24/7 Wall St. Insights

• With nearly 2.6 million people on payroll, the Department of Defense is one of the largest employers in the world.
• While DOD employees, including civilians and active-duty service members, are spread across the 50 states, a disproportionate share of defense workers are concentrated in a handful of California communities.
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The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest — and one of the best funded — agencies in the federal government. Headquartered at the Pentagon in northern Virginia, the DOD employs nearly 2.6 million people and has an annual budget of more than $870 billion.

Thousands of Defense Department employees, including both civilians and active-duty service members, are stationed in each of the 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C. — and while the DOD’s nerve center may be on the East Coast, one state on the opposite side of the country has emerged as a hub for the U.S. military.

According to Defense Spending by State, a recent report from the DOD, approximately 269,900 national defense personnel were stationed in California in fiscal 2023 — the most among the 50 states. The largest share of department employees in the state — 57.3% — are active-duty troops. An additional 23.3% are civilian employees, 12.8% are reservists, and 6.5% are in the National Guard. (Here is a look at the states with the most armed forces personnel.)

The largest DOD service branches in the state by total employment, including civilians and reservists, are the Navy and Marine Corps with about 180,800 employees, followed by the Army with a total of 43,000 personnel. The Air and Space Forces also have 39,100 people in the state on payroll, and another 8,600 Californians work in other areas of national defense.

Just as California stands out as a critical state for the U.S. military, there are certain parts of the state where the DOD’s presence is especially concentrated. Due in part to major military installations — including Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Naval Base Point Loma — there are multiple counties in California that are each home to several thousand Defense Department employees. The DOD has more personnel stationed in one California county than it does in all six New England states combined — and spent over $7.7 billion on payroll there in fiscal 2023 alone. (Here is a look at the newest American military bases.)

These are the 10 counties in California with the most military and civilian Defense Department personnel. All data in this story was compiled by the DOD and is current as of fiscal 2023. Counties for which personnel data was not disclosed were excluded from analysis.

Why it Matters

A significant share of the Pentagon’s budget goes to payroll for the 2.6 million American men and women who work for the national defense. In fiscal 2023 alone, the Department of Defense spent over $167.4 billion on employee salaries and wages. While this money is spread across the 50 states, it has an outsized impact in places that serve as hubs for U.S. military operations.

10. Orange County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 7,503 (2.8% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 478 (0.3% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 2,252 (12.8% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 3,656 (10.5% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 1,117 (1.8% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: N/A

9. Kings County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 7,935 (2.9% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 6,696 (4.3% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 0 (0% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 402 (1.2% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 837 (1.3% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $541,478,326 (3.0% of DOD payroll statewide)

8. Monterey County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 8,167 (3.0% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 4,086 (2.6% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 74 (0.4% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 305 (0.9% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 3,702 (5.9% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $718,914,439 (3.9% of DOD payroll statewide)

7. Riverside County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 9,294 (3.4% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 467 (0.3% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 1,412 (8.1% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 4,609 (13.3% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,806 (4.5% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $515,492,669 (2.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

6. Kern County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 11,398 (4.2% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 2,529 (1.6% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 119 (0.7% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 297 (0.9% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 8,453 (13.4% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $1,056,681,176 (5.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

5. Solano County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 11,655 (4.3% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 6,734 (4.4% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 281 (1.6% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 3,073 (8.9% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 1,567 (2.5% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $809,817,991 (4.4% of DOD payroll statewide)

4. Los Angeles County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 11,914 (4.4% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 1,321 (0.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 2,842 (16.2% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 4,383 (12.6% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 3,368 (5.4% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $682,833,223 (3.7% of DOD payroll statewide)

3. Ventura County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 12,382 (4.6% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 4,266 (2.8% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 1,202 (6.9% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 984 (2.8% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 5,930 (9.4% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $1,081,811,794 (5.9% of DOD payroll statewide)

2. San Bernardino County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 15,939 (5.9% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 11,720 (7.6% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 683 (3.9% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 378 (1.1% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 3,158 (5.0% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $870,106,180 (4.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

1. San Diego County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 112,645 (41.7% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 80,352 (51.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 990 (5.6% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 7,987 (23.0% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 23,316 (37.0% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $7,716,860,512 (42.3% of DOD payroll statewide)

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