Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 04-1378 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Media contact: 691-5902 Tuesday, July 27, 2004 EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF VETERANS: AUGUST 2003 Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces were less likely to be unemployed than nonveterans in August 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Veterans had an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent, compared with 5.9 percent for nonveterans. Veterans who had been recently discharged from the Armed Forces had a jobless rate of 6.9 percent. Nine percent of all veterans had a service-connected disability. (Beginning with this release, the focus has been expanded to cover all veterans, not just those who served during the Vietnam era.) The survey of veterans was conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau as a special supplement to the August 2003 Current Population Survey (CPS). The 2003 supplement was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service. Such a biennial supplement has been conducted since 1985. For a description of the survey, including definitions of terms used in this release, see the Technical Note. Characteristics of Veterans There were 23.7 million veterans (men and women) in the civilian non- institutional population as of August 2003. About 15 million, or nearly two-thirds, served during either World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam era. Accordingly, 62 percent of all veterans were at least 55 years old and nearly 40 percent were 65 years old or over. Only about 1 percent of all veterans were under the age of 25. About 8.6 million veterans served during other service periods, which include the periods between World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era, as well as the period from the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975 to the present. The majority of all veterans, 87 percent, were white, 10 percent were black, 1 percent were Asian, and 5 percent were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Six percent of all veterans (1.4 million) were women. (See tables 1 and 2.) The unemployment rates of male veterans ages 25 to 34 (4.7 percent) and ages 35 to 44 (3.8 percent) were lower than the rates of their nonveteran peers (6.3 and 4.8 percent, respectively) in August 2003. Among those 45 to 54 years old, however, veterans had a higher jobless rate than non- veterans (5.4 versus 3.6 percent). Female veterans ages 25 to 34 had a relatively high unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, but the rate was much lower for those ages 35 to 44 (3.4 percent). Among female nonveterans in these age groups, unemployment rates did not differ nearly as much--6.2 percent for those 25 to 34 years and 5.2 percent for those 35 to 44 years old. Female veterans ages 45 to 54 had a jobless rate of 5.4 percent, little different from their nonveteran contemporaries. - 2 - The rate of unemployment for black veterans was much lower than for black nonveterans--4.8 percent compared with 11.3 percent in August 2003. For whites, the unemployment rate for veterans was only somewhat lower than the rate for nonveterans--4.5 percent versus 5.1 percent. Among Hispanics, veterans and nonveterans both had unemployment rates around 7 percent. The employment distribution for male veterans and nonveterans was very similar. About 90 percent of male veterans were employed in four of the five major occupational categories: management and professional occupa- tions; production, transportation, and material moving occupations; sales and office occupations; and natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations. Among women, around three-fourths of veterans as well as non- veterans worked in two major job categories--management and professional occupations and sales and office occupations. (See table 3.) Disabled Veterans In August 2003, about 2.2 million veterans, or 9 percent of the total, reported having a service-connected disability. (See table 4.) Veterans with a service-connected disability are assigned a disability rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ratings range from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percentage points, depending on the severity of the con- dition. Nearly half of disabled veterans reported a disability rating of less than 30 percent, while 21 percent had a rating of 60 percent or higher. The incidence of service-connected disabilities was not very different between those who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Viet- nam era and those who served during other service periods. However, veterans of the three selected wartime periods were more likely than other veterans to have a very serious disability. Among disabled veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era, 24 percent had a disability rating of 60 per- cent or more; among disabled veterans of other service periods, 14 percent re- ported such a disability rating. Only one-third of the disabled veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era were in the labor force in August 2003. This low rate of labor force participation reflects the age of this group (80 percent were 55 years or older) as well as the effect of their disabilities. Among veterans of these periods who did not have a service-connected disability, 46 percent were in the labor force. The unemployment rate of disabled veterans of the selected wartime periods was 3.5 percent. Among veterans of other service periods with a disability, 75 percent were in the labor force, essentially the same as the proportion for non- disabled veterans from these periods. The unemployment rate of disabled veterans from other service periods was 6.1 percent. About 16 percent of employed disabled veterans worked for the federal government. This compares with 6 percent of nondisabled veterans and 2 percent of nonveterans. Nearly 30 percent of disabled veterans were employed in federal, state, and local government combined, compared with 17 percent of nondisabled veterans and 14 percent of nonveterans. (See table 5.) Veterans Recently Discharged from Active Duty Nearly 450,000 veterans were discharged from active duty between January 2001 and August 2003. Women made up 13 percent of these recently discharged veterans, blacks made up 12 percent, and Hispanics made up 9 percent. All of these percentages were greater than these groups' share of total veterans. The labor force participation rate for recently discharged veterans was 89 percent, and their unemployment rate was 6.9 percent. (See table 6.) - 3 - One in five recently discharged veterans had a service-connected disabil- ity. Nearly three-fifths of the newly separated veterans with a disability had a disability rating of 30 percent or higher, compared with about two- fifths of veterans discharged between 1991 and 2000. (See table 7.) ---------------------------------------------------------------- | NOTE: This release has been changed to reflect a shift in | | focus from veterans of the Vietnam era to veterans from all | | service periods. Because of the changing composition of the | | veteran population, this news release does not identify | | Vietnam-era veterans separately as was done in prior releases | | based on the biennial veterans supplement. | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- Technical Note The estimates in this release were obtained from a supplement to the August 2003 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 60,000 households which provides the national data on total employment and unemployment. The CPS is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The supplement was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and by the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service. Questions were asked of persons 18 years of age and older regarding their prior service in the U.S. Armed Forces and whether they had a service-connected disability. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339. Reliability of the estimates Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates will differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies de- pending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct infor- mation, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. Stand- ard practice in the CPS is for one member of the household to answer ques- tions for all the household members. In the case of the supplementary questions about veterans, however, several attempts were made to collect the information directly from the veterans. This was done because some of the information would be best provided by the veterans themselves. For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and infor- mation on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and Esti- mates of Error" section of the BLS monthly periodical, Employment and Earn- ings. Definitions The definitions underlying the data in this release are as follows: Veterans are men and women who previously served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Members of the Reserves and National Guard are counted as veterans if they had ever been called to active duty. Nonveterans are men and women who never served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam-era veterans are men and women who served in the Armed Forces during these periods, regardless of where they served. Veterans of other service periods are men and women who served in the Armed Forces at any time other than World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. Although U.S. Armed Forces were engaged in several armed conflicts during other service periods, these conflicts were more limited in scope and included a smaller proportion of the Armed Forces than the three selected wartime periods. Veterans who served during one of the se- lected wartime periods and during another period