Special Report
The Missing in Action From Every State Since WWII, Broken Out by War
Published:
When American personnel are missing or are otherwise unaccounted-for, they are classified missing in action, or MIA. They may be determined as killed in action, but if their body was not recovered, they remain unaccounted-for. The Department of Defense accounting agency is in charge of determining the fate of the missing or killed in action, and for locating, identifying, and recovering their remains.
As technology has improved over the decades, so have the offensive and defensive capabilities of the U.S. military, which has become more surgical and risk averse over time. This has led to a steep drop in those missing in action in every major conflict since World War II. Of course, part of this is also due to the sheer scope of WWII. (This is the year the most Americans died in war since 1980.)
More than 81,900 Americans remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. But since WWII the number of personnel lost, killed, or unaccounted-for has been incredibly reduced. In fact, during the 20-year engagement in Afghanistan, not a single American was reported as MIA. And in other recent conflicts, within the last forty years, there remain few personnel reported as MIA, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Capt. Paul Lorence of California was lost in Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986. The Airforce pilot went down in his F-111 during a strike over Libya. Two Navy pilots were then lost in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Lt. Cmdr. Barry Cooke of Texas and Lt. Robert Dwyer of Ohio were downed separately over the Persian Gulf. They are classified as Killed in Action Body Not Recovered.
Most recently, three civilians, DOD contractors, were reported unaccounted-for in Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2003 to 2010: Kirk Ackermann of New Mexico, Timothy Bell of Alabama, and Adnan al-Hilawi of Florida.
Most of the missing in action, however, came in earlier conflicts, mostly in WWII. In fact, WWII accounts for over 72,000 of the over 81,000 missing. Because of that, the more populous states at the time tend to have more missing in action. (These are states where the most americans serve in the military.)
To determine the military service members missing in action in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the DPAA. We ranked states by the total number of personnel missing in action in conflicts from WWII onwards. All figures listed are from the DPAA. It should be noted that while some estimates exist for MIA prior to WWII, the DPAA only publishes figures for WWII and onwards.
Click here to see the number of Americans missing in action from every state since WW2.
50. Alaska
> Missing in action since WWII: 8
> World War II MIA: 4
> Korean War MIA: 1
> Vietnam War MIA: 2
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (5 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
49. Nevada
> Missing in action since WWII: 81
> World War II MIA: 70
> Korean War MIA: 5
> Vietnam War MIA: 6
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (43 unaccounted-for)
24/7 Wall St.
48. Delaware
> Missing in action since WWII: 120
> World War II MIA: 105
> Korean War MIA: 11
> Vietnam War MIA: 04
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (56 unaccounted-for)
47. Hawaii
> Missing in action since WWII: 153
> World War II MIA: 76
> Korean War MIA: 70
> Vietnam War MIA: 7
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (106 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
46. Vermont
> Missing in action since WWII: 191
> World War II MIA: 166
> Korean War MIA: 20
> Vietnam War MIA: 5
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (107 unaccounted-for)
45. Wyoming
> Missing in action since WWII: 209
> World War II MIA: 192
> Korean War MIA: 13
> Vietnam War MIA: 4
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (113 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
44. New Hampshire
> Missing in action since WWII: 319
> World War II MIA: 273
> Korean War MIA: 40
> Vietnam War MIA: 6
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (153 unaccounted-for)
43. South Dakota
> Missing in action since WWII: 351
> World War II MIA: 310
> Korean War MIA: 34
> Vietnam War MIA: 7
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (168 unaccounted-for)
42. Idaho
> Missing in action since WWII: 359
> World War II MIA: 328
> Korean War MIA: 23
> Vietnam War MIA: 8
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (185 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
41. North Dakota
> Missing in action since WWII: 361
> World War II MIA: 325
> Korean War MIA: 27
> Vietnam War MIA: 9
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (177 unaccounted-for)
40. Arizona
> Missing in action since WWII: 387
> World War II MIA: 325
> Korean War MIA: 46
> Vietnam War MIA: 15
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (215 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
39. Montana
> Missing in action since WWII: 461
> World War II MIA: 417
> Korean War MIA: 27
> Vietnam War MIA: 16
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (258 unaccounted-for)
24/7 Wall St.
