The History of Veterans Day

Information provided by U.S. Census Bureau and its 2011 American Community Survey.

Origins

Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

By the Numbers

21.5 million

The number of military veterans in the United States in 2011.

1.6 million

The number of female veterans in 2011.

2.3 million

The number of black veterans in 2011. Additionally, 1.2 million veterans were Hispanic; 264,695 were Asian; 153,223 were American Indian or Alaska Native; 27,469 were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and 17.2 million were non-Hispanic white. (The numbers for blacks, Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and non-Hispanic whites cover only those reporting a single race.)

9.2 million

The number of veterans 65 and older in 2011. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.8 million were younger than 35.

3

Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in 2011—California (1.9 million), Florida (1.6 million) and Texas (1.6 million). 

26.3

Percent of veterans 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree in 2011. In comparison, 28.5 percent of the total population had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

92.3

Percent of veterans 25 and older with a high school diploma or higher in 2011, compared with 86 percent of the population as a whole.

$35,821

Annual median income of veterans, in 2011 inflation-adjusted dollars, compared with $25,811 for the population as a whole.

9.1 million 

Number of veterans 18 to 64 in the labor force in 2011.

3.5 million

Number of veterans with a service-connected disability rating. Of this number, 810,245 have a rating of 70 percent or higher. (Severity of one’s disability is scaled from 0 to 100 percent and eligibility for compensation depends on one’s rating.)

15.8 million

Number of veterans who voted in the 2008 presidential election. Seventy-one percent of veterans cast a ballot in the presidential election. 

12.4 million

Number of veterans who voted in the 2010 congressional election. Fifty-seven percent of veterans voted in the 2010 congressional election. 

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