are classified as World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam-era veterans. Veteran status is provided from responses to the question, "Did you ever serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces?" Period of service is provided from answers to the question asked of veterans, "When did you serve?" The following service periods are identified: Vietnam era -- February 1961-May 1975 Korean War -- June 1950-January 1955 World War II -- September 1940-July 1947 Other service periods -- All other periods Vietnam-era veterans are those who served anywhere between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975, plus those who were in Southeast Asia between February 28, 1961, and August 4, 1964. Presence of service-connected disability is provided by answers to the question, "Has the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Department of Defense determined that you have a service-connected disability; that is, a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service?" Service-connected disability rating is based on answers to the question, "What is your current service-connected disability rating?" Answers can range from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percentage points. Ratings are determined from a rating schedule published in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 38, "Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief," Part 4--"Schedule for Rating Disabilities." The rating schedule is "primarily a guide in the evaluation of disability resulting from all types of diseases and injuries encountered as a result of or incident to military service. The percentage ratings represent, as far as can practi- cably be determined, the average impairment in earning capacity resulting from such diseases and injuries and their residual conditions in civil oc- cupations." Part 4 contains a listing of hundreds of possible disorders and assigns ratings of 0 through 100 percent in steps of 10 percent for each, with instructions for rating multiple disorders. Year of discharge is determined by answers to the question, "In what year were you last separated from active duty in the Armed Forces?" Table 1. Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Veteran status, period of service, Civilian Employed Unemployed Not in sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino noninsti- Percent labor ethnicity tutional of force population Total popula- Percent Percent tion Total of Total of popula- labor tion force TOTAL Total, 18 years and over.............. 212,931 143,737 67.5 135,427 63.6 8,310 5.8 69,194 Veterans........................... 23,731 13,483 56.8 12,882 54.3 601 4.5 10,248 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era............................ 15,158 6,953 45.9 6,630 43.7 323 4.7 8,204 Other service periods............ 8,573 6,530 76.2 6,252 72.9 278 4.3 2,044 Nonveterans........................ 189,200 130,253 68.8 122,545 64.8 7,709 5.9 58,947 Men Total, 18 years and over.............. 102,223 77,001 75.3 72,686 71.1 4,315 5.6 25,222 Veterans........................... 22,331 12,603 56.4 12,049 54.0 554 4.4 9,728 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era............................ 14,690 6,804 46.3 6,491 44.2 313 4.6 7,885 Other service periods............ 7,641 5,799 75.9 5,558 72.7 241 4.2 1,843 Nonveterans........................ 79,892 64,398 80.6 60,638 75.9 3,761 5.8 15,494 Women Total, 18 years and over.............. 110,708 66,736 60.3 62,741 56.7 3,995 6.0 43,972 Veterans........................... 1,400 880 62.9 833 59.5 47 5.4 520 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era............................ 468 149 31.9 139 29.7 10 6.9 319 Other service periods............ 932 731 78.5 694 74.5 37 5.0 201 Nonveterans........................ 109,308 65,855 60.2 61,907 56.6 3,948 6.0 43,453 White Total, 18 years and over.............. 174,865 118,160 67.6 112,205 64.2 5,954 5.0 56,705 Veterans........................... 20,696 11,521 55.7 11,008 53.2 513 4.5 9,175 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era............................ 13,633 6,230 45.7 5,941 43.6 288 4.6 7,403 Other service periods............ 7,062 5,291 74.9 5,066 71.7 224 4.2 1,772 Nonveterans........................ 154,169 106,639 69.2 101,198 65.6 5,441 5.1 47,530 Black or African American Total, 18 years and over.............. 24,458 16,318 66.7 14,568 59.6 1,750 10.7 8,141 Veterans........................... 2,278 1,480 65.0 1,409 61.8 72 4.8 798 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era............................ 1,114 524 47.0 489 43.9 35 6.6 590 Other service periods............ 1,164 956 82.2 920 79.0 37 3.8 208 Nonveterans........................ 22,180 14,838 66.9 13,159 59.3 1,679 11.3 7,343 Asian Total, 18 years and over.............. 9,016 6,088 67.5 5,729 63.5 359 5.9 2,928 Veterans........................... 