April 3, 2003

 

Number of Veterans in North Dakota Sees Slight Decline

In 2000, civilian veterans in North Dakota totaled 64,772 or 12.7 percent of persons 18 years and older. According to the recent Population Bulletin released from the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University, this is a slight decline from 14 percent in 1990.

The decline is largely due to a loss of World War II veterans. In 1990, veterans of WWII who did not participate in the Korean conflict nor Vietnam totaled 18,591. This number dropped to 11,604 in 2000, a 38 percent decline.

While the overall number of veterans has declined, the age distribution of North Dakota veterans has changed substantially over that last 10 years. Persons 65 and older now comprise more than one-third of all North Dakota veterans (35.8 percent). This proportion rose from slightly less than one-fourth in 1990 (24.2 percent).

"As this proportion of veterans increases, the strain on the Veteran’s Administration to provide care for a growing number of aging veterans will also increase," said Richard Rathge, director of the Data Center. "The financial strain on the system has already caused the Veterans Administration in 1995 to stop providing free lifetime health benefits to veterans who served at least 20 years. These veterans now have to pay for benefits through Medicare when they reach age 65," said Rathge.

The gender distribution of veterans is changing as well. Female veterans, while comprising less than six percent of all veterans in 2000, increased 27 percent since 1990 to reach 3,470.

###

Sources: Richard Rathge, (701) 231-8621, richard.rathge@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Click here for a GIF version of this graphic. (32 Kb b&w text, map and graph) 

Click here for a GIF version of this graphic. (66 Kb b&w text, map and graph)

Click here for a pdf version of both pages of this graphic. 
(347 Kb b&w text, map and table)