Special Report

The Biggest Military Bases in the United States

Samuel Stebbins

Published: November 27, 2023 3:17 pm

Last Updated: November 27, 2023 5:57 pm

With an estimated 750 bases across six continents — and troops deployed in 159 countries — the U.S. has a massive, global military footprint. Internationally, American military bases are used to project power, deter adversaries, and reassure allies. (This is the country with the most people in the military.)

Still, the bulk of American military power is concentrated within the United States. Across the 50 states and Washington D.C., there are hundreds of military bases home to nearly 1.2 million active-duty service members and their families, according to the Department of Defense’s report Demographics Profile of the Military Community. Used for training and maintaining troop readiness, many of these bases have populations comparable to a mid-size city. (This is the county in every state with the most people in the military.)

Using DoD military demographics data for 2019 — the most recent year of comprehensive base-level — 24/7 Wall St. identified America’s largest military bases. For the purposes of this story, only bases housing active-duty military personnel for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and DoD were considered.

Each of the 26 bases on this list are home to at least 10,000 active-duty military personnel. Including dependents and military families, some of these bases have over 100,000 people. The largest branch of the U.S. military by headcount, the Army controls most of these bases. The Air Force and Marine Corps each have only two bases on this list, while the Navy has five.  

These bases include those used as basic training sites for these four military branches.

Here are America’s largest military bases.

26. Nellis AFB, Nevada

Boeing AH-64E Apache (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Tomu00c3u0083u00c2u00a1s Del Coro

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,168 (89.2% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 21,937
• Service branch: Air Force
• Location: 8 miles from Las Vegas

25. Naval Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Pearl Harbor Naval Base - Hono... (CC BY 2.0) by MasonArchitects

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,222 (21.5% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 21,697
• Service branch: Navy
• Location: 6 miles from Honolulu

24. Mayport NAVSTA, Florida

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,442 (15.7% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 25,013
• Service branch: Navy
• Location: 10 miles from Jacksonville

23. Fort Sam Houston, Texas

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,721 (8.8% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 25,655
• Service branch: Army
• Location: San Antonio

22. Fort George G. Meade, Maryland

Gymnasium at Fort George G. Me... (CC BY 2.0) by Boston Public Library

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 11,140 (39.8% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 26,041
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 15 miles from Baltimore

21. Fort Gordon, Georgia

Fort Gordon students DSCF0425 (CC BY 2.0) by U.S. Army Environmental Command

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 11,220 (16.5% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 25,636
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 12 miles from Augusta

20. Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Fort Jackson (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Jmulhearn

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 11,545 (28.4% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 20,589
• Service branch: Army
• Location: Columbia

19. Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

Fort Leonard Wood - Missouri O... (CC BY 2.0) by Richard Ricciardi

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 12,218 (72.3% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 23,479
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 85 miles from Springfield

18. Fort Sill, Oklahoma

JB-2 Loon - Fort Sill, Oklahom... (CC BY 2.0) by duggar11

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 13,310 (59.2% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 26,189
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 90 miles from Oklahoma City

17. Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,057 (31.7% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 34,022
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 20 miles from Honolulu

16. Fort Drum, New York

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,195 (74.7% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 32,011
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 8 miles from Watertown

15. Fort Riley, Kansas

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,214 (69.8% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 33,295
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 50 miles from Topeka

14. Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,726 (72.8% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 21,875
• Service branch: Navy
• Location: 30 miles from Chicago

13. Fort Stewart, Georgia

Warrior in Transition Barracks... (CC BY 2.0) by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 19,476 (28.6% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 45,302
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 35 miles from Savannah

12. Lackland AFB, Texas

Basic Training Graduation (CC BY 2.0) by DVIDSHUB

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 22,220 (18.2% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 42,521
• Service branch: Air Force
• Location: 5 miles from San Antonio

11. Fort Moore, Georgia

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 24,305 (35.7% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 46,785
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 5 miles from Columbus

10. Fort Carson, Colorado

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 24,520 (68.4% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 57,473
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 6 miles from Colorado Springs

9. Fort Bliss, Texas

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 26,100 (21.3% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 60,307
• Service branch: Army
• Location: El Paso

8. Fort Lewis, Washington

Question and answer time with ... (CC BY 2.0) by The U.S. Army

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 26,512 (44.6% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 62,831
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 12 miles from Tacoma

7. Fort Campbell, Kentucky

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 26,824 (83.1% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 62,977
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 50 miles from Nashville

6. San Diego NAVSTA, California

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 32,983 (20.0% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 66,557
• Service branch: Navy
• Location: San Diego

5. Fort Cavazos, Texas

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 36,697 (30.0% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 83,815
• Service branch: Army
• Location: Killeen

4. Camp Lejeune MCB, North Carolina

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 38,706 (37.1% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 72,106
• Service branch: Marine Corps
• Location: 3 miles from Jacksonville

3. Camp Pendleton, California

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 39,690 (24.0% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 70,700
• Service branch: Marine Corps
• Location: 35 miles from San Diego

2. Fort Liberty, North Carolina

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 45,055 (43.2% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 109,101
• Service branch: Army
• Location: 10 miles from Fayetteville

1. Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia

• Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 47,368 (37.5% of mil. personnel in state)
• All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 100,893
• Service branch: Navy
• Location: Norfolk