225 131 58.5 130 57.7 2 1.3 93 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era............................ 134 51 38.1 51 37.9 - - 83 Other service periods............ 90 80 88.9 79 87.3 1 1.9 10 Nonveterans........................ 8,792 5,957 67.8 5,600 63.7 357 6.0 2,835 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total, 18 years and over.............. 26,270 18,392 70.0 17,052 64.9 1,340 7.3 7,879 Veterans........................... 1,078 700 64.9 654 60.7 45 6.5 379 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era............................ 548 299 54.6 277 50.5 23 7.6 249 Other service periods............ 530 400 75.5 378 71.2 22 5.6 130 Nonveterans........................ 25,192 17,692 70.2 16,397 65.1 1,295 7.3 7,500 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all race groups. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Dash represents or rounds to zero. Table 2. Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and age, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Employed Unemployed Not in Veteran status, period of noninsti- Percent labor service, and age tutional of force population Total popula- Percent Percent tion Total of Total of popula- labor tion force TOTAL VETERANS Total, 18 years and over............ 23,731 13,483 56.8 12,882 54.3 601 4.5 10,248 18 to 24 years.................. 294 252 85.9 232 79.1 20 7.9 41 25 to 34 years.................. 1,495 1,370 91.7 1,300 87.0 70 5.1 125 35 to 44 years.................. 2,919 2,657 91.0 2,557 87.6 100 3.8 261 45 to 54 years.................. 4,266 3,612 84.7 3,418 80.1 195 5.4 654 55 to 64 years.................. 5,865 4,043 68.9 3,878 66.1 165 4.1 1,822 65 years and over............... 8,893 1,548 17.4 1,497 16.8 52 3.3 7,344 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era (1) Total, 35 years and over............ 15,158 6,953 45.9 6,630 43.7 323 4.7 8,204 35 to 44 years.................. 25 20 (2) 17 (2) 3 (2) 5 45 to 54 years.................. 2,864 2,403 83.9 2,265 79.1 138 5.8 461 55 to 64 years.................. 4,806 3,430 71.4 3,284 68.3 146 4.3 1,377 65 years and over............... 7,462 1,100 14.7 1,064 14.3 36 3.3 6,361 Other service periods Total, 18 years and over............ 8,573 6,530 76.2 6,252 72.9 278 4.3 2,044 18 to 24 years.................. 294 252 85.9 232 79.1 20 7.9 41 25 to 34 years.................. 1,495 1,370 91.7 1,300 87.0 70 5.1 125 35 to 44 years.................. 2,893 2,637 91.1 2,540 87.8 97 3.7 256 45 to 54 years.................. 1,402 1,209 86.2 1,153 82.2 56 4.7 193 55 to 64 years.................. 1,059 613 57.9 594 56.1 19 3.1 445 65 years and over............... 1,431 448 31.3 432 30.2 16 3.5 983 NONVETERANS Total, 18 years and over............ 189,200 130,253 68.8 122,545 64.8 7,709 5.9 58,947 18 to 24 years.................. 27,069 19,423 71.8 17,239 63.7 2,184 11.2 7,646 25 to 34 years.................. 37,553 30,883 82.2 28,939 77.1 1,944 6.3 6,670 35 to 44 years.................. 40,791 33,881 83.1 32,190 78.9 1,691 5.0 6,910 45 to 54 years.................. 36,355 29,649 81.6 28,478 78.3 1,171 3.9 6,707 55 to 64 years.................. 22,034 13,217 60.0 12,653 57.4 565 4.3 8,817 65 years and over............... 25,398 3,201 12.6 3,047 12.0 155 4.8 22,197 MEN VETERANS Total, 18 years and over............ 22,331 12,603 56.4 12,049 54.0 554 4.4 9,728 18 to 24 years.................. 227 199 87.6 179 78.8 20 10.0 28 25 to 34 years.................. 1,296 1,205 92.9 1,148 88.6 56 4.7 91 35 to 44 years.................. 2,553 2,346 91.9 2,257 88.4 89 3.8 206 45 to 54 years.................. 3,923 3,342 85.2 3,161 80.6 180 5.4 581 55 to 64 years.................. 5,732 3,988 69.6 3,828 66.8 159 4.0 1,744 65 years and over............... 8,600 1,524 17.7 1,475 17.1 49 3.2 7,077 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era (1) Total, 35 years and over............ 14,690 6,804 46.3 6,491 44.2 313 4.6 7,885 35 to 44 years.................. 25 20 (2) 17 (2) 3 (2) 5 45 to 54 years.................. 2,729 2,292 84.0 2,163 79.2 129 5.6 437 55 to 64 years.................. 4,723 3,405 72.1 3,260 69.0 145 4.3 1,319 65 years and over............... 7,212 1,088 15.1 1,052 14.6 36 3.3 6,125 Other service periods Total, 18 years and over............ 7,641 5,799 75.9 5,558 72.7 241 4.2 1,843 18 to 24 years.................. 227 199 87.6 179 78.8 20 10.0 28 25 to 34 years.................. 1,296 1,205 92.9 1,148 88.6 56 4.7 91 35 to 44 years.................. 2,528 2,326 92.0 2,240 88.6 86 3.7 202 45 to 54 years.................. 1,194 1,050 87.9 999 83.7 51 4.9 144 55 to 64 years.................. 1,009 583 57.8 568 56.3 14 2.5 426 65 years and over............... 1,388 436 31.4 423 30.5 13 2.9 952 NONVETERANS Total, 18 years and over............ 79,892 64,398 80.6 60,638 75.9 3,761 5.8 15,494 18 to 24 years.................. 13,450 10,032 74.6 8,935 66.4 1,097 10.9 3,418 25 to 34 years.................. 18,065 16,563 91.7 15,512 85.9 1,051 6.3 1,502 35 to 44 years.................. 