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 Texas 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, 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 in northern Virginia, one state in the South West has emerged as a leading hub for the U.S. military.

According to Defense Spending by State, a recent report from the DOD, approximately 211,500 national defense personnel were stationed in Texas in fiscal 2023 — more than in all but two other states. The largest share of department employees in the state — 51.4% — are active-duty troops. An additional 22.7% are civilian employees, 15.5% are reservists, and 10.4% are guards men and women. (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 Army with about 120,800 employees, followed by the Air or Space Forces with a total of 59,700 personnel. The Navy and Marine Corps also collectively have about 18,600 people in the state on payroll, and another 12,700 Texans work in other areas of national defense.

Just as Texas 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 in the state — including Fort Sam Houston, Fort Cavazos, and Lackland Air Force Base — there are multiple counties in Texas that are each home to several thousand Defense Department employees. In one Texas county, the DOD has more personnel than 41 entire states. In this single county, the DOD spent over $4.5 billion on payroll alone in fiscal 2023. (Here is a look at the newest American military bases.)

These are the 10 counties in Texas 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 have emerged as hubs for U.S. military operations.

10. Travis County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 5,052 (2.4% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 374 (0.3% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 2,313 (10.5% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 1,339 (4.1% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 1,026 (2.1% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $279,431,685 (2.2% of DOD payroll statewide)

9. Taylor County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 5,276 (2.5% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 4,277 (3.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 181 (0.8% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 324 (1.0% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 494 (1.0% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $315,008,026 (2.5% of DOD payroll statewide)

8. Nueces County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 5,408 (2.6% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 1,283 (1.2% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 0 (0% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 656 (2.0% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 3,469 (7.2% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $387,747,910 (3.1% of DOD payroll statewide)

7. Wichita County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 5,909 (2.8% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 4,639 (4.3% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 125 (0.6% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 100 (0.3% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 1,045 (2.2% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $266,380,202 (2.1% of DOD payroll statewide)

6. Dallas County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 7,428 (3.5% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 593 (0.5% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 2,294 (10.4% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 3,691 (11.3% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 850 (1.8% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $269,421,377 (2.2% of DOD payroll statewide)

5. Harris County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 9,423 (4.5% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 674 (0.6% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 3,253 (14.7% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 4,746 (14.5% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 750 (1.6% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $329,039,088 (2.6% of DOD payroll statewide)

4. Tarrant County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 11,387 (5.4% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 1,106 (1.0% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 1,677 (7.6% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 6,047 (18.5% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,557 (5.3% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $530,551,829 (4.3% of DOD payroll statewide)

3. El Paso County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 30,344 (14.3% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 23,474 (21.6% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 1,152 (5.2% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 1,872 (5.7% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 3,846 (8.0% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $1,919,938,082 (15.4% of DOD payroll statewide)

2. Bell County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 40,076 (18.9% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 33,200 (30.6% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 1,008 (4.6% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 877 (2.7% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 4,991 (10.4% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $2,580,011,952 (20.7% of DOD payroll statewide)

1. Bexar County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 67,694 (32.0% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 32,746 (30.1% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 2,812 (12.7% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 9,168 (28.1% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 22,968 (47.8% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $4,536,772,158 (36.4% of DOD payroll statewide)

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