Counties with the Most and Fewest Veterans in the US

In Okaloosa County, Florida, veterans make up 14.7% of the population, about 2.6 times the national county median of 5.7%. Across 2,903 U.S. counties with at least 5,000 residents, the share of veterans in the population ranges from below one percent to nearly fifteen, reflecting deep geographic differences in military service, retirement, and resettlement patterns. This national comparison maps those extremes.

The Counties with the Highest Veteran Shares

Ten counties stand out for their exceptionally high concentrations of veterans. Many cluster near major military installations, while others reflect communities that have long attracted retired service members.

1. Okaloosa County, Florida: 14.7% veterans, population 214,281
2. Lampasas County, Texas: 14.7% veterans, population 22,267
3. Teller County, Colorado: 14.4% veterans, population 24,774
4. Cochise County, Arizona: 13.8% veterans, population 125,458
5. Surry County, Virginia: 13.7% veterans, population 6,552
6. Nye County, Nevada: 13.6% veterans, population 53,207
7. Elmore County, Idaho: 13.5% veterans, population 29,046
8. La Paz County, Arizona: 13.5% veterans, population 16,605
9. Sumter County, Florida: 13.2% veterans, population 137,536
10. Fall River County, South Dakota: 13.1% veterans, population 7,179

The Counties with the Lowest Veteran Shares

At the opposite end, several counties report veteran shares under one percent. Nine of the ten are Puerto Rico municipios, where most residents speak Spanish at home and fewer than 2% are foreign-born.

1. Yoakum County, Texas: 0.8% veterans, population 7,589
2. Guayama Municipio, Puerto Rico: 0.9% veterans, population 35,845
3. Maricao Municipio, Puerto Rico: 0.9% veterans, population 5,176
4. Arroyo Municipio, Puerto Rico: 0.9% veterans, population 15,573
5. Morovis Municipio, Puerto Rico: 1.1% veterans, population 28,534
6. Florida Municipio, Puerto Rico: 1.1% veterans, population 11,624
7. Corozal Municipio, Puerto Rico: 1.1% veterans, population 34,474
8. Hatillo Municipio, Puerto Rico: 1.1% veterans, population 38,266
9. Loíza Municipio, Puerto Rico: 1.1% veterans, population 23,176
10. Orocovis Municipio, Puerto Rico: 1.2% veterans, population 21,351

Where Veterans Live and Why It Matters

The national median veteran share across counties is 5.7%, but that figure masks sharp regional patterns. Counties near Army, Navy, and Air Force bases often score in the top tier, drawing large retired military communities. Sun Belt counties with mild climates and VA hospital access also attract veteran retirees at above-average rates.

Understanding veteran concentration matters for local planning. Counties with high veteran shares face distinct demand patterns for healthcare, disability services, and housing. In contrast, counties with very low veteran shares, many of which have high non-English-speaking populations, face different social service needs and community integration challenges.

Languages Other Than English: The Other Side of Social Characteristics

Veterans and non-English home languages often run in opposite directions at the county level. The five counties where the highest share of residents speak a language other than English at home include some of the most Spanish-speaking places in the country.

1. Maricao Municipio, Puerto Rico: 98.6% speak a language other than English at home; 1.3% are foreign-born
2. Cidra Municipio, Puerto Rico: 98.4% speak a language other than English at home; 0.5% are foreign-born
3. Jayuya Municipio, Puerto Rico: 98.2% speak a language other than English at home; 0.6% are foreign-born
4. Yabucoa Municipio, Puerto Rico: 98.1% speak a language other than English at home; 0.9% are foreign-born
5. Las Piedras Municipio, Puerto Rico: 97.6% speak a language other than English at home; 1.2% are foreign-born

In many of these counties, nearly everyone speaks a language other than English at home, creating communities with fundamentally different social infrastructure needs compared to high-veteran counties. Both ends of this spectrum reflect the breadth of American county-level diversity captured in census data.

What the Data Tells Us

The gap between Okaloosa County, Florida (14.7% veterans) and Yoakum County, Texas (0.8% veterans) captures something essential about how differently American counties are constituted. Military service, immigration history, economic base, and geography all shape who lives where, and that shapes what local governments must prioritize.

County-level data from the Census Bureau makes these contrasts visible and actionable for researchers, policymakers, and community organizations working to understand population needs at a granular level.

Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates