States with the most active-duty military members

Melissa Sue Gerrits // Getty Images The largest army in the world as of 2022–with about 2 million active members–belongs to China, according to the CIA’s World Factbook; India holds the #2 spot with 1.5 million active-duty members. And the United States follows close behind with roughly 1.3 million service members on active duty–yet the nation’s military spending totals more than twice as much as China and India combined. Active-duty service members are based around the world, but the vast majority of them–nearly 1.2 million–are stationed in the U.S. Stacker compiled a list of the states with the most active-duty military members using data from the Department of Defense 2021 Demographics Report: Profile of the Military Community. There are active military members in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. But almost 50% of them–belonging to five of the six branches of the U.S. military–are stationed in five states: California, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia. On the other extreme, eight states are home to fewer than 1,000 members (per state) of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and the most recently created Space Force. All branches are part of the Defense Department. The Coast Guard, which belongs to the Department of Homeland Security, wasn’t taken into account in this ranking, which also doesn’t include non-active-duty military members like those in the reserves and National Guard. You may also like: Most expensive military weapons and programs #51. West Virginia Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 123 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 7 #50. Vermont Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 127 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 20 #49. Maine Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 201 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 15 #48. Iowa Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 231 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 7 #47. Minnesota Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 522 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 9 You may also like: 100 actors who served in the military #46. Wisconsin Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 747 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 13 #45. Oregon Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 886 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 21 #44. Michigan Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 969 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 10 #43. Indiana Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 1,028 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 15 #42. New Hampshire Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 1,174 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 84 You may also like: 50 insights into the US military-industrial complex #41. Massachusetts Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 2,157 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.2% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 31 #40. Pennsylvania Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 2,208 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.2% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 17 #39. Tennessee Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 2,348 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.2% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 33 #38. Wyoming Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 3,176 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 546 #37. Rhode Island Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 3,262 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 298 You may also like: 34 military terms and their meanings #36. Montana Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 3,355 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 299 #35. South Dakota Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 3,488 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 383 #34. Idaho Smith Collection/Gado // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 3,608 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 186 #33. Delaware Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 3,623 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 356 #32. Arkansas Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 3,818 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 125 You may also like: Europe in photos before World War I #31. Utah Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 4,640 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.4% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 137 #30. Nebraska Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 6,362 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.5% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 323 #29. Connecticut Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 6,385 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.5% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 176 #28. New Jersey Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 6,461 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.6% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 70 #27. Ohio Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 6,605 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.6% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 56 You may also like: 30 iconic posters from World War II #26. North Dakota Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 7,514 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.6% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 964 #25. Alabama Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 7,786 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.7% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 153 #24. District of Columbia Samuel Corum // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 8,972 – Percent of total active-duty force: 0.8% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 1,336 #23. Mississippi Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 11,446 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 389 #22. Nevada Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 12,373 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 389 You may also like: Best WWI movies of all time #21. New Mexico Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 12,701 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 601 #20. Louisiana Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 14,378 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.2% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 313 #19. Missouri Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 15,570 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 252 #18. Alaska Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 18,935 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.6% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 2,581 #17. Arizona CAITLIN O’HARA/AFP // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 19,019 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.6% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 258 You may also like: What 25 historic battlefields look like today #16. New York Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 19,520 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.7% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 99 #15. Oklahoma Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 21,425 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.8% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 533 #14. Illinois Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 21,534 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.9% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 171 #13. Kansas Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 21,663 – Percent of total active-duty force: 1.9% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 738 #12. Maryland Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 29,244 – Percent of total active-duty force: 2.5% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 474 You may also like: Can you answer these real ‘Jeopardy!’ questions about U.S. military history? #11. Kentucky Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 35,064 – Percent of total active-duty force: 3.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 777 #10. South Carolina Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 37,467 – Percent of total active-duty force: 3.2% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 709 #9. Colorado Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 38,035 – Percent of total active-duty force: 3.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 651 #8. Hawaii Smith Collection/Gado // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 40,539 – Percent of total active-duty force: 3.5% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 2,815 #7. Washington Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 61,771 – Percent of total active-duty force: 5.3% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 793 You may also like: 25 facts about nuclear weapons #6. Florida Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 64,318 – Percent of total active-duty force: 5.5% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 289 #5. Georgia Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 69,391 – Percent of total active-duty force: 6.0% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 636 #4. North Carolina Melissa Sue Gerrits // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 99,135 – Percent of total active-duty force: 8.5% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 927 #3. Texas Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 116,970 – Percent of total active-duty force: 10.1% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 390 #2. Virginia Canva – Number of active-duty military members: 126,529 – Percent of total active-duty force: 10.9% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 1,457 You may also like: A timeline of WWII, one of the most devastating conflicts in world history #1. California PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP // Getty Images – Number of active-duty military members: 157,639 – Percent of total active-duty force: 13.6% – Active-duty military members per 100,000: 404