Washington, DC – On Tuesday (1/14/2025) the U.S. Census Bureau unveiled an expanded version of the Veteran Employment Outcomes (VEO), an experimental data product that reveals earnings and employment outcomes for U.S. armed forces veterans. Originally launched in 2020, VEO initially provided labor market outcomes for U.S. Army veterans. The latest update broadens its scope to include veterans from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard who were discharged between 2002 and 2021. (Currently, there are no statistics available for Space Force members, as it was established in December 2019.) This update encompasses data on more than 2.8 million formerly enlisted service members.
The expanded VEO covers labor market outcomes one, five, and ten years after discharge, categorized by military occupation, rank, demographics, industry, and geography of employment. The findings reveal that veterans with specialized military training and work experience achieve higher civilian earnings and employment rates compared to infantry and combat veterans.
Key Highlights: Earnings
- Former operational intelligence specialists rank among the highest earners after leaving military service. (The U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force have operational intelligence specialists responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence information, unlike the Coast Guard.)
- In their first year post-service, Army veterans who were operational intelligence specialists typically earned an average of $55,000, whereas former infantry veterans had average earnings of $33,000. Similar disparities were observed among veterans of the Navy, Marines, and Air Force in their initial median earnings.
- Former unmanned vehicle systems operators (such as drone operators) also enjoyed relatively high pay compared to other military occupations. Average earnings included $52,000 for Army veterans, $79,000 for Marine Corps veterans, and $83,000 for Air Force veterans.
Job Type
- Army and Marine Corps veterans who served as enlisted infantry and gun crews predominantly found employment in the Administrative and Support Services and Manufacturing industry sectors.
- The largest share (16%) of new Army and Marine veterans were employed in the Administrative and Support Services sector, followed by Retail Trade, Manufacturing, and Construction sectors.
- Recent Air Force infantry veterans were most likely to be employed in professional services: 15% held federal government jobs, 15% worked in Administrative and Support Services, and 14% were in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services.
Pandemic Impact
- The global recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 may have impacted employment among new Air Force veterans who left service in 2020-2021.
- Air Force veterans had relatively high employment rates in the Transportation sector compared to veterans from other branches, despite the sector being negatively affected by the pandemic.
- The share of new Air Force veterans with stable employment was 46% in 2020-2021, nearly matching the 47% share in 2018-2019. (Stable employment is defined as having worked at least three quarters in the calendar year and earned at least the equivalent of working full-time at the federal minimum wage.)
- In contrast, the share of new veterans from all other branches with stable employment was 54% in 2020-2021, up from 50% in 2018-2019.
The VEO data is made possible through partnerships between the U.S. Department of Defense, State Labor Market Information offices, and the Census Bureau. Currently, VEO data is available at both the state and national levels. For more information, visit Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, and to access the data, check out VEO Explorer.
