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 Hawaii has made the state a critical hub for American military operations.
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The Department of Defense has a work force of about half a million more people than Walmart, the world’s largest private sector employer. Of the 2.6 million Americans employed by the DOD, only about 734,000 are civilians, and the rest 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 Hawaii, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps each have an especially large footprint. Established in 1775, less than one year before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Navy is the maritime service branch of the U.S. military. Today, the U.S. Navy is deployed around the world to protect American interests at sea and deter aggression from adversarial nations. There are about 303,300 active-duty troops serving the Navy, more than in any other branch with the exception of the Army. The U.S. Marine Corps was also established in 1775. Though it was temporarily 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 145,500 active-duty troops, serves as an expeditionary and amphibious operation force.

Currently, Hawaii is home to the highest per-capita concentration of active-duty Marine Corps service men and women, and the second highest concentration of active-duty Navy personnel in the United States. According to data from the DOD’s 2022 Demographics Profile, there are about 12,500 active-duty Navy and 5,800 active-duty Marine Corps service men and women stationed in Hawaii, or about 87 and 40 for every 10,000 people in the state, respectively. For context, there are only about 9.1 active-duty Navy personnel and 4.4 active-duty Marines for every 10,000 people nationwide.

Hawaii’s status as a hub for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps is due in large part to the presence of several major installations. These include Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, both located on the island of Oahu. (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 Hawaii.

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 Navy and Marine Corps have an especially strong presence in Hawaii.

U.S. Army

• Active duty-troop count: 15,429 — 10th most of 50 states (3.7% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 107.1 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 2,376 — 24th fewest of 50 states (1.4% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 16.5 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states

U.S. Navy

• Active duty-troop count: 12,476 — 6th most of 50 states (4.1% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 86.6 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 716 — 19th most of 50 states (1.3% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 5.0 per 10,000 people — 4th highest of 50 states

U.S. Marine Corps

• Active duty-troop count: 5,799 — 5th most of 50 states (4.0% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 40.3 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 220 — 24th fewest of 50 states (0.8% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.5 per 10,000 people — 3rd highest of 50 states

U.S. Air Force

• Active duty-troop count: 5,458 — 19th most of 50 states (2.1% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 37.9 per 10,000 people — 5th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 742 — 22nd fewest of 50 states (1.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 5.2 per 10,000 people — 4th highest of 50 states

U.S. Space Force

• Active duty-troop count: 105 — 10th most of 50 states (1.4% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.7 per 10,000 people — 4th 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: 3,023 — 12th fewest of 50 states (0.9% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 21.0 per 10,000 people — 11th highest of 50 states

Air National Guard

• Active duty-troop count: N/A
• Concentration of active-duty troops: N/A
• Reserve troop count: 2,332 — 13th most of 50 states (2.3% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 16.2 per 10,000 people — 3rd highest of 50 states

U.S. Coast Guard

• Total Guardsman count: 137 — 13th most of 50 states (2.2% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve and active-duty Guardsman: 1.0 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states

U.S. Department of Defense Total

• Active duty-troop count: 39,267 — 8th most of 50 states (3.5% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 272.7 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 9,546 — 18th fewest of 50 states (1.3% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 66.3 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states

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