Illinois Veterans Make Up 5.7% Of State’s Population, Study Finds

From The Center Square:

Illinois adults who have served in the military account for 5.7 percent of the state’s population, the sixth lowest percentage among the 50 states, according to an analysis by the website 24/7 Wall St.

Military veterans in Illinois number 559,656, the study based on Census Bureau data found. Among the veterans, 6.6 percent live in poverty, and 690 of them are homeless, according to 24/7 Wall St.

Nationwide, about 20 percent of the 18 million veterans did their service after the 9/11 terrorist acts, while about 33 percent served during the Vietnam era. At the same time, 1.2 million of the veterans live in poverty, and 37,000 of them are homeless, the analysis found.

Many of the states where large percentages of veterans live have major military installations and large shares of active-duty troops, researchers said.

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