Service Leads to Success: Study Shows Post 9/11 Vets More Successful than Civilian Counterparts
By Aquilla Hines, Communications, NYC Department of Veterans Services
August 24, 2017
“Service is our North Star.” So says our fearless leader Commissioner Loree Sutton. As a point of navigation, service gives life clarity and purpose. Military service, then, is the Zenith. Or so concludes a recent study from the CUNY Center for Latin American, Caribbean & Latino Studies. In his report, Lawrence Cappello, PhD provides quantitative evidence of the direct correlation between military service and increased socio-economic success, especially for women and minorities.
Cappello puts the subjects of the study in two distinct categories — 9/11-era veteran population and general U.S. population — then parses the statistics by race and sex. The report provides metrics on employment status, median household income, poverty status, and educational attainment for each category.
The findings are telling. Here are some highlights:
- On average, 9/11-era veterans experienced higher employment rates (77%) than the national average (70%) in 2015.
- 9/11-era veterans have a higher median household income ($80,000) than the national average ($68,000).
- The poverty rate among 9/11-era veterans is four percentage points lower than the total population.
- 47% of 9/11-era veterans have earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 39% of the general population.
In summary, 9/11-era veterans are more educated, better employed, and higher earning than the general U.S. population.
Findings on gender and race
Cappello’s findings are even more revealing along the lines of race and gender. The report showed that trends within the 9/11-era veteran population tend to mimic trends in the general population with respect to gender: female veterans are more educated than male veterans. Yet, just as in the general population, female veterans are, on average, more likely to be unemployed, have lower median incomes and higher poverty rates than male veterans.
In some cases, 9/11-era veteran female veterans outpaced their male counterparts. Notably, Asian female veterans earned approximately $90,700 in 2015 — more than any other veteran classification, including white male veterans. The educational attainment numbers were also striking: the number of female veterans with a Bachelor’s degree or higher exceeded that of both male veterans and the general female population in 2015.
Racial trends among 9/11-era veterans are also similar to racial trends within the general U.S. population. Asian veterans report higher household income than all categories of veterans, just as Asians earn more than the general population. Black veterans have the lowest median income when compared to veterans of other races and the highest poverty rates, even when compared to the national average. There is a distinct racial gap with poverty rates. Latino and Black veterans report higher instances of poverty than white veterans, congruent with trends in the general population.
Women, minority veterans outperform civilians
The report’s findings are most dramatic juxtaposing 9/11-era veterans and the general population by race combined with gender: Female and minority veterans significantly outperform their civilian counterparts in every category. In 2015, 45% of white female veterans had earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher, 11 percentage point more than white females in the general U.S. population.
Military service made an exceptional difference in educational and employment opportunities for minorities. Far more 9/11-era Black veterans have attained a Bachelor’s degree or higher than the general non-Hispanic population — a difference of nine percentage points. Moreover, Black veterans earned nearly $20,000 more than the general Black population. Among the Latino population, 27% of 9/11-era veterans earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher compared to just 15% of the general Latino population. Additionally, Latino veterans have the second highest rate of employment among veterans at 77%.
Why does this matter? The CLACLS report draws two important conclusions.
1. Military service increases the likelihood of socio-economic success.
2. Women and minorities especially and most profoundly benefit from military service.
How can NYC help Post 9/11 veterans?
It is clear that the 9/11-era veterans are an influential talent pool. It is important that veterans and service providers like know how to capitalize on that talent. The NYC Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) has begun work toward this effort with the Veterans On Campus NYC (VOC) program. VOC strives to nurture this valuable workforce asset, combining DVS resources with those of a coalition of NYC colleges and corporations like Marsh & McLennan and Veterans Advantage.
The initiative, launched in May 2017 by Mayor Bill de Blasio, has four core objectives:
(1) To assist New York City academic institutions in further identifying and adopting best practices which support the needs and strengths of student veterans currently enrolled across the City;
(2) To attract the finest men and women of our armed forces to come to New York City to pursue undergraduate and graduate education;
(3) To help all veterans and their families transition effectively into academic and urban life, and to thrive while in school; and
(4) To launch veterans into successful careers in the private and public sectors.
Service truly is the North Star, and NYC DVS is here to help veterans navigate a successful civilian life.
