Region home to many veterans

Veterans Day celebrates living veterans of the armed forces. The Census Bureau estimates that 8% of adults in the central Puget Sound region have served in the military—slightly more than the U.S. rate of 7%.

Kitsap County has the smallest number of veterans in the four-county region (33,017), but the largest proportion of vets in its population (17%)—no great surprise given the large military presence on the peninsula.

King County is the reverse, with the most vets (99,128), but the smallest percentage (6%).

The largest share of vets served during the Vietnam era (35%), while only 2% of veterans are from World War II—5,740 total.

Most former service members are still in their working years. More than half are under age 65, and one in ten is a woman.

Veterans here tend to do better than average economically. Their incomes are above non-veteran medians in all of the region's counties. In Kitsap, the difference is particularly stark, with vets earning a median of $56,893 compared to non-vets' $32,882.

Still, the state's 2019 Point in Time count found 1,094 homeless veterans in the region, representing 8% of all the region's homeless. Programs like the Orting Veterans Village in Pierce County are working to provide permanent supportive housing for vets.