18,894 17,437 92.3 16,607 87.9 830 4.8 1,457 45 to 54 years.................. 15,906 14,039 88.3 13,532 85.1 507 3.6 1,867 55 to 64 years.................. 7,657 5,187 67.7 4,968 64.9 218 4.2 2,470 65 years and over............... 5,920 1,139 19.2 1,083 18.3 57 5.0 4,781 WOMEN VETERANS Total, 18 years and over............ 1,400 880 62.9 833 59.5 47 5.4 520 18 to 24 years.................. 67 53 (2) 53 (2) - - 13 25 to 34 years.................. 199 166 83.3 152 76.5 14 8.2 33 35 to 44 years.................. 366 311 85.0 300 82.1 10 3.4 55 45 to 54 years.................. 343 271 78.9 256 74.6 14 5.4 73 55 to 64 years.................. 133 55 41.5 49 37.2 6 2 78 65 years and over............... 292 25 8.4 22 7.4 3 2 268 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era (1) Total, 35 years and over............ 468 149 31.9 139 29.7 10 6.9 319 35 to 44 years.................. - - - - - - - - 45 to 54 years.................. 135 111 82.4 102 75.6 9 8.2 24 55 to 64 years.................. 83 25 29.8 24 28.5 1 (2) 58 65 years and over............... 250 13 5.1 13 5.1 - - 237 Other service periods Total, 18 years and over............ 932 731 78.5 694 74.5 37 5.0 201 18 to 24 years.................. 67 53 (2) 53 (2) - - 13 25 to 34 years.................. 199 166 83.3 152 76.5 14 8.2 33 35 to 44 years.................. 365 310 85.0 300 82.1 10 3.4 55 45 to 54 years.................. 208 159 76.6 154 74.0 5 3.4 49 55 to 64 years.................. 50 30 (2) 26 (2) 5 (2) 19 65 years and over............... 43 12 (2) 9 (2) 3 (2) 31 NONVETERANS Total, 18 years and over............ 109,308 65,855 60.2 61,907 56.6 3,948 6.0 43,453 18 to 24 years.................. 13,619 9,391 69.0 8,304 61.0 1,087 11.6 4,228 25 to 34 years.................. 19,488 14,319 73.5 13,427 68.9 893 6.2 5,168 35 to 44 years.................. 21,897 16,444 75.1 15,583 71.2 861 5.2 5,453 45 to 54 years.................. 20,449 15,609 76.3 14,946 73.1 663 4.2 4,840 55 to 64 years.................. 14,377 8,030 55.9 7,684 53.4 346 4.3 6,347 65 years and over............... 19,479 2,062 10.6 1,964 10.1 98 4.8 17,416 1 Because of the aging of the population, there are no longer any veterans of these eras under 35 years of age. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Dash represents or rounds to zero. Table 3. Employed persons 18 years and over by occupation, veteran status, period of service, and sex, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted (Percent distribution) Veterans Occupation Nonveterans WW II, Korean Other Total War, and service Vietnam era periods TOTAL Total, 18 years and over (thousands).............. 12,882 6,630 6,252 122,545 Percent........................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Management, professional, and related occupations..... 35.1 36.7 33.5 34.7 Management, business, and financial operations occupations....................................... 18.4 20.6 16.0 14.2 Professional and related occupations................ 16.8 16.0 17.5 20.5 Service occupations................................... 11.2 9.5 13.0 16.3 Sales and office occupations.......................... 18.5 17.5 19.5 26.2 Sales and related occupations....................... 10.6 10.7 10.4 11.4 Office and administrative support occupations....... 7.9 6.8 9.1 14.8 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations......................................... 16.1 16.4 15.7 10.3 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......... .5 .5 .4 .9 Construction and extraction occupations............. 8.0 8.4 7.6 6.1 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations... 7.6 7.5 7.7 3.3 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......................................... 19.1 19.9 18.2 12.5 Production occupations.............................. 8.8 9.3 8.4 7.0 Transportation and material moving occupations...... 10.3 10.6 9.8 5.5 Men Total, 18 years and over (thousands).............. 12,049 6,491 5,558 60,638 Percent........................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Management, professional, and related occupations..... 34.6 36.6 32.2 31.9 Management, business, and financial operations occupations....................................... 18.6 20.7 16.1 15.4 Professional and related occupations................ 16.0 15.8 16.2 16.6 Service occupations................................... 10.8 9.3 12.6 12.8 Sales and office occupations.......................... 17.4 17.1 17.8 17.1 Sales and related occupations....................... 10.7 10.8 10.5 10.9 Office and administrative support occupations....... 6.7 6.3 7.3 6.2 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations......................................... 17.1 16.7 17.5 19.8 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......... .5 .5 .5 1.4 Construction and extraction occupations............. 8.4 8.5 8.3 12.0 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations... 