Veterans Day 2022: November 11

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 making it an annual observance, and it became a national holiday in 1938. Sixteen years later, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name to Veterans Day to honor all those who served their country during war or peacetime. On this day, the nation honors military veterans — living and dead — with parades and other observances across the country and a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Veteran Population
16.5 million, 6.4 percent of the US Population aged 18 and over

Female veterans in the United States
1.7 million, 10.3 percent of all veterans

The percentage of veterans in 2021 who were Asian American
1.9 percent

Additionally, 73.0 percent of veterans were non-Hispanic White; 8.2 percent Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 12.3 percent African American; 0.7 percent American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.2 percent Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and 2.7 percent were of some other Race.

The percentage of veterans ages 75 and older in 2021
24.4 percent

At the other end of the age spectrum, 8.2 percent of veterans were younger than age 35.

Additional statistics, graphs, and charts about veterans are available at:
http://unionherald.org/veterans-day-2022-facts-and-charts/#charts

Sources: American Community Survey 1-year estimates, US Census