Report shows a decline in Armed Forces population
By SDCN Editor
Washington, D.C.–The Defense Department’s newly released 2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community shows the number of service members dropped 2.7% over the previous year while the percentage of women in the military inched upward.
According to the annual demographics report, the active-duty and selected reserve population was 58,282 lower than in 2021, for a total of 2,077,630 service members. Over the same period, the percentage of women increased slightly – rising to 17.5% of the active duty force from 17.3% and 21.6% of the selected reserve from 21.4%. Since 2005, the percentage of active-duty military women has increased by 2.9% while the percentage of women in the selected reserve has risen by 4.4%. The annual report contains the latest publicly available information on the makeup of the military community, including service members and their dependents.
Data highlighted in the report includes information from all services, including gender, race, age, education, family members, pay grades, and geographic location. It provides a standard resource for policymakers, program planners, and those doing analysis to support the military community.
“The Demographics Profile of the Military Community and research conducted by the Department ensures we have the quality data we need to understand and respond to the ever-changing needs of our service members and their families,” said Patricia Montes Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Military Community and Family Policy. “The updated demographic data and trends help the Department assess and tailor our policies and programs to best support our Service members and their families.”
The annual demographics profile report is the only comprehensive, publicly released snapshot of armed forces demographics from the Defense Department. It provides a detailed look at the people who make up the military community — active duty and reserve members and their families from all service branches.
Data from the 2022 report can be viewed in a fully interactive dashboard that allows users to select and view the latest available demographic data by various criteria, such as service branch, gender, pay grade, and state of current residence.
To capture data unique to reserve component women in the military, the 2022 demographics profile features a new interactive infographic to display key demographics related to their personal, family, and military life. This infographic compliments the interactive infographic of women in the active-duty military launched with the 2021 demographics profile.