8.1 7.7 8.7 6.4 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......................................... 20.1 20.2 20.0 18.3 Production occupations.............................. 9.3 9.4 9.2 9.2 Transportation and material moving occupations...... 10.8 10.8 10.8 9.2 Women Total, 18 years and over (thousands).............. 833 139 694 61,907 Percent........................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Management, professional, and related occupations..... 43.2 42.3 43.3 37.4 Management, business, and financial operations occupations....................................... 15.3 16.3 15.1 13.1 Professional and related occupations................ 27.8 26.1 28.2 24.3 Service occupations................................... 16.3 14.7 16.7 19.6 Sales and office occupations.......................... 34.2 36.6 33.7 35.1 Sales and related occupations....................... 9.3 4.3 10.3 11.8 Office and administrative support occupations....... 24.9 32.3 23.4 23.2 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations......................................... 2.0 1.5 2.1 1.1 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......... - - - .4 Construction and extraction occupations............. 1.8 0.5 2.0 .4 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations... .2 .9 - .3 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations......................................... 4.4 4.9 4.3 6.8 Production occupations.............................. 2.2 1.9 2.2 4.9 Transportation and material moving occupations...... 2.2 3.0 2.1 1.9 NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system derived from the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification system. Dash represents or rounds to zero. Table 4. Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by period of service, presence of service-connected disability, reported disability rating, and sex, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Employed Unemployed Not in noninsti- Percent labor Period of service, presence tutional of force of disability, reported population Total popula- Percent Percent disability rating, and sex tion Total of Total of popula- labor tion force TOTAL VETERANS With service-connected disability... 2,168 988 45.5 941 43.4 47 4.8 1,181 Less than 30 percent disability rating....................... 976 533 54.6 509 52.1 25 4.6 442 30 to 50 percent disability rating....................... 508 269 52.9 260 51.1 9 3.4 239 60 percent or higher disability rating....................... 459 97 21.1 90 19.6 7 7.1 362 Disability rating not reported..................... 226 89 39.4 82 36.5 7 7.4 137 Without service-connected disability........................ 18,175 10,374 57.1 9,901 54.5 473 4.6 7,802 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 3,387 2,122 62.6 2,041 60.2 81 3.8 1,265 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era With service-connected disability... 1,521 500 32.9 482 31.7 18 3.5 1,021 Less than 30 percent disability rating....................... 630 242 38.5 233 36.9 10 4.0 388 30 to 50 percent disability rating....................... 351 144 41.0 144 41.0 - - 207 60 percent or higher disability rating....................... 367 62 17.0 58 15.9 4 (1) 304 Disability rating not reported..................... 172 51 29.6 47 27.5 4 (1) 121 Without service-connected disability........................ 11,633 5,398 46.4 5,129 44.1 269 5.0 6,236 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 2,004 1,056 52.7 1,019 50.9 37 3.5 948 Other service periods With service-connected disability... 648 488 75.3 458 70.7 30 6.1 160 Less than 30 percent disability rating....................... 346 291 84.1 276 79.8 15 5.1 55 30 to 50 percent disability rating....................... 157 125 79.4 116 73.7 9 7.2 32 60 percent or higher disability rating....................... 92 34 37.2 31 34.3 3 (1) 58 Disability rating not reported..................... 53 38 (1) 35 (1) 3 (1) 15 Without service-connected disability........................ 6,542 4,976 76.1 4,772 72.9 204 4.1 1,566 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 1,383 1,066 77.1 1,022 73.9 44 4.2 317 Men VETERANS With service-connected disability... 2,009 899 44.7 862 42.9 37 4.1 1,110 Less than 30 percent disability rating....................... 915 491 53.6 471 51.5 20 4.0 424 30 to 50 percent disability rating....................... 458 236 51.4 230 50.1 6 2.6 222 60 percent or higher disability rating....................... 414 87 21.0 82 19.9 5 5.4 327 Disability rating not reported..................... 222 86 38.6 79 35.6 7 7.7 137 Without service-connected disability........................ 17,154 9,739 56.8 9,290 54.2 449 4.6 7,416 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 3,168 1,965 62.0 1,897 59.9 68 3.5 1,203 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era With service-connected disability... 1,479 490 33.2 473 32.0 17 3.5 988 Less than 30 percent disability rating....................... 