38. Maine
> Missing in action since WWII: 474
> World War II MIA: 418
> Korean War MIA: 45
> Vietnam War MIA: 11
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (287 unaccounted-for)
37. Utah
> Missing in action since WWII: 476
> World War II MIA: 429
> Korean War MIA: 33
> Vietnam War MIA: 14
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (251 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
36. New Mexico
> Missing in action since WWII: 625
> World War II MIA: 567
> Korean War MIA: 44
> Vietnam War MIA: 12
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (481 unaccounted-for)
35. Rhode Island
> Missing in action since WWII: 669
> World War II MIA: 447
> Korean War MIA: 214
> Vietnam War MIA: 7
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (376 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
34. Mississippi
> Missing in action since WWII: 781
> World War II MIA: 693
> Korean War MIA: 74
> Vietnam War MIA: 12
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (418 unaccounted-for)
24/7 Wall St.
33. Nebraska
> Missing in action since WWII: 785
> World War II MIA: 708
> Korean War MIA: 59
> Vietnam War MIA: 16
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (400 unaccounted-for)
32. South Carolina
> Missing in action since WWII: 841
> World War II MIA: 709
> Korean War MIA: 105
> Vietnam War MIA: 27
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (420 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
31. Colorado
> Missing in action since WWII: 878
> World War II MIA: 784
> Korean War MIA: 68
> Vietnam War MIA: 24
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (403 unaccounted-for)
30. Arkansas
> Missing in action since WWII: 956
> World War II MIA: 841
> Korean War MIA: 99
> Vietnam War MIA: 15
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (476 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
29. Maryland
> Missing in action since WWII: 962
> World War II MIA: 806
> Korean War MIA: 132
> Vietnam War MIA: 23
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (507 unaccounted-for)
24/7 Wall St.
28. Connecticut
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,046
> World War II MIA: 943
> Korean War MIA: 76
> Vietnam War MIA: 25
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (506 unaccounted-for)
27. West Virginia
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,089
> World War II MIA: 909
> Korean War MIA: 160
> Vietnam War MIA: 17
> Cold War MIA: 3
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (555 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
26. Florida
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,118
> World War II MIA: 905
> Korean War MIA: 154
> Vietnam War MIA: 54
> Cold War MIA: 4
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (500 unaccounted-for)
25. Louisiana
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,140
> World War II MIA: 974
> Korean War MIA: 141
> Vietnam War MIA: 24
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (536 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
24. Kansas
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,186
> World War II MIA: 1,058
> Korean War MIA: 99
> Vietnam War MIA: 24
> Cold War MIA: 5
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (623 unaccounted-for)
23. Oregon
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,206
> World War II MIA: 931
> Korean War MIA: 237
> Vietnam War MIA: 35
> Cold War MIA: 3
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (591 unaccounted-for)
22. Georgia
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,260
> World War II MIA: 1,078
> Korean War MIA: 153
> Vietnam War MIA: 28
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (651 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
21. Alabama
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,290
> World War II MIA: 1,111
> Korean War MIA: 146
> Vietnam War MIA: 30
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (617 unaccounted-for)
20. Kentucky
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,299
> World War II MIA: 1,098
> Korean War MIA: 183
> Vietnam War MIA: 14
> Cold War MIA: 4
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (698 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
19. Virginia
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,334
> World War II MIA: 1,103
> Korean War MIA: 186
> Vietnam War MIA: 45
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (678 unaccounted-for)
24/7 Wall St.
