Discussion 9

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Today, women represent 16 percent of the enlisted forces and 19 percent of the officer corps. Ismael Ortega/U.S. Air Force via Reuters

Deployed around the world, the armed forces are a

pillar of U.S. power and influence abroad. But many

civilians are unfamiliar with their composition. How

much does the military resemble U.S. society?

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors

Last updated July 13, 2020 9:00 am (EST)

Demographics of the U.S. Military

Introduction

The U.S. military has taken significant steps over the past decade to build a more

diverse and inclusive force that attracts the country’s top talent. In particular, the

services have opened more doors for women in recent years, ending restrictions on

combat roles. However, women and racial and ethnic minorities remain

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underrepresented in parts of the military, particularly at the highest levels of

leadership. The military has also opened its ranks to openly gay individuals, but it

has maintained broad prohibitions on those who are transgender.

What are the military services?

The organizational structure of the U.S. military is complex. The Department of

Defense has three military departments—Army, Navy, and Air Force—but there

are six armed services. The Army is organized within its own department, while

the navy and Marine Corps both fall under the Department of the Navy, and the

Air Force and the newly established Space Force are services within the

Department of the Air Force.

The Coast Guard is by law “a military service and a branch of the armed forces”

but is part of the Department of Homeland Security. That is because the coast

guard is predominately a law enforcement agency, although it does deploy with

the navy and marine corps on certain missions. Collectively, the three maritime

forces are sometimes called the sea services.

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Sheila A. Smith

Additionally, there are seven reserve military forces [PDF], which will not be

discussed here.

How big are the military services?

The United States ended the draft for military service in 1973, transitioning to the

all-volunteer force that exists today. At that time, the active component of the

military, excluding the coast guard, comprised 1.9 million men and women, or

about 1 percent of the population. Now, there are about 1.3 million active-duty

personnel, or less than one-half of 1 percent of the U.S. population.

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The army is the largest U.S. military service, followed by the navy, air force, marine

corps, and coast guard. The space force became its own branch of the armed

services in late 2019 and is still developing.

How old are service members?

Active-Duty Personnel by Service, 2018

Coast Guard (3%)Marine Corps

(14%) Army (35%)

Total: 1.3M

Air Force (24%) Navy

(24%)

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

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The military, which has strict age limits, is younger than the civilian population,

but the numbers differ significantly by service. The age ranges of the services vary

most on the enlisted side: the coast guard tends to have older members, and

marines tend to be younger. About 70 percent of enlisted marines are twenty-four

years old or younger, compared with about 30 percent of enlisted coast guard

members.

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How affluent are enlisted recruits?

Age Distribution by Service, 2018 Age of active-duty commissioned officers and enlisted force

17–24 25–34 35–44 45+

Officers 0% 100%

Army

Navy

Marine Corps

Air Force

Coast Guard

Enlisted 0% 100%

Army

Navy

Marine Corps

Air Force

Coast Guard

Recruit age cutoffs

Marine Corps: 28 Navy: 34 Army: 35 Air Force: 39 Coast Guard: 39

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

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Most members of the military come from middle-class neighborhoods. The middle

three quintiles for household income were overrepresented among enlisted

recruits, and the top and bottom quintiles were underrepresented.

Where are enlisted recruits from?

Enlisted military members come from all fifty states and the District of Columbia,

but some contribute more than others. In absolute terms, the top five for

recruitment in 2018 were California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and

New York, which is reflective of their relatively large populations.

Middle Class Overrepresented Among Recruits Share of recruits by neighborhood income level

Civilian Share of recruits benchmark

| | 17%$87,851 and over

21%$66,598–$87,850 22%$53,549–$66,597

21%$41,692–$53,548 19%Up to $41,691

15% 10% 20%

Notes: Income ranges represent the median household income quintiles for all U.S. census tracts. Each quintile includes 20 percent of the U.S. population. Coast Guard data not available.

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

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Another way of analyzing this data is to look at representation ratios, which show

recruits as a share of a jurisdiction’s residents between the ages of eighteen and

twenty-four. From this perspective, the picture is significantly different. A ratio of

1.0 means the jurisdiction’s share of recruits in 2018 was equal to its share of

eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds.

Number of Enlisted Recruits, 2018 Number of recruits

0–2K 2K–4K 4K–6K 6K or more

AK ME

VT NH

WA ID MT ND MN IL WI MI NY RI MA

OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT

KYCA UT CO NE MO WV VA MD DE

NM TN DCKSAZ AR NC SC

AL GAOK LA MS

TX FLHI

California had the largest number of people enlist in the services, with 19,504 recruits.

