Veterans in the United States

Introduction
Veterans by Congressional District
New Veteran Unemployment

According to data collected by the Department of Veterans Affairs, rural America is overrepresented in the American military and urban America is underrepresented.

The 10 congressional districts with the lowest percentage of veterans by population are closely associated with major cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. In the 2008 elections, every one of the 10 districts with the lowest percentages of veterans elected Democratic representatives and were won by Barack Obama in the presidential election. Of the districts with the largest percentages of veterans, seven of 10 elected Republican representatives and were won by Republican candidate John McCain in the presidential election.

Veterans per Congressional District

Highest Percentage of Veterans by Population

Lowest Percent of Veterans by Population

1.	Virginia-02	17%
	(Accomack County, Northhampton County, City of Virginia Beach, parts of Norfolk and Hampton)

2.	Florida-01	16%
	(Escambia County, Holmes County, Washington County, Santa Rosa County, parts of Okaloosa and Walton counties)

3.	Washington-06	13%
	(Olympic Peninsula, most of the Kitsap Peninsula, most of Tacoma)

4.	Virginia-01	13%
	(Covers parts of Caroline, Charles City, Essex, Fauquier, Gloucester, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Westmoreland, and York counties)

5.	Colorado-05	13%
	(Colorado Springs, Cimarron Hills, Fort Carson)

6.	Arizona-08	12%
	(Cochise County, parts of Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties)

7.	Virginia-04	12%
	(All or part of Amelia, Brunswick, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Isle of Wight, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince George, Southampton, Sussex counties)

8.	Florida-13	11%
	(Sarasota, DeSoto, and Hardee counties, part of Manatee County)

9.	Florida-10	11%
	(Pinellas County)

10.	Florida-14	11%
	(Lee County, and parts of Charlotte and Collier counties)

1.	New York-12	2%
	(Queens: Maspeth, Ridgewood, Woodside; Brooklyn: Bushwick, Greenpoint, Red Hook, East New York, Brooklyn Heights, Sunset Park, Williamsburg; Manhattan: Lower East Side, East Village)

2.	New York-16	2%
	(Bronx: Bedford Park, East Tremont, Fordham, Hunts Point, Melrose, Highbridge, Morrisania, Mott Haven, University Heights)

3.	New York-11	2%
	(Brooklyn: Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens)

4.	California-31	2%
	(Inner-city Los Angeles, including Hollywood)

5.	New York-10	2%
	(Brooklyn: Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York, Ocean Hill, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, Williamsburg)

6.	New York-15	2%
	(Manhattan: Harlem, Inwood, Marble Hill, Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, Upper West Side; Rikers Island; Northwestern Queens along the East River)

7.	California-34	2%
	(Downtown Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Bell Gardens)

8.	Illinois-04	2%
	(Chicago: Brighton Park, Hermosa, Lower West Side, Gage Park, and parts of Albany Park, Irving Park, Avondale, Logan Square, West Town, Humboldt Park, Belmont Cragin, Austin, McKinley Park, South Lawndale, New City, West Elsdon, Archer Heights, Bridgeport, and North Center)

9.	New Jersey-13	2%
	(East Newark, Guttenberg, Harrison, Hoboken, Carteret, Perth Amboy, and parts of Newark, Bayonne, Jersey City, Woodbridge Township, Elizabeth, and Linden)

10.	New York-08	2%
	(Manhattan: Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, East Village, Chelsea, SoHo, Greenwich Village, TriBeCa, Downtown Manhattan; Brooklyn: Borough Park, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Seagate)

Sources:
» Department of Veterans Affairs
» 2010 U.S. Census
» Congressional Quarterly