24/7 Wall St. Insights

• With more than 2.5 million people on payroll, the Department of Defense is the largest employer in the United States.
• The bulk of DOD employees are active-duty service members, who can be deployed to combat at any time.
• While these men and women are stationed across the country, the presence of several major bases in Alaska has made the state a critical hub for American military operations.
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The Department of Defense ranks as the single largest employer in the United States. There were nearly 2.6 million people on the DOD payroll in 2022, about half a million more than the global workforce of Walmart, the world’s largest private sector employer. While there are about 734,000 civilians on the Pentagon’s payroll, most DOD employees are active-duty troops, reservists, and National Guardsmen.

There are over 1.1 million active-duty service members across all service branches, as well as an additional 743,000 reserve troops and Guardsmen. Although it falls under purview of the Department of Homeland Security, rather than the DOD, the U.S. Coast Guard employs another 57,000 Americans. The backbone of American military power, these men and women are stationed across the country — but in certain states, the presence of military personnel is far more pronounced than in others. (Here is a look at the number of active-duty service members in each state.)

In Alaska, the U.S. Army and Air Force each have an especially large footprint. Established in 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Army is the oldest branch of the American military. With over 412,300 active-duty troops, it is also the largest. The U.S. Air Force, meanwhile, traces its roots back to 1907, when it was established as the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The Air Force spun off from the Army in 1947 under the National Security Act, becoming an independent branch. Today, there are over 265,600 active-duty men and women serving in the Air Force.

Currently, Alaska is home to the highest per capita concentration of active-duty Army and Air Force personnel in the United States. According to data from the DOD’s 2022 Demographics Profile, there are about 9,800 active-duty Army and 8,600 active-duty Air Force service men and women stationed in Alaska, or about 133 and 118 for every 10,000 people in the state, respectively. For context, there are only about 12 active-duty Army troops and 8 active-duty Air Force personnel for every 10,000 people nationwide.

Alaska’s status as a hub for the U.S. Army and Air Force is due in large part to the presence of several major installations. These include Fort Jonathan Wainwright in Fairbanks, Eielson Air Force Base outside of Fairbanks, and Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage. (Here is a look at the newest U.S. military bases.)

This is the number of active-duty and reserve troops, from each branch of the U.S. military, stationed in Alaska.

Why It Matters

There are over 1.1 million active-duty troops and another 743,000 reservists and Guardsmen serving in the U.S. military. To maintain preparedness for a host of rising threats, these men and women are stationed at bases across the country. While the U.S. military has a footprint in every state in the country, the Army and Air Force have an especially strong presence in Alaska.

U.S. Army

• Active duty-troop count: 9,777 — 13th most of 50 states (2.4% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 133.3 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 327 — 5th fewest of 50 states (0.2% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 4.5 per 10,000 people — 21st lowest of 50 states

U.S. Navy

• Active duty-troop count: 45 — 12th fewest of 50 states (>0.1% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.6 per 10,000 people — 23rd highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 86 — 6th fewest of 50 states (0.2% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.2 per 10,000 people — 22nd highest of 50 states

U.S. Marine Corps

• Active duty-troop count: 20 — 6th fewest of 50 states (>0.1% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.3 per 10,000 people — 20th lowest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 20 — 5th fewest of 50 states (0.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 0.3 per 10,000 people — 7th lowest of 50 states

U.S. Air Force

• Active duty-troop count: 8,643 — 11th most of 50 states (3.3% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 117.8 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 360 — 20th fewest of 50 states (0.5% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 4.9 per 10,000 people — 5th highest of 50 states

U.S. Space Force

• Active duty-troop count: 15 — 17th most of 50 states (0.2% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.2 per 10,000 people — 9th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: N/A
• Concentration of reserve troops: N/A

Army National Guard

• Active duty-troop count: N/A
• Concentration of active-duty troops: N/A
• Reserve troop count: 1,588 — 3rd fewest of 50 states (0.5% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 21.6 per 10,000 people — 8th highest of 50 states

Air National Guard

• Active duty-troop count: N/A
• Concentration of active-duty troops: N/A
• Reserve troop count: 2,184 — 18th most of 50 states (2.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 29.8 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states

U.S. Coast Guard

• Total Guardsman count: 42 — 23rd fewest of 50 states (0.7% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve and active-duty Guardsman: 0.6 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states

U.S. Department of Defense Total

• Active duty-troop count: 18,500 — 16th most of 50 states (1.6% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 252.2 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 4,607 — 9th fewest of 50 states (0.6% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 62.8 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states

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