Veterans and Employment in 2024: What BLS Reported in 2025
In March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published its annual report on the employment situation of U.S. veterans.
The report provides data on employment and unemployment among veterans in 2024, along with additional information about service-connected disabilities and different periods of military service.
Here are some of the key findings.
What was the unemployment rate for veterans?
BLS reported an unemployment rate of 3.0% for all veterans in 2024.
For comparison, the unemployment rate for nonveterans was 3.9%.
BLS described the veteran unemployment rate as little changed over the year.
Among veterans who had served on active duty at any time since September 2001—a group BLS refers to as Gulf War-era II veterans—the unemployment rate was 3.2% in 2024.
How many veterans were in the U.S. population?
BLS reported that 17.6 million people were veterans in 2024.
Veterans represented about 7% of the civilian noninstitutional population age 18 and older.
About 12% of veterans were women.
For purposes of the BLS survey, veterans are people who previously served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were civilians when the data were collected.
How many veterans were unemployed?
BLS reported approximately 250,000 unemployed veterans in 2024.
Among them:
60% were ages 25 to 54
35% were age 55 or older
5% were ages 18 to 24
These figures describe the age distribution of unemployed veterans in the BLS data.
What did BLS report about veterans with service-connected disabilities?
BLS reported that, in August 2024, 5.5 million veterans, or 31% of all veterans, had a service-connected disability.
BLS explains that service-connected disability ratings are assigned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense.
Among employed veterans with a service-connected disability, 36.5% worked in the public sector in August 2024.
BLS reported that 19.8% of employed veterans without a service-connected disability and 12.4% of employed nonveterans worked in the public sector during the same period.
What does the data show?
The BLS report provides a national picture of veterans in the U.S. labor market during 2024.
The data shows:
An unemployment rate of 3.0% for all veterans
17.6 million veterans in the civilian noninstitutional population age 18 and older
Approximately 250,000 unemployed veterans
31% of veterans reporting a service-connected disability in August 2024
These figures describe employment and labor-force characteristics reported by BLS. They do not, by themselves, explain why employment outcomes differ between groups.
From Workforce Data to Career Opportunity
BLS provides a national picture of veterans’ participation in the labor market.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the veteran unemployment rate in 2024?
BLS reported an unemployment rate of 3.0% for all veterans in 2024.
How many veterans were there in the United States?
BLS reported 17.6 million veterans in 2024, representing about 7% of the civilian noninstitutional population age 18 and older.
What does BLS mean by Gulf War-era II veterans?
BLS uses the term for veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001.
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Sources & References
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, March 20). Employment situation of veterans — 2024. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/vet_03202025.htm