Notes: Coast Guard data not available.

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

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South Carolina had the highest representation ratio, at 1.5, meaning it contributed

50 percent more than its share of the country's eighteen- to twenty-four-year-old

population. Florida, Hawaii, Georgia, and Alabama round out the top five. On the

other end of the spectrum—jurisdictions that contribute fewer recruits than their

share of eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds, or those with ratios less than 1.0—are

Washington, DC, North Dakota, Massachusetts, Utah, and Rhode Island.

Representation of States Among Enlisted Recruits, 2018 Ratio of enlisted recruits to civilian 18–24 year olds

Underrepresented Overrepresented

0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5

AK ME

VT NH

ND MN IL WI MI NY RIWA ID MT MA

PA NJ CTOR NV WY SD IA IN OH

KYCA UT CO NE MO WV VA MD DE

DCNM KS TNAZ AR NC SC

AL GAOK LA MS

TX FLHI

Washington, DC, had the lowest ratio, at 0.3.

South Carolina had the largest, with 1.5.

Notes: Coast Guard data not available.

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

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How racially and ethnically diverse is the military?

Federal agencies categorize race into five groups—white, Black or African

American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or other

Pacific Islander. Ethnicity, which the government considers distinct from race, is

divided into two categories: Hispanic or Latino, and not Hispanic or Latino. The

racial and ethnic diversity of enlisted recruits varies considerably across the

services and between genders.

Race and Ethnicity of Enlisted Recruits by Service and Gender, 2018 Hispanic, considered an ethnicity and not a race, overlaps with racial categories.

100% 0% 100%

Male Female

Civilian labor force, 18–44

White

Black

Asian

Hispanic (ethnicity)

Lines indicate the civilian labor force percentage as

a point of comparison.

In all the services, minority representation is higher among female recruits than among male recruits.

Army

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Navy

Marine Corps

Air Force

Coast Guard

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Racial diversity decreases at the upper echelons of the military. While the officer

corps has similar levels of racial diversity as the general population, those with

higher ranks—generals in the air force, army, and marine corps, and admirals in

the coast guard and navy—are disproportionately white. There is an even greater

ethnic disparity in the top ranks.

Notes: Only the three largest racial categories were included—white, Black, and Asian. Numbers do not add to one hundred because of excluded groups and because Hispanic ethnicity is considered separately from race.

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

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At what levels are women serving?

Race and Ethnicity by Rank, 2018

Race

White Black Asian Other

General/flag officers

All officers

Enlisted

U.S. (age 18–64)

0% 100%

Ethnicity

Non-Hispanic Hispanic

General/flag officers

All officers

Enlisted

U.S. (age 18–64)

0% 100%

Notes: Hispanic, considered an ethnicity and not a race, overlaps with racial categories.

Source: Congressional Research Service.

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When the draft ended in 1973, women represented just 2 percent of the enlisted

forces and 8 percent of the officer corps. Today, those numbers are 16 percent and

19 percent, respectively, a significant increase over the past half century.

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

Percentage of Female Enlisted Recruits, 1970–2018

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Navy Army Marine Corps Air Force

Note: Coast Guard data not available.

Again, the numbers vary widely by service. Women accounted for about one-fifth

of the officers in every military service except the marine corps, where they made

up just 8 percent of the total. In the army, air force, and coast guard, the ratio of

women officers was higher than that for women enlisted.

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Do LGBTQ+ individuals serve in the military?

The military does not report data on LGBTQ+ service members.

Women’s Representation by Service and Rank, 2018 Female representation among active-duty commissioned officers and enlisted force

Army

19%Officers

14%Enlisted

Navy

19%Officers

20%Enlisted

Marine Corps

8%Officers

9%Enlisted

Air Force

21%Officers

20%Enlisted

Coast Guard

23%Officers

13%Enlisted

Source: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

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President Barack Obama’s administration allowed openly gay individuals to serve

in the military with its repeal of the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2010. Prior to

that, gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals could serve but were forced to conceal

their sexual orientation.

In 2016, President Obama allowed transgender individuals to also serve openly in

the armed forces, but the policy shift was later reversed by President Donald J.

Trump. Today, the military does not accept transgender recruits, with few

exceptions, but it allows those who entered between the 2016 decision and

Trump’s reversal to continue to serve.

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