New Report Highlights Makeup of Military Community

The War Department has released its latest demographic report, which provides insights into the more than 4.3 million warfighters and family members who make up the military community.

The 2024 Demographics Report of the Military Community shows that spouses, children and other family members make up 54% of the active-duty and selected reserve community. Nearly 60% of dependents are children, with 37% of them age 5 and under. Spouses make up close to 40% of the total number of family members.

The Demographics Report of the Military Community is published annually and is the department’s only comprehensive, publicly available report that provides a detailed look at demographic characteristics of service members and their families, both in the United States and abroad.

“Families are the backbone of our military, and their well-being is directly tied to the strength and readiness of our fighting forces,” said Stephen B. Simmons, deputy assistant secretary of war for Military Community and Family Policy. “The 2024 Demographics Report gives us invaluable information about our military community — insights not just to respond to their needs, but to anticipate them and evolve policies that create pathways for initiatives that promote family readiness and enhance their quality of life.”

Among those challenges is a 20% unemployment rate among active-duty military spouses due in large part to frequent moves and difficulty finding child care, according to the 2024 Survey of Active Duty Spouses. The department has taken a multipronged approach to addressing the issue with programs and initiatives such as:

• The Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program, which helps spouses find jobs, get career advice and explore education related to their careers
• The Military Spouse Employment Partnership, which connects spouses to more than one thousand partner employers who have committed to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses
• Military child care options, fee assistance and other resources
• Defense-State Liaison Office priorities, including:
  • Occupational licensure interstate compacts
  • Military spouse employment preference
  • State exemption for DOW family child care homes

“By understanding every datapoint that surrounds the military community, we ensure we’re providing the right resources and support at the right stages of their military journey,” Simmons said.

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About Military Community and Family Policy

Military Community and Family Policy is responsible for establishing and overseeing quality of life policies and programs that help our service members, their families and survivors be well and mission ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the over 4.3 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. Access these DOW services 24/7/365 around the world.