While the number of veterans in the U.S. is dropping, those changes are not yet reflected in Arizona, which is among the states with the most veterans and where there is a growing demand for veterans services.
With veterans accounting for about 11% of the state’s population, Arizona ranks 15th in veteran population per capita according to the U.S. Census Bureau and higher in terms of overall veteran population with more than 500,000 veterans in the state.
Nationally, veterans account for about 7% of U.S. adults as of 2018, down from 18% in 1980, according to the census. A big part of that decline came with the end of the draft era, with 3.5 million active-duty military members in 1968 compared with a 1.4 million all-volunteer force.
