The authors of this report analyze data from the American Community Survey, providing valuable context for understanding the social and economic resource environment of veterans and their families and identifying potential gaps and needs.

Veteran Families in America

Daniel Schwam, Meredith Kleykamp, Kayla M. Williams

ResearchPublished Nov 11, 2024

Note: Figures 7 and 8 were revised on November 11, 2024, to correct data. Figure 10 was revised on December 6, 2024, to correct data.

U.S. military families are recognized by the Department of Defense, policymakers, and the public because they play a crucial role in supporting their service members. As a result, military family members have become important stakeholders whose lives are linked to service members and their well-being. Both programmatic support and research have focused on this population. When service members leave the military, they become veterans, retaining social identities and policy relevance albeit under a different name and government agency.

However, the Department of Veterans Affairs lacks the statutory authority to provide care or benefits for the bulk of veteran families. While the agency has a great deal of information about enrolled veterans, little is known about veteran households. The authors of this report attempt to fill that gap by analyzing data from the American Community Survey, providing valuable context for understanding the social and economic resource environment of veterans and identifying potential gaps and needs compared with nonveteran families.

Key Findings

  • Veteran households, defined as those in which either the head of household or spouse (if present) is a veteran, account for around 11 percent of all households in the United States.
  • Veteran households are more likely to be headed by a married or partnered couple than nonveteran households.
  • Nearly 10 percent of marriages involving at least one woman veteran are same-sex marriages (i.e., two women), compared with 0.4 percent of marriages involving at least one man veteran.
  • A slight majority of veteran households do not have experience as an active-duty household (i.e., the couple married after the service member[s] left the armed forces).
  • The composition of the military service member and veteran populations is becoming more demographically diverse: Approximately 17 percent and 40 percent of post-2001 service members and veterans are female and non-White, respectively.
  • Veteran households have a distinct advantage over nonveteran households (via larger income) and are somewhat better protected against potential employment shocks.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 2024
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 36
  • Paperback Price: $19.00
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 1-9774-1444-3
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA1363-19
  • Document Number: RR-A1363-19

Citation

RAND Style Manual

Schwam, Daniel, Meredith Kleykamp, and Kayla M. Williams, Veteran Families in America, RAND Corporation, RR-A1363-19, 2024. As of April 30, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1363-19.html

Chicago Manual of Style

Schwam, Daniel, Meredith Kleykamp, and Kayla M. Williams, Veteran Families in America. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1363-19.html. Also available in print form.
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Funding for this research was made possible by a generous gift from Daniel J. Epstein through the Epstein Family Foundation. The research was conducted by the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute within RAND Education and Labor.

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