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 California has made the state a critical hub for American military operations.
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With nearly 2.6 million people on payroll in 2022, the Department of Defense ranks as the single largest employer in the United States. For comparison, Walmart, the world’s largest private sector employer, has a global workforce of 2.1 million. While about 734,000 civilians are on the Pentagon’s payroll, most DOD employees are active-duty troops, reservists, and National Guardsmen.

Across all service branches in the U.S. military, there are over 1.1 million active-duty service members and 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.)

While multiple branches of the military have installations in California, the U.S. Marine Corps has an especially large footprint. The U.S. Marine Corps was first established in 1775, less than one year before the signing of the Declaration of Independance. Though briefly dismantled after the Revolutionary War, the Corps was re-established in 1798. Today, the Marine Corps is a part of the Department of the Navy, and through its 174,000 active-duty troops, serves as an expeditionary and amphibious operation force.

Currently, California is home to more than one-in-every-three active-duty members of the U.S. Marine Corps. According to data from the DOD’s 2022 Demographics Profile, there are nearly 57,300 active-duty Marines stationed in California, the most of any state and equal to nearly 40% of all active-duty Marines nationwide.

California’s status as a hub for the U.S. Marine Corps is due in large part to the presence of several major installations. These include Camp Pendleton, just outside of San Diego, the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, and the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. (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 California.

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 Marine Corps has an especially strong presence in California.

U.S. Army

• Active duty-troop count: 6,972 — 17th most of 50 states (1.7% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 1.8 per 10,000 people — 20th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 15,470 — 2nd most of 50 states (9.2% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 4.0 per 10,000 people — 15th lowest of 50 states

U.S. Navy

• Active duty-troop count: 76,441 — 2nd most of 50 states (25.2% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 19.6 per 10,000 people — 5th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 7,775 — the most of 50 states (14.3% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 2.0 per 10,000 people — 9th highest of 50 states

U.S. Marine Corps

• Active duty-troop count: 57,285 — the most of 50 states (39.4% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 14.7 per 10,000 people — 4th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 4,514 — the most of 50 states (16.3% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.2 per 10,000 people — 5th highest of 50 states

U.S. Air Force

• Active duty-troop count: 16,597 — 3rd most of 50 states (6.2% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 4.3 per 10,000 people — 19th lowest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 7,167 — the most of 50 states (10.7% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.8 per 10,000 people — 25th highest of 50 states

U.S. Space Force

• Active duty-troop count: 1,459 — 2nd most of 50 states (19.1% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.4 per 10,000 people — 7th 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: 12,958 — 3rd most of 50 states (4.0% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 3.3 per 10,000 people — the lowest of 50 states

Air National Guard

• Active duty-troop count: N/A
• Concentration of active-duty troops: N/A
• Reserve troop count: 4,835 — 2nd most of 50 states (4.7% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.2 per 10,000 people — 3rd lowest of 50 states

U.S. Coast Guard

• Total Guardsman count: 763 — 2nd most of 50 states (12.5% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve and active-duty Guardsman: 0.2 per 10,000 people — 17th highest of 50 states

U.S. Department of Defense Total

• Active duty-troop count: 158,754 — the most of 50 states (14.0% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 40.7 per 10,000 people — 16th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 53,482 — 2nd most of 50 states (7.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 13.7 per 10,000 people — the lowest of 50 states

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