623 242 38.9 233 37.4 9 3.9 380 30 to 50 percent disability rating....................... 336 137 40.6 137 40.6 - - 200 60 percent or higher disability rating....................... 347 60 17.4 56 16.2 4 (1) 287 Disability rating not reported..................... 172 51 29.6 47 27.5 4 (1) 121 Without service-connected disability........................ 11,249 5,272 46.9 5,012 44.6 260 4.9 5,977 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 1,962 1,042 53.1 1,006 51.3 36 3.5 920 Other service periods With service-connected disability... 530 409 77.0 389 73.3 20 4.8 122 Less than 30 percent disability rating....................... 293 249 85.0 238 81.5 10 4.1 44 30 to 50 percent disability rating....................... 122 99 81.4 93 76.4 6 6.1 23 60 percent or higher disability rating....................... 66 26 (1) 26 (1) 1 (1) 40 Disability rating not reported..................... 50 35 (1) 32 (1) 3 (1) 15 Without service-connected disability........................ 5,905 4,467 75.6 4,278 72.4 189 4.2 1,438 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 1,206 923 76.5 891 73.9 32 3.5 283 Women VETERANS With service-connected disability... 159 89 55.7 79 49.4 10 11.4 71 Without service-connected disability........................ 1,021 635 62.2 611 59.8 24 3.8 386 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 220 157 71.5 144 65.5 13 8.3 63 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era With service-connected disability... 42 10 (1) 9 (1) - - 32 Without service-connected disability........................ 384 126 32.8 117 30.4 9 7.3 258 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 42 13 (1) 13 (1) 1 (1) 28 Other service periods With service-connected disability... 117 79 67.3 69 59.0 10 12.4 38 Without service-connected disability........................ 637 509 79.9 494 77.6 15 2.9 128 Presence of disability not reported.......................... 178 143 80.7 131 73.7 12 8.6 34 1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Dash represents or rounds to zero. Table 5. Employed persons 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, presence of service-connected disability, and class of worker, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted Percent distribution by class of worker Nonagricultural industries Veteran status, period of service, Total Agricul- Wage and salary workers and presence of disability employed ture and Self- (thousands) Total related employed indus- Government and tries Total unpaid Private family sector State workers Total Federal and local Veterans(1)............................. 12,882 100.0 2.1 97.9 71.7 17.3 6.4 10.9 9.0 With service-connected disability...................... 941 100.0 1.5 98.5 62.7 29.8 15.9 13.9 6.0 Without service-connected disability...................... 9,901 100.0 2.3 97.7 71.9 16.6 5.7 10.9 9.2 WW II, Korean War, and Vietnam era(1). 6,630 100.0 2.8 97.2 68.9 17.1 6.6 10.6 11.3 With service-connected disability.................... 482 100.0 1.7 98.3 58.6 31.7 16.6 15.1 8.0 Without service-connected disability.................... 5,129 100.0 3.2 96.8 69.1 16.4 5.8 10.6 11.3 Other service periods(1).............. 6,252 100.0 1.4 98.6 74.6 17.5 6.2 11.3 6.5 With service-connected disability.................... 458 100.0 1.3 98.7 67.0 27.8 15.1 12.7 3.8 Without service-connected disability.................... 4,772 100.0 1.4 98.6 75.0 16.7 5.5 11.3 6.9 Nonveterans............................. 122,545 100.0 1.8 98.2 77.5 13.7 2.0 11.7 6.9 1 Includes veterans who did not report presence of disability. NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Table 6. Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by year of discharge from the Armed Forces, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Year of discharge, sex, race, noninsti- Employed Unemployed Not in and Hispanic or Latino tutional Percent labor ethnicity population Total of force population Percent Percent Total of Total of population labor force TOTAL Prior to 1971............... 10,881 3,755 34.5 3,577 32.9 178 4.7 7,126 1971 to 1980................ 3,380 2,577 76.3 2,435 72.0 142 5.5 803 1981 to 1990................ 2,244 1,925 85.8 1,861 82.9 65 3.4 318 1991 to 2000................ 2,239 2,031 90.7 1,935 86.5 96 4.7 207 2001 to 2003................ 445 394 88.5 367 82.4 27 6.9 51 Year not available.......... 4,543 2,800 61.6 2,707 59.6 93 3.3 1,742 Men Prior to 1971............... 10,569 3,703 35.0 3,528 33.4 175 4.7 6,866 1971 to 1980................ 3,208 2,443 76.2 2,310 72.0 133 5.5 765 1981 to 1990................ 1,954 1,699 87.0 1,645 84.2 54 3.2 255 1991 to 2000................ 1,975 1,809 91.6 1,724 87.3 86 4.7 165 2001 to 2003................ 387 347 89.5 320 82.6 27 7.7 41 Year not available.......... 4,238 2,602 61.4 2,522 59.5 80 3.1 1,636 Women Prior to 1971............... 312 52 16.6 49 15.7 3 (1) 260 1971 to 1980................ 172 134 78.1 125 72.8 9 6.9 38 1981 to 1990................ 290 226 78.1 215 74.2 11 5.0 64 1991 to 2000................ 