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2021 Military Active-Duty Personnel, Civilians by State

The latest state totals on active duty, reserve forces and civilian employees for each branch of the military.

An American flag patch on a military soldier’s arm.
Shutterstock
There were a total of 1.195 million active-duty military and more than 778,000 reserve forces according to September 2021 data from the Department of Defense. Total active-duty members for the five armed services were 426,624 for the Army, 306,272 for the Navy, 147,846 for the Marine Corps, 275,298 for the Air Force/Space Force and 39,029 for the Coast Guard.




In the year ending in October 2021, there was a 0.24 percent year-to-year decrease in total armed services, dropping to a strength of 1.38 million. As of Nov. 30, 2021, there were a total of 1,341,609 active-duty personnel across all services within the Department of Defense (not including 41,231 U.S. Coast Guard personnel), 17.48 percent of which were female. Only 15 percent of the Coast Guard is female, as of March 8, 2021.

Numbers of U.S. military service members are mostly driven by workforce levels at large bases. The five states with the most total active-duty and reserve members of the military, as of September 2021, were:
  • 217,889 in California
  • 174,598 in Texas
  • 156,475 in Virginia
  • 122,214 in North Carolina
  • 107,385 in Florida
These states were also the top five in September 2017.

The following tables list state military personnel totals for active-duty, reserve and civilian employees. They exclude those stationed overseas.

Active-Duty Military by State


DUTY STATE / COUNTRYARMYNAVYMARINE CORPSAIR FORCECOAST GUARDTOTAL
ALABAMA4,536811613,0019338,712
ALASKA10,19343258,6731,78120,715
ARIZONA4,5063833,24610,876619,017
ARKANSAS135101093,562173,833
CALIFORNIA7,61777,35354,04818,6024,742162,362
COLORADO27,6617652549,3495738,086
CONNECTICUT1146,17461366757,060
DELAWARE7216213,514383,661
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA1,8322,4952,2512,3602,00110,939
FLORIDA5,97330,5513,76824,0074,99169,290
GEORGIA52,5766,3401,2329,22446269,834
HAWAII15,49312,5716,9405,5341,27741,815
IDAHO5733413,47743,612
ILLINOIS99315,7603804,39212121,646
INDIANA63913117286311,059
IOWA10920693334265
KANSAS18,3271151033,1147521,734
KENTUCKY34,675538923316535,215
LOUISIANA8,0783987615,1301,18015,547
MAINE59108259581782
MARYLAND8,4599,7232,1638,89187630,112
MASSACHUSETTS3963342091,2141,2643,417
MICHIGAN489202180931,0882,052
MINNESOTA19115212153125642
MISSISSIPPI4584,7424475,77825911,684
MISSOURI9,6582331,4404,22622115,778
MONTANA683263,25803,355
NEBRASKA155278755,84326,353
NEVADA2011,20810510,859212,375
NEW HAMPSHIRE551,03952281591,333
NEW JERSEY6614463894,9651,8668,327
NEW MEXICO365696612,198412,702
NEW YORK17,6357406974351,00520,512
NORTH CAROLINA46,9944,57641,3346,2141,555100,673
NORTH DAKOTA172147,48007,513
OHIO5002552875,5603896,991
OKLAHOMA11,9181,6475587,2941821,435
OREGON1055041151551,0471,926
PENNSYLVANIA1,0095423852613112,508
RHODE ISLAND1442,801242753193,581
SOUTH CAROLINA9,4808,58210,2599,1421,01338,476
SOUTH DAKOTA1554143,31503,488
TENNESSEE3941,6341501651502,493
TEXAS73,1526,1642,28235,3161,777118,691
UTAH16550924,33224,641
VERMONT48686530157
VIRGINIA21,11881,09811,49212,8024,347130,857
WASHINGTON28,45425,7657406,7981,67063,427
WEST VIRGINIA683241972186
WISCONSIN445681161182871,034
WYOMING32283,13403,176

