By Sean Hayes
@redlineproject
The United States has one of the largest veteran populations in the world, with millions of people who have served in the military.
After their service, they move on to the next chapter of their lives, whether that is going to college, starting a new job, returning to where they lived before joining the service, or staying in the area of their first duty station.
The choropleth map above shows the number of veterans per 100,000 people in each state using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The map makes it easy to compare states and see where veteran populations are higher or lower.
States like Montana, Colorado, Maine and most notably Alaska have high veteran populations due to retirees having a pension and not being required to pay state income tax.
Illinois ranks low on the list, compared to other states, with the percentage of the adult veteran population rate at 5.3%. This is likely because of a higher cost of living and taxes compared to other states that attract more retired service members. Another reason is the state’s large population.
While Illinois actually has more veterans in total than states like Wisconsin, its much larger overall population lowers the percentage. In fact, Illinois has a bigger population than states like Montana, Colorado, Maine and even Alaska combined, which helps explain why its veteran share appears smaller despite having a high number of veterans overall.
With the locator map, the pinpoint shown is the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, which is the largest VA hospital system in the country. This location is in southern Mississippi and it is close to several major military installations, including Keesler Air Force Base, Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, and Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.
The VA often places large medical centers near military bases, especially where their are multiple bases, because many veterans stay in the area of their last duty station. This makes it easier for veterans to get care since a lot of them already live nearby or decide to stay in the same area after leaving the military.