18. Oklahoma
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,389
> World War II MIA: 1,215
> Korean War MIA: 140
> Vietnam War MIA: 30
> Cold War MIA: 4
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (821 unaccounted-for)
17. Tennessee
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,399
> World War II MIA: 1,202
> Korean War MIA: 171
> Vietnam War MIA: 26
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (740 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
16. Washington
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,496
> World War II MIA: 1,333
> Korean War MIA: 124
> Vietnam War MIA: 37
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (748 unaccounted-for)
15. Wisconsin
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,501
> World War II MIA: 1,312
> Korean War MIA: 162
> Vietnam War MIA: 26
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (880 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
14. North Carolina
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,520
> World War II MIA: 1,296
> Korean War MIA: 185
> Vietnam War MIA: 39
> Cold War MIA: 0
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (765 unaccounted-for)
13. Minnesota
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,565
> World War II MIA: 1,393
> Korean War MIA: 137
> Vietnam War MIA: 33
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (739 unaccounted-for)
12. Iowa
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,605
> World War II MIA: 1,448
> Korean War MIA: 131
> Vietnam War MIA: 25
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (793 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
11. Indiana
> Missing in action since WWII: 1,721
> World War II MIA: 1,499
> Korean War MIA: 170
> Vietnam War MIA: 51
> Cold War MIA: 1
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (938 unaccounted-for)
10. Missouri
> Missing in action since WWII: 2,271
> World War II MIA: 2,037
> Korean War MIA: 195
> Vietnam War MIA: 35
> Cold War MIA: 4
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (1,106 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
9. New Jersey
> Missing in action since WWII: 2,332
> World War II MIA: 2,124
> Korean War MIA: 165
> Vietnam War MIA: 40
> Cold War MIA: 3
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (1,162 unaccounted-for)
8. Michigan
> Missing in action since WWII: 2,843
> World War II MIA: 2,455
> Korean War MIA: 335
> Vietnam War MIA: 48
> Cold War MIA: 5
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (1,476 unaccounted-for)
7. Massachusetts
> Missing in action since WWII: 2,885
> World War II MIA: 2,658
> Korean War MIA: 186
> Vietnam War MIA: 39
> Cold War MIA: 2
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (1,417 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
6. Ohio
> Missing in action since WWII: 3,652
> World War II MIA: 3,159
> Korean War MIA: 411
> Vietnam War MIA: 75
> Cold War MIA: 6
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (1,961 unaccounted-for)
5. Texas
> Missing in action since WWII: 4,122
> World War II MIA: 3,608
> Korean War MIA: 408
> Vietnam War MIA: 100
> Cold War MIA: 5
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (2,276 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad]
4. Illinois
> Missing in action since WWII: 4,144
> World War II MIA: 3,686
> Korean War MIA: 387
> Vietnam War MIA: 65
> Cold War MIA: 6
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (2,109 unaccounted-for)
3. Pennsylvania
> Missing in action since WWII: 5,382
> World War II MIA: 4,734
> Korean War MIA: 543
> Vietnam War MIA: 89
> Cold War MIA: 16
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (3,103 unaccounted-for)
2. California
> Missing in action since WWII: 6,368
> World War II MIA: 5,597
> Korean War MIA: 586
> Vietnam War MIA: 161
> Cold War MIA: 23
> Military branch with most missing in action: Navy (3,086 unaccounted-for)
[in-text-ad-2]
1. New York
> Missing in action since WWII: 6,393
> World War II MIA: 5,777
> Korean War MIA: 506
> Vietnam War MIA: 101
> Cold War MIA: 9
> Military branch with most missing in action: Army (3,492 unaccounted-for)
The Average American Has No Idea How Much Money You Can Make Today (Sponsor)
The last few years made people forget how much banks and CD’s can pay. Meanwhile, interest rates have spiked and many can afford to pay you much more, but most are keeping yields low and hoping you won’t notice.
But there is good news. To win qualified customers, some accounts are paying almost 10x the national average! That’s an incredible way to keep your money safe and earn more at the same time. Our top pick for high yield savings accounts includes other benefits as well. You can earn up to 3.80% with a Checking & Savings Account today Sign up and get up to $300 with direct deposit. No account fees. FDIC Insured.
Click here to see how much more you could be earning on your savings today. It takes just a few minutes to open an account to make your money work for you.
Our top pick for high yield savings accounts includes other benefits as well. You can earn up to 4.00% with a Checking & Savings Account from Sofi. Sign up and get up to $300 with direct deposit. No account fees. FDIC Insured.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.