At last count, there are more than 18 million veterans who have served in the United States military, and in South Dakota, they make up nearly ten percent of the state's population - one of the highest rates in the country.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed U.S. Census Bureau data and found that South Dakota is home to 58,800 vets, which translates to nine percent of the population.

Nearly One-in-Ten South Dakotans Have Served in the Military

Those same figures show that South Dakota veterans experience unemployment at the fourth highest rate in the nation (5.6%) and are disabled at the 16th highest rate in America (31.2%).

Nationwide, veterans comprise 7.3% of the civilian population over the age of 18.

States With the Highest Percentage of Veterans

  1. Alaska (11.9%)
  2. Virginia (10.6%)
  3. Montana (10.6%)
  4. Wyoming (10.2%)
  5. Hawaii (9.8%)
  6. Maine (9.7%)
  7. Washington (9.4%)
  8. South Carolina (9.3%)
  9. New Mexico (9.3%)
  10. Oklahoma (9.1%)

New York (4.5%) and New Jersey (4.6%) are the only states where veterans make up less than five percent of the total population.

Scenes From 2021 Veterans Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony Honoring Service Members of the Vietnam war

Observing Veterans Day at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall on November 11, 2021 in Washington, DC. This Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony honored military service members of the Vietnam war and the thousands of others who died in the conflict and whose names are inscribed on the memorial wall.

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