Reserve Forces Military by State


DUTY STATE / COUNTRYARMY NATIONAL GUARDARMY RESERVENAVY RESERVEMARINE CORPS RESERVEAIR NATIONAL GUARDAIR FORCE RESERVECOAST GUARD RESERVETOTAL
ALABAMA9,8214,3862786522,4321,4169719,082
ALASKA1,64334681582,201369424,740
ARIZONA5,2843,4151,0445352,6562,641015,575
ARKANSAS6,7771,6301331261,954393011,013
CALIFORNIA13,34916,0658,0724,8864,9227,47576855,537
COLORADO3,8473,8891,0144881,7843,2971314,332
CONNECTICUT3,6631,2764282051,18011096,862
DELAWARE1,6875171621471,0411,59355,152
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA1,204442545511,1982392413,929
FLORIDA10,13410,2536,2311,4172,2037,04481338,095
GEORGIA11,2907,6631,3267632,9163,4076627,431
HAWAII3,0482,5167222552,3137821249,760
IDAHO3,27663918801,3303005,463
ILLINOIS10,5045,8712,4841,1222,9521,5905624,579
INDIANA10,6952,6803835701,9941,5061117,839
IOWA7,0031,9111251321,9680011,139
KANSAS4,6282,2961171832,1818332810,266
KENTUCKY6,6593,9902951281,20944612,331
LOUISIANA9,9171,6891,1091,1271,5231,31021716,892
MAINE1,8744071031241,0740643,646
MARYLAND4,6495,8633,9656331,8381,87516918,992
MASSACHUSETTS5,9433,0252428252,0472,16235314,597
MICHIGAN8,4172,7408547342,52619715,369
MINNESOTA10,6042,9915673992,2981,4622318,344
MISSISSIPPI8,5751,609673842,6851,60612615,358
MISSOURI9,3794,7041,0876532,2281,0357619,162
MONTANA2,350624124929532204,165
NEBRASKA3,3091,0692511111,02531706,082
NEVADA3,3391,4596021771,2121,29108,080
NEW HAMPSHIRE1,6498742791451,112164,066
NEW JERSEY6,1523,9891,1781,1802,3752,28423017,388
NEW MEXICO2,90065419641,02124205,017
NEW YORK10,7027,1791,7171,8035,8841,29034828,923
NORTH CAROLINA9,7976,1431,2031,1611,4971,52921121,541
NORTH DAKOTA3,05217372631,1804204,582
OHIO11,1635,4741,1958995,0033,51520927,458
OKLAHOMA6,5251,7404693002,2451,892013,171
OREGON5,4904754903102,338116729,291
PENNSYLVANIA13,6017,0018791,1104,0551,40511928,170
RHODE ISLAND2,076541579781,0152474,338
SOUTH CAROLINA9,2273,8636364261,3242,22716217,865
SOUTH DAKOTA3,1273206901,1422304,681
TENNESSEE8,9723,3681,3015623,539113617,789
TEXAS18,97618,0855,5953,3033,4216,21031755,907
UTAH5,7152,8394002121,4611,330011,957
VERMONT2,1451974901,051003,442
VIRGINIA7,2227,6104,9901,7721,5172,03247525,618
WASHINGTON5,7045,0502,1225452,0361,76933917,565
WEST VIRGINIA4,0051,34562942,147057,658
WISCONSIN7,0693,6593474322,36506613,938
WYOMING1,572755701,2825403,040

Military Civilians by State


DUTY STATE / COUNTRYARMYNAVYMARINE CORPSAIR FORCE4TH ESTATE (DOD)TOTAL
ALABAMA18,19411862,2353,65624,209
ALASKA2,350802,4902595,107
ARIZONA3,8781734753,4151,1369,077
ARKANSAS2,3351001,031973,473
CALIFORNIA9,16535,1094,47710,0195,52364,293
COLORADO4,33313155,8651,29011,624
CONNECTICUT5471,24501625772,531
DELAWARE236421,0051111,358
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA1,21110,6082975579013,393
FLORIDA4,14913,66832313,2092,23733,586
GEORGIA12,2902,6131,88315,0992,86034,745
HAWAII5,12111,4646631,2541,21419,716
IDAHO696760663461,481
ILLINOIS7,1871,022292,9091,27412,421
INDIANA2,0584,2233127384,38711,718
IOWA1,01491286781,388
KANSAS5,592809432786,821
KENTUCKY8,6372532328979,794
LOUISIANA3,4186112421,5842326,087
MAINE2947,42701847698,674
MARYLAND16,80018,0462993,0349,15747,336
MASSACHUSETTS2,21215573,3417666,481
MICHIGAN7,31935106611,5009,525
MINNESOTA1,4742926951572,357
MISSISSIPPI4,0172,65702,4632719,408
MISSOURI5,630601271,1736917,681
MONTANA50560735411,287
NEBRASKA1,3003252,5741084,019
NEVADA47631401,7891742,753
NEW HAMPSHIRE452172251176898
NEW JERSEY5,5502,48571,97453110,547
NEW MEXICO2,31814003,7933926,643
NEW YORK7,185113322,0221,95611,308
NORTH CAROLINA7,9634,9452,9381,1875,50222,535
NORTH DAKOTA497411,080651,647
OHIO1,622135515,9359,26526,962
OKLAHOMA5,562163718,0391,82325,594
OREGON2,236262370262,660
PENNSYLVANIA8,3947,777239228,38725,503
RHODE ISLAND2134,65221401115,118
SOUTH CAROLINA3,5353,8587782,01269010,873
SOUTH DAKOTA51630698461,263
TENNESSEE3,3491,38929395256,204
TEXAS24,5931,5272817,6284,62448,400
UTAH1,95062212,5651,30615,885
VERMONT2273017230432
VIRGINIA17,55443,3025,4236,44925,63798,365
WASHINGTON8,52520,13161,3981,26031,320
WEST VIRGINIA1,30670332411,686
WISCONSIN1,9318033091162,439
WYOMING25820770391,069
Data current as of Sept. 30, 2021. Figures reflect personnel paid for by federal appropriated funding. Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center.

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Zoe is the digital editor for Governing.
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