264 222 84.0 211 80.1 10 4.7 42 2001 to 2003................ 58 47 (1) 47 (1) - - 10 Year not available.......... 305 199 65.3 186 61.0 13 6.6 106 White Prior to 1971............... 10,065 3,486 34.6 3,321 33.0 165 4.7 6,580 1971 to 1980................ 2,970 2,306 77.6 2,177 73.3 129 5.6 664 1981 to 1990................ 1,796 1,551 86.3 1,502 83.6 49 3.1 245 1991 to 2000................ 1,828 1,653 90.5 1,572 86.0 81 4.9 174 2001 to 2003................ 366 319 87.2 293 80.0 26 8.2 47 Year not available.......... 3,670 2,205 60.1 2,142 58.4 63 2.9 1,465 Black or African American Prior to 1971............... 559 175 31.3 163 29.1 12 7.1 384 1971 to 1980................ 293 191 65.2 178 60.6 14 7.1 102 1981 to 1990................ 348 293 84.4 278 80.0 15 5.2 54 1991 to 2000................ 319 291 91.4 287 90.2 4 1.3 27 2001 to 2003................ 55 52 (1) 51 (1) 1 (1) 3 Year not available.......... 705 477 67.8 452 64.1 25 5.3 227 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Prior to 1971............... 332 106 31.8 91 27.4 15 14.0 227 1971 to 1980................ 161 139 86.0 131 81.0 8 5.7 23 1981 to 1990................ 124 108 87.3 105 84.5 3 3.2 16 1991 to 2000................ 150 137 91.0 133 88.1 4 3.2 14 2001 to 2003................ 40 29 (1) 20 (1) 9 (1) 11 Year not available.......... 270 181 66.9 175 64.7 6 3.2 89 1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Estimates for the above race groups (white and black or African American) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all race groups. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Asians are not shown separately, as most estimates are too small to meet publication standards. Dash represents or rounds to zero. Table 7. Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by year of discharge from the Armed Forces, presence of service-connected disability, and reported disability rating, August 2003, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Year of discharge, presence noninsti- Employed Unemployed Not in of disability, and reported tutional Percent labor disability rating popula- of force tion Total popula- Percent Percent tion Total of Total of popula- labor tion force Prior to 1976 With service-connected disability..... 1,186 306 25.8 286 24.1 19 6.3 881 Less than 30 percent disability rating......................... 499 145 29.2 137 27.5 9 5.9 353 30 to 50 percent disability rating......................... 257 80 31.0 77 29.9 3 3.7 177 60 percent or higher disability rating......................... 271 41 15.0 36 13.5 4 (1) 230 Disability rating not reported... 160 40 24.8 36 22.5 4 (1) 120 Without service-connected disability.......................... 11,779 5,036 42.8 4,794 40.7 242 4.8 6,743 1976 to 1990 With service-connected disability..... 418 234 55.9 227 54.4 6 2.7 184 Less than 30 percent disability rating......................... 223 161 72.1 155 69.7 5 3.3 62 30 to 50 percent disability rating......................... 97 52 53.8 52 53.8 - - 45 60 percent or higher disability rating......................... 89 14 15.9 14 15.9 - - 75 Disability rating not reported... 10 7 (1) 6 (1) 1 (1) 3 Without service-connected disability.......................... 3,059 2,648 86.5 2,533 82.8 115 4.3 412 1991 to 2000 With service-connected disability..... 407 340 83.6 325 79.9 15 4.4 67 Less than 30 percent disability rating......................... 212 195 92.0 185 86.9 11 5.5 17 30 to 50 percent disability rating......................... 106 98 92.0 95 89.9 2 2.2 9 60 percent or higher disability rating......................... 62 25 (1) 23 (1) 2 (1) 36 Disability rating not reported... 27 22 (1) 22 (1) - - 5 Without service-connected disability.......................... 1,816 1,676 92.3 1,598 88.0 78 4.7 140 2001 to 2003 With service-connected disability..... 92 77 84.0 71 77.0 6 8.3 15 Less than 30 percent disability rating......................... 31 27 (1) 27 (1) - - 4 30 to 50 percent disability rating......................... 41 36 (1) 33 (1) 4 (1) 5 60 percent or higher disability rating......................... 13 8 (1) 7 (1) 1 (1) 6 Disability rating not reported... 6 5 (1) 3 (1) 2 (1) 1 Without service-connected disability.......................... 352 316 89.6 295 83.8 21 6.6 36 1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men and women who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other service periods include the periods between World War II and the Korean War, between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and since the end of the Vietnam era in May 1975. Categories do not add to totals shown on other tables because data are not shown for veterans whose presence of disability was not reported, and because information on the year of discharge was not available for approximately 4.5 million veterans. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." More detailed information appears in the Technical Note of this release. Dash represents or rounds to zero.