US Census Bureau
Skip top of page navigation

PeopleBusinessGeographyNewsroomSubjects A to Z Search@Census

Newsroom
Skip this top of page navigation
US Census Bureau Newsroom masthead
 
Facts for Features CB04-FFSE.07
April 29, 2004


   
 
*Special Edition*
Dedication of National
World War II Memorial
 

The National World War II Memorial will be dedicated on May 29 in Washington, D.C. Located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, it will be the first national memorial dedicated to the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, including those who died in combat and the Americans who supported the war effort on the home front. This special edition of Facts for Features pays tribute to those who served our country in that war.

Proud to Serve
16.1 million
The number of U.S. armed forces personnel who served in World War II between Dec. 1, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946.
See Table 523 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

33 months
The average length of active-duty by U.S. military personnel during WWII.
See Table 523 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

Serving Abroad …
73%
The proportion of U.S. military personnel who served abroad during WWII.
See Table 523 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

16 months
The average time U.S. personnel served overseas during WWII.
See Table 523 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

Supreme Sacrifice
292,000
The number of U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines killed in battle in WWII.
See Table 523 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

114,000
The number of other deaths sustained by U.S. forces during WWII.
See Table 523 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

And the Wounded:
671,000
The number of U.S. troops wounded during WWII.
See Table 523 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

Veterans
5.7 million
The number of World War II veterans counted in Census 2000. The census identified the period of service for World War II veterans as September 1940 to July 1947.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001120.html>

475,000
The estimated number of WWII veterans living in California in 2002, the most in any state. Other states with high numbers of WWII vets included Florida (439,000), New York (284,000), Pennsylvania (280,000), Texas (267,000) and Ohio (208,000).
See Table 529 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

5.4%
The proportion of WWII veterans among the Clearwater, Fla., civilian population age 18 and over in 2000. Other large places (100,000 or more population) with high concentrations of WWII vets were: Cape Coral, Fla. (5.1 percent), Oceanside, Calif. (4.3 percent); and Scottsdale, Ariz.; Pueblo, Colo., Metairie, La., St. Petersburg, Fla.; Santa Rosa, Calif.; Mesa, Ariz.; and Independence, Mo. (all around 4 percent).
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001120.html>

210,000
The estimated number of women in 2002 who were WWII veterans. These women comprised 4.4 percent of WWII vets.
See Table 530 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

22%
The proportion of all veterans in April 2000 who were WWII veterans.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001120.html>

76.7 years old
The median age of WWII veterans four years ago when the last census was conducted.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001120.html>

11.6%
The proportion of WWII veterans who were still employed in 2000.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001120.html>

440,000
The number of WWII veterans in 2002 who received compensation for service-connected disabilities, about half the number in 1990 (876,000) and nearly two-thirds less than the nearly 1.2 million disabled WWII vets in 1980.
See Table 531 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>

$62 billion
The projected national expenditure for veteran’s benefits in 2004.
See Table 509 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>


 
From time to time, special editions of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Facts for Features are issued to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news. Below is a listing of previous such editions:
 
U.S. Armed Forces and Veterans (April 10, 2003)    
Tax Time (April 11, 2003)    
Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial (May 12, 2003)    
Dialing for Dollars (Sept. 24, 2003)    
First Flight Centennial (Dec. 3, 2003)    
Social Security COLA (Dec. 11, 2003)    
The 2004 Presidential Election (Jan. 6, 2004)    
Brown v. Board of Education: 50th Anniversary
   (Feb. 2, 2004)
   
Lewis & Clark Bicentennial (March 10, 2004)    
50th Anniversary of ‘Wonderful World of Color’ TV
   (March 11, 2004)
   
Cinco de Mayo (April 21, 2004)    
Teacher Appreciation Week (April 22,2004)    
 
Editor’s note: Some of the preceding data were collected in surveys and, therefore, are subject to sampling error. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: (301) 763-3030; fax: (301) 457-3670; or e-mail: <pio@census.gov>.
 
[PDF] or PDF denotes a file in Adobe’s Portable Document Format. To view the file, you will need the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader This link to a non-federal Web site does not imply endorsement of any particular product, company, or content. available free from Adobe.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Public Information Office |  Last Revised: February 26, 2008