Apartments House 3.2M Veterans Nationwide

Housing needs for US Veterans is a common topic in veteran affairs policy discussions. Out of roughly 10.2 million veteran households and families nationwide, over 2.2 million are apartment renters.

Moreover, looking beyond the head of household, an additional 950 thousand Veterans live in a rental that someone else has rented. Collectively — 3.2 million veterans and active duty members of the armed forces call an apartment home. 

The significant share of veterans in rental housing means that demand trends and challenges facing tenants in the apartment market are also essential to understanding veteran needs. According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, veterans account for 4.9% of all renter households nationwide but are a more significant share in some states.

Wyoming leads all states in veteran rental housing demand, with 9.5% of all apartments being rented by someone who has served. Also high up the ranks are South Dakota (8.7%), Nevada (8.4%), Montana (8.4%), and Hawaii (8.0%).

At the other end of the spectrum are New York (2.9%), New Jersey (3.7%), Illinois (3.7%), California (3.8%), and Connecticut (4.0%). Despite seeing some of the lowest Veteran shares, many of these states are responsible for the highest Veteran apartment totals. For example, nowhere in the country has more veteran rental households than California, with 218,485, while New York is fourth on the list with 96,806.