On Veterans Day, we honor our nation’s 15.8 million navy veterans with parades, flag waving and vacation gross sales.
Ray Watts, a retired colonel within the U.S. Military Nationwide Guard, spent the times main as much as Nov. 11 getting ready for the lengthy weekend’s celebrations. “When I retired, I was wanting to continue to serve,” mentioned the San Jose resident, now president of the Silicon Valley chapter of the Army Officers Affiliation of America.
He not too long ago jumped into motion to assist save San Jose’s century-long custom of a Veterans Day Parade, after organizers introduced they have been brief on funding.
He inspired folks to come back out to the parade in San Jose on Monday, to give attention to the “critical issues our veterans in Santa Clara County are facing,” similar to an absence of employment alternatives and housing, and to indicate appreciation for veterans and their households.
So who’re these veterans, and what number of of them reside within the Bay Space?
1) The Bay Space has 140,000 veterans
Simply over 1.2 million veterans reside in California, in keeping with the newest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, and 140,000 of them reside within the five-county Bay Space.
Of the Bay Space counties, Contra Costa has the best focus of veterans. An estimated 37,591 veterans reside in Contra Costa County, or 4.2% of the grownup inhabitants, which is barely larger than the statewide common of 4.1%.
In line with the 2023 estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Group Survey, the focus of veterans in California and the Bay Space is decrease than the nationwide common of 6.1% of the grownup inhabitants.
2) Most dwelling Bay Space veterans served within the Vietnam period
Amongst veterans dwelling within the Bay Space, 1 / 4 served within the post-9/11 period. One other 21% served within the Gulf Battle earlier than September 2001.
The biggest group of veterans, statewide and regionally, served throughout the Vietnam period, together with about 50,000 within the Bay Space, practically 45% of the native veteran inhabitants. One other 7% served within the Korean Battle.
And though their numbers are rapidly dwindling, there are nonetheless 1,800 WWII veterans within the Bay Space and eight,400 statewide.
Simply 1.6% of native veterans served in that struggle, which ended practically 80 years in the past.
3) Bay Space veterans are largely older, one in 10 are girls
Over half of Bay Space veterans are 65 years and older, barely larger than the general grownup inhabitants, although the area’s grownup inhabitants developments older than within the state typically.
In California, about 10% of veterans are beneath 35 years previous, and practically a 3rd are within the oldest age group, 75 years and older.
And whereas the overwhelming majority of navy veterans are males, the more moderen generations of veterans have included increasingly girls. In California, one in 10 veterans is a lady, with 14,000 feminine veterans dwelling within the Bay Space.
The expertise of ladies veterans is one factor Watts needs to shine extra mild on. He worries they are often ignored, particularly in discussions of homelessness. “When you see the photographs of the veteran who is unhoused, it’s usually a male,” he mentioned, however he is aware of many ladies who served are struggling and in danger, too.
4) About 9,000 Bay Space veterans live in poverty
Whereas median earnings for veterans in California is barely larger than the nonveteran inhabitants, $57,700 in comparison with $41,900, many veterans wrestle to search out work and housing after their service is over.
That’s the reason Watts’ group focuses on “those who are unhoused, those who are food insecure, those who are contemplating suicide,” and veterans in search of academic and job alternatives following their service, he mentioned.
In line with knowledge from the U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs, in 2023 the variety of veterans who skilled homelessness was about 35,600 — a rise of round 7% from January 2022, nationwide.
And in keeping with census estimates, about 91,000 California veterans had incomes under the poverty stage in 2023, together with 9,000 in Bay Space counties.
5) A shrinking group of veterans
The variety of veterans has been steadily declining because the early Eighties, when it peaked at about 28 million, 37% of the grownup male inhabitants at the moment, in keeping with census knowledge.
In 2000, there have been 26.4 million navy veterans within the nation, over 10 million greater than there at the moment are.
In California, the quantity has shrunk from 1.9 million in 2010 to 1.2 million in 2023.
As older generations of veterans die, the newer generations of veterans is probably not as concerned with current networks for veterans, Watts mentioned. It worries him.
“Especially here in the Valley, a lot of the nonprofit military-led organizations are struggling to get younger people involved,” he mentioned. “They want to help, but they don’t know how to help.”
