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Caught Our Eye

Members of Congress more likely to be veterans

Posted by Heavyn Lester on Nov. 12, 2024

Yesterday's Veterans Day meant more to many members of Congress than average Americans, with member rates of service far outweighing those of U.S. adults.

About 15% of current members of Congress have served in the military, according to LegiStorm data. This makes a member of Congress 2.5 times more likely to have served in the military than an average U.S. adult, with approximately 6% of U.S. adults having served, according to the Pew Research Center.

Currently, 20% of GOP members of Congress are veterans, while only 9.5% of Democratic members have served in the military.

Men are especially well-represented. Some 91% of current GOP legislators who served in the military are men and 88% of Democratic veterans are men.

Overall, 1.5% of women currently serving in Congress are veterans.