What State Is Home to Nearly Half of all US Marines?

The Department of Defense is the largest employer in the United States with an impressive 2.6 million people on its payroll. Around 734,000 are civilians, but most employees are active-duty troops, National Guardsmen, and reservists. These dedicated men and women are stationed all across the country, but California is a major hub when it comes to military employees. (This is the number of active-duty service members in each state.)

For example, California is currently 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. (These are 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, some states host larger numbers than others.

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

Presentation of the U.S. Space Force Flag (PDM 1.0) by The White House

• 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