By the Numbers: 10 March 2025
6.9%
The percentage of "veterans (who) met criteria for past-year serious psychological distress," according to a report from the RAND Corporation -- A Summary of Veteran-Related Statistics.
Other key findings:
- Veterans are declining as a percentage of the overall population and are, on average, older, more likely to be male, and less racially or ethnically diverse than the overall nonveteran population.
- The population of post-9/11 veterans is younger, more diverse (in terms of sex and race and ethnicity), and more educated than earlier cohorts of veterans and is growing in absolute size, although it remains less than one-quarter of the overall veteran population.
- Within every age group, the prevalence of binge drinking and alcohol use disorder was numerically higher for veterans than for nonveterans.
- Younger veterans (under age 65) were more likely than nonveteran peers to get mental health treatment, whereas older veterans (age 65 and older) were less likely than nonveteran peers to get treatment. For every age group, veterans were more likely than nonveterans to get alcohol/drug treatment.
- Veterans exhibited slightly higher labor force participation rates than nonveterans.
- Veterans experienced significantly different unemployment rates and labor force participation rates based on their race and ethnicity and compared with nonveterans.
- Veterans less frequently possessed college and advanced degrees than nonveterans.
- Veterans were overrepresented in public administration, transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing industries and underrepresented in educational services, health care and social assistance, and accommodation and food service industries compared with nonveterans.
- Working-age veterans were more heavily concentrated in mid– to upper–family income brackets than nonveterans.
6.9%
The percentage of "veterans (who) met criteria for past-year serious psychological distress," according to a report from the RAND Corporation -- A Summary of Veteran-Related Statistics.
Other key findings:
- Veterans are declining as a percentage of the overall population and are, on average, older, more likely to be male, and less racially or ethnically diverse than the overall nonveteran population.
- The population of post-9/11 veterans is younger, more diverse (in terms of sex and race and ethnicity), and more educated than earlier cohorts of veterans and is growing in absolute size, although it remains less than one-quarter of the overall veteran population.
- Within every age group, the prevalence of binge drinking and alcohol use disorder was numerically higher for veterans than for nonveterans.
- Younger veterans (under age 65) were more likely than nonveteran peers to get mental health treatment, whereas older veterans (age 65 and older) were less likely than nonveteran peers to get treatment. For every age group, veterans were more likely than nonveterans to get alcohol/drug treatment.
- Veterans exhibited slightly higher labor force participation rates than nonveterans.
- Veterans experienced significantly different unemployment rates and labor force participation rates based on their race and ethnicity and compared with nonveterans.
- Veterans less frequently possessed college and advanced degrees than nonveterans.
- Veterans were overrepresented in public administration, transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing industries and underrepresented in educational services, health care and social assistance, and accommodation and food service industries compared with nonveterans.
- Working-age veterans were more heavily concentrated in mid– to upper–family income brackets than nonveterans.