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 Florida 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, the global workforce of Walmart, the world’s largest private sector employer, totals just 2.1 millions. While there are about 734,000 civilians employed by the Pentagon, most DOD employees are active-duty troops, reservists, and National Guardsmen.

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

While multiple branches of the military have installations in Florida, the U.S. Air Force and Navy each have an especially large footprint. The U.S. Air Force 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 military branch. Today, there are over 265,600 active-duty men and women serving in the Air Force. The Navy, which serves as the maritime service branch of the U.S. military, was established in 1775, less than one year before the Declaration of Independence was signed. The U.S. Navy now has about 303,000 Sailors on active-duty, many of whom are deployed around the world to protect American interests at sea and deter aggression from adversarial nations.

According to data from the DOD’s 2022 Demographics Profile, there are more than 23,300 active-duty Air men and women stationed in Florida, the second most of any state, trailing only Texas. Currently, Florida is home to nearly 9% of all active-duty service members of the U.S. Air Force. Additionally, there are about 29,200 active-duty Sailors stationed in Florida, the third most of any state,

Florida’s status as a hub for the U.S. Air Force and Navy is due in large part to the presence of several major installations. These include Eglin and MacDill Air Force Bases, respectively located near Valparaiso and outside of Tampa, as well as Hurlburt Field in Mary Esther. Meanwhile, major Navy bases in the state include Naval Air Stations in Jacksonville and Key West, as well as Naval Support Activity Panama City. (Here is a look at the newest U.S. military bases.)

With nearly 8,500 miles of coastline, more than any other state in the contiguous U.S., it is perhaps not surprising that Florida is also a major center of operations for the U.S. Coast Guard. There are nearly 900 reserve Guardsmen in Florida, the most of the 50 states.  

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

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 Air Force and Navy have an especially strong presence in Florida.

U.S. Army

• Active duty-troop count: 5,834 — 18th most of 50 states (1.4% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 2.6 per 10,000 people — 19th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 9,931 — 3rd most of 50 states (5.9% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 4.5 per 10,000 people — 22nd lowest of 50 states

U.S. Navy

• Active duty-troop count: 29,194 — 3rd most of 50 states (9.6% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 13.1 per 10,000 people — 11th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 6,017 — 2nd most of 50 states (11.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 2.7 per 10,000 people — 6th highest of 50 states

U.S. Marine Corps

• Active duty-troop count: 3,560 — 6th most of 50 states (2.4% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 1.6 per 10,000 people — 11th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 1,269 — 5th most of 50 states (4.6% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 0.6 per 10,000 people — 20th lowest of 50 states

U.S. Air Force

• Active duty-troop count: 23,333 — 2nd most of 50 states (8.8% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 10.5 per 10,000 people — 23rd highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 6,895 — 2nd most of 50 states (10.3% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 3.1 per 10,000 people — 11th highest of 50 states

U.S. Space Force

• Active duty-troop count: 256 — 4th most of 50 states (3.4% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.1 per 10,000 people — 13th 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: 10,314 — 9th most of 50 states (3.2% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 4.6 per 10,000 people — 2nd lowest of 50 states

Air National Guard

• Active duty-troop count: N/A
• Concentration of active-duty troops: N/A
• Reserve troop count: 2,165 — 19th most of 50 states (2.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.0 per 10,000 people — the lowest of 50 states

U.S. Coast Guard

• Total Guardsman count: 853 — the most of 50 states (14.0% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve and active-duty Guardsman: 0.4 per 10,000 people — 8th highest of 50 states

U.S. Department of Defense Total

• Active duty-troop count: 62,177 — 6th most of 50 states (5.5% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 28.0 per 10,000 people — 25th lowest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 37,444 — 3rd most of 50 states (5.0% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 16.8 per 10,000 people — 4th lowest of 50 states

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