Military spouses may not be members of the Armed Forces themselves, but they are part of the military community in an impactful way. Covering all branches — and all corners of the world — military spouses live on bases, work in local communities, attend schools and move across the U.S. with frequent tendencies. They’re not in the military, but they’re definitely in the military in one way, shape, or form.
Take a look at these strange, yet impressive stats, that encompass more than one million individuals.
- The number is rising
There are more than 1 million military spouses today and 2.5 millions kids and spouses combined. (That’s a lot of youngins!) In fact, spouses and kids outnumber services members themselves by 4 to 1.
- The age of duty
Active-duty spouses average just 31 years of age. That takes into account a majority of spouses who are in their 20s, as well as older spouses who have been around for the long haul.
- Salary woes
Military spouses, on average, take home 25% less pay than those who work the same job in the civilian world. In most cases, this is due to frequent moves or lack of seniority at a single position, regardless of overall experience.
- Average professionals
53% of spouses work some type of job, compared to 76% of people in the general population. This covers a large number of stay-at-home-parents, as well as the underemployed population … or anyone in-between jobs during a PCS.
- Frequent moves
Military families move 10-times more frequently than the average family, usually every 2-3 years. There are those who stay on-fort longer, but the number averages out to just 2.5 years per address. That’s a lot of relocating!
- Looking for a job … still looking
Underemployment for military spouses (those who want a job but don’t have one/can’t find one) are four-times higher than the national average. Again, this is attributed to stigma of frequent moves, as well as lacking seniority in stagnant locations.
- Tying the knot
The average year military members get married is just 22 — a whopping 10 years less than the rest of the generation at 32 years old. This is an impressive feat brought on my military members.
- Hey ladies
Around 91% of spouses are female.
- Splitting up?
Despite getting a bad rap for divorce rates, military percentages are actually lower than the general population’s. Military divorce rates have dropped over 6% since 2011.
- Caregivers
There are 5.5 million military caregivers, most of whom are spouses or family members to their injured solider. That’s an impressive number of caregivers helping with their family day-in and day-out. This number includes all level of care for those who served in the military.