By the Numbers: 18 June 2018

By the Numbers: 18 June 2018

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The number of counties among 3,142 in the U.S. in which no military Veterans live, according to a Military Times article about a new study by the Purdue Military Families Research Institute (MFRI) and the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) -- Measuring Communities: The State of Military and Veteran Families in the United States.

From the Military Times article:
Kalawao County, Hawaii, had 88 residents in 2016, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate. The bureau said it also had a half-dozen veteran residents between 2012 and 2016, but according to an analysis conducted by Purdue University’s Military Family Research Institute, that number rested at zero in 2016.

Areas of that county were developed and used for more than 100 years for the quarantine and treatment of people with Hansen’s Disease, also known as leprosy, before a cure was developed.

Two Texas counties, Loving and King, had two or three veteran residents, based on data from the Veterans Affairs Department used by the researchers. Those counties had 113 and 289 residents, respectively, in 2016, per census figures.

From a Purdue University press release:
Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, MFRI director and Purdue professor of human development and family studies, said the Measuring Communities report represents a starting place from which communities and organizations can track change, monitor evolving needs and opportunities, and focus their time, effort and resources.

“The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan now stretch well into their second decade and have produced a new generation of veterans who bring great assets to communities, and sometimes have unique requirements,” MacDermid Wadsworth said. “It is essential that we optimize our ability to make smart decisions about how to support those who serve our nation, as well as their families. We hope that organizations everywhere will use today’s report and our Measuring Communities tool to access the data they need to support military and veteran families in the most effective and efficient way possible.”

The Measuring Communities tool, already used by more than 60 organizations, enables real-time data analysis across a range of issues offering rich and nuanced data points about military-connected individuals in the communities in which they live. Those who wish to utilize the tool can register for access by visiting www.measuringcommunities.org.