More than 2.8 million enlisted service members were honorably discharged from the military across all six branches between 2002 and 2021. How did they fare when they returned to the civilian labor force?
New U.S. Census Bureau data illustrate how veterans made the move to civilian jobs by their branch of service, occupation and when they left the military.
Former drone operators and operational intelligence specialists have some of the highest earnings after leaving service, particularly veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
This initial transition to civilian employment marks a crucial step for veterans as they navigate the many challenges associated with leaving military service.
The Census Bureau has partnered with the Department of Defense (DOD) to update and expand the experimental Veterans Employment Outcomes (VEO) data first released in 2020. VEO previously featured data on U.S. Army veterans and now includes all branches of the military as well as additional veteran cohorts.
These data show important differences in earnings and employment across military rank and occupation, regardless of the branch of military service.
For example, infantry and combat veterans (or their equivalent in certain branches have lower civilian earnings and employment rates than those with more specialized military training and work experience.
How Military Occupations Translate to the Civilian Labor Market
Former drone operators and operational intelligence specialists have some of the highest earnings after leaving service, particularly veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
The specialized skills developed in these military occupations are highly valued by civilian employers in a wide range of industries, such as professional, scientific, and technical services, manufacturing, and the federal government.
In contrast, Air Force and Coast Guard veterans who worked as aircraft mechanics have relatively lower earnings, which may reflect the narrower set of civilian job options that match their skills.
Veterans formerly employed in infantry or combat jobs have relatively lower earnings in the civilian labor market. This is true across all branches of the military.
The partnership between the Census Bureau and DOD also allows for a better understanding of the industries veterans work in after leaving military service:
- Infantry veterans of the Army and Marine Corps primarily end up working in the administrative and support services, manufacturing, and retail trade sectors.
- Air Force veterans are primarily employed in professional services.
- Many Coast Guard veterans find employment in public administration.
The highest paying jobs for veterans are mainly in the professional services sector, especially for Air Force veterans, where security and weapons development firms are likely to value veterans’ experience with military technology.
Differences in Civilian Earnings
Veterans from some demographic groups have varied experiences when entering the civilian labor market.
The typical earnings for women, for example, are lower than that of men one year after leaving service, regardless of their branch of service.
Among veterans of the Army and Marine Corps, this gap in initial median annual earnings has averaged about $5,600 from 2002-2020. For Air Force and Navy veterans, however, this initial earnings gap is about twice as large over the same period.
In contrast, earnings differences across race and ethnicity tend to be smaller across all branches.
Leaving the Military During a Recession
Prior Census Bureau research showed that Army veterans leaving military service during the Great Recession were half as likely to be steadily employed after one year compared to those who left when the labor market was stronger.
With the benefit of additional data, we see a similar pattern across all military branches: new veterans were more likely to find steady work as the labor market improved after 2011.
The “Pandemic Recession” of 2020 appears to have affected new veterans less than the 2007-2009 Great Recession, except for Air Force veterans. They fared worse than other veterans, likely because of disruptions to air travel in the wake of the pandemic.
