era I veterans (7.7 percent) was lower than the rate for
Gulf War-era II veterans (11.5 percent). These differences in labor force participation
and unemployment reflect, at least in part, the older age profile of veterans who served
in Gulf War era I. Unemployment rates of Gulf War-era I veterans were not statistically
different from those of nonveterans of the same gender and age group.

Veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Era

In 2010, about 11.0 million veterans had served during World War II, the Korean War, or
the Vietnam era. Nearly all of these veterans were at least 55 years old, and more than
half were at least 65 years old. Virtually all (97 percent) of these veterans were men.
In 2010, just over one-third of male veterans of these earlier wartime periods were in
the labor force, and their unemployment rate was 8.4 percent. Male veterans of these
wartime periods had lower labor force participation rates compared with male nonveter-
ans in the same age categories. (See tables 1 and 2.)

Veterans of Other Service Periods

In 2010, about 5.9 million veterans had served on active duty during "other service 
periods," mainly between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and between the Vietnam
era and Gulf War era I. Because these veterans served between the major wartime periods,
which span several decades, this group has a diverse age profile. About 43 percent of
these veterans were 45 to 54 years old, and another 39 percent were 65 years and over.
(See tables 1 and 2.)

Nine in 10 veterans of other service periods were men. Among most age groups, male
veterans of service periods between the designated wartime periods had labor force
participation rates and unemployment rates that were not statistically different than
those of male nonveterans.

Veterans with a Service-connected Disability

In July 2010, about 2.8 million veterans, or 13 percent of the total, reported having a
service-connected disability. (Some veterans did not report whether they had a service-
connected disability.) Veterans with a service-connected disability are assigned a dis-
ability rating by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Ratings range from 0 to 100
percent, in increments of 10 percentage points, depending on the severity of the condi-
tion. Among veterans with a service-connected disability, about 4 in 10 reported a dis-
ability rating of less than 30 percent, while about 1 in 4 had a rating of 60 percent
or higher. (See table 6.)

Among veterans who served in Gulf War era II, about 1 in 4 (530,000) reported having a
service-connected disability. Of these, 81.0 percent were in the labor force, compared
with 86.2 percent of veterans from this period with no service-connected disability.
Among Gulf War-era II veterans, the unemployment rate of those with a disability was
11.2 percent, not statistically different from those with no disability (13.6 percent).

Nineteen percent (548,000) of veterans who served during Gulf War era I reported a
service-connected disability. Their labor force participation rate (75.8 percent) was
lower than the rate for veterans from the era who did not have a disability (88.7 per-
cent). Unemployment rates for Gulf War-era I veterans with and without service-connected
disabilities were not statistically different (8.8 and 6.8 percent, respectively).

Among the 1.2 million veterans with a service-connected disability from World War II,
the Korean War, and the Vietnam era, 26.2 percent were in the labor force in July 2010,
compared with 36.5 percent of veterans from these periods who did not have a service-
connected disability. The unemployment rate of veterans with a disability from these
wartime periods was 10.1 percent, little different than veterans with no disability
(8.6 percent).

Veterans with a service-connected disability from other service periods had a labor
force participation rate of 53.5 percent, compared with 60.4  percent for veterans with
no disability from these periods. The unemployment rate of veterans with a disability
from other service periods was 5.1 percent, not statistically different from the veter-
ans with no disability--8.1 percent.

Regardless of period of service, many veterans with a service-connected disability worked
in the public sector. In July 2010, 35 percent of employed veterans  with a disability
worked in federal, state, or local government, compared with 21 percent of veterans with
no disability and 14 percent of nonveterans. About 20 percent of employed veterans with a
disability worked for the federal government, compared with 7 percent of veterans with
no disability and 2 percent of nonveterans. (See table 7.)

Reserve and National Guard Membership

A smaller proportion of Gulf War-era I veterans (27 percent) were reported to be cur-
rent or past members of the Reserve or National Guard than Gulf War era-II veterans
(32 percent). Among Gulf War-era II veterans, those who were current or past members
of the Reserve or National Guard had an unemployment rate of 14.0 percent in July 2010,
compared with 12.1 percent for those who had never been members. Labor force participa-
tion rates did not differ significantly by Reserve or National Guard membership for
Gulf War-era II veterans. For veterans of Gulf War era I, labor force participation
rates as well as unemployment rates were similar for Reserve or National Guard members
and non-members. (See table 8.)