{"id":261414,"date":"2025-06-06T13:57:28","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T17:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=261414"},"modified":"2025-06-06T13:57:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T17:57:30","slug":"6-facts-about-the-us-military","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/06\/06\/6-facts-about-the-us-military\/","title":{"rendered":"6 facts about the U.S. military"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"U.S.
U.S. Army soldiers in Killeen, Texas, load tanks onto trains en route to Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025, in preparation for the military parade marking the Army’s 250th anniversary. (Brandon Bell\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The White House is planning a military parade on June 14<\/a> to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It is slated to be the first major military parade in the United States since 1991<\/a>, when one was held to celebrate winning the Gulf War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of the event, here are six facts about the U.S. military, based on data from the Department of Defense\u2019s Defense Manpower Data Center<\/a> (DMDC) and Pew Research Center surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/summary>\n

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to explore the size and scope of the nation\u2019s military, as well as how Americans view it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This analysis uses data from the Department of Defense\u2019s Defense Manpower Data Center, as well as Pew Research Center surveys. Links to these sources \u2013 including the methodological details of the Center surveys \u2013 are available in the text.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

As of the end of March, the U.S. military had 1.32 million active-duty members,<\/strong> according to DMDC figures. This is an increase of 1.5% over the year prior, when there were about 1.30 million. (Active-duty military<\/a> are those who work for the military full time. They do not include personnel in the Reserve or National Guard.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 450,000 active-duty military members serve in the Army, the most of any military branch. The Navy has the second-largest number of active-duty members (about 334,000), followed by the Air Force and Marine Corps. The Coast Guard and Space Force are much smaller, with fewer than 50,000 active-duty members each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All branches of the military have gained active-duty members in the past year. The Navy has gained the most in overall numbers (about 7,300). The Space Force and the Coast Guard have grown the most in percentage terms (6.1% and 3.4%, respectively).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active-duty military members are assigned to work in every state and internationally,<\/strong> according to DMDC data. A large majority (86%) are stationed domestically, while 14% are stationed internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The number of active-duty military working in each state varies greatly, based partly on the locations of military bases. California has the most active-duty military, with about 157,500. Virginia and Texas also have more than 100,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six states have fewer than 1,000 active-duty military, and Vermont has the fewest of all with 128.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some branches of the military have an especially large footprint in certain states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n