Yesterday was Veterans Day in the U.S., but considering there are 17.9 million veterans in the United States – which is about 7% of the civilian population over 18 – stories about veterans can happen any time of the year. Here are some resources to help you include veterans in your business stories.
First, who are they?
According to the Census Bureau, the first data on veterans to be published by the U.S. government was in the 1840 census for pensioners of the Revolutionary War. When veterans’ benefits were expanded in the early 1900s, collecting census data on this population became more important for the government and was regularly included in the decennial census until 2010.
Today, data on veterans are collected through a number of annual surveys by the Census Bureau, including the American Community Survey and the American Housing Survey. Additionally, they have started a new experimental survey, the Veteran Employment Outcomes, which collects labor market outcomes for recently discharged Army veterans, including where they work and in what industries.
By the way, the 1980 census was the first to collect data on female veterans – before then only men were counted as veterans. Currently, women account for around 10% of veterans, but that number is expected to almost double by 2040.
Where they work
If you are interested in knowing more about where veterans work, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is your next stop as “veteran” is a demographic characteristic they collect. First, you can see how many veterans are employed in your state by looking at one of their tables, such as this one. This table shows that in 2023, the states with the most veterans were Texas, Florida, and California – which are also the most populous states in the U.S. This table also shows the average unemployment rate of veterans last year was 2.8%, which is slightly lower than the unemployment for nonveterans which hovered around 3.6% for most of the year. You can view the full 2023 report here.
View more data the BLS collects on veterans here.
Veterans as business owners
According to the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, “Veteran-owned businesses had an estimated $922.2 billion in receipts, 3.3 million employees, and $179.9 billion in annual payroll” in 2022. The Small Business Administration includes a page for veteran-owned businesses to help grow their business, which includes training programs, funding options, and where owners can get expert advice.
If you are interested in interviewing a veteran business owner near you, you can start by checking out veteranownedbusiness.com, a directory of small businesses owned by U.S. veterans.
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An additional resource provided by one of our readers: Military OneSource has an article on programs that hire veterans.
