Employed veterans typically worked full time while enrolled in college in 2024

Because veterans typically weren’t able to attend college while on active duty, they tend to enroll when they’re older. Among individuals enrolled in college, about 1 in 10 enrolled veterans were ages 18 to 24, compared with 7 in 10 enrolled nonveterans of the same age. Nearly half of all enrolled veterans were ages 25 to 34 compared with about one-fifth of their nonveteran counterparts in 2024.

In 2024, about three-fourths of employed, college-enrolled veterans ages 18 to 54 worked full time compared with about 46 percent of their nonveteran counterparts.

Across all age groups, college-enrolled veterans were generally more likely to be employed full time compared with enrolled nonveterans. Notable differences among age groups occurred between veterans and nonveterans ages 18 to 24 (63 percent versus 29 percent, respectively) and ages 45 to 54 (98 percent versus 85 percent, respectively).

These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see “Employment Situation of Veterans — 2024” and Labor force statistics for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans are men and women who previously served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were civilians when they were surveyed. People on active duty are not included in the survey.