State rankings

Military Members by State

California has the highest Active Duty All Branches in 2026 (166,510), followed by Virginia (128,484) and Texas (118,314). Vermont has the lowest (144).

Military51 states · 11 metricsUpdated Oct 22, 2026Original page
2 sources
51 of 51 states
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Active Duty All Branches, 2026

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
8,172
Middle half 3.4K – 23.5K
Average
23,040
51 states
Highest
166,510
California
Lowest
144
Vermont

Over time · 2021–2026

The top 5 in 2026, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • California
  • Virginia
  • Texas
  • North Carolina
  • Florida

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Active Duty All Branches
#
1California166,5107,52316,346
2Virginia128,48419,65912,648
3Texas118,31469,80237,053
4North Carolina96,00342,1396,448
5Florida67,5115,09022,630
6Georgia64,44848,1458,611
7Washington55,74524,5156,740
8Hawaii48,75521,4445,291
9South Carolina39,12810,2088,896
10Colorado36,09123,6706,411
11Maryland30,8968,0768,758
12Kentucky28,22727,747217
13Illinois25,5039894,229
14Oklahoma21,54113,3675,999
15Alaska20,96310,4038,565
16Kansas20,64417,4502,993
17New York18,83315,310435
18Arizona16,5734,0128,775
19Missouri14,6418,7514,288
20Louisiana14,0846,4965,157
21New Mexico13,80138113,047
22Mississippi12,0913936,023
23District of Columbia11,7871,9302,377
24Nevada11,73516610,428
25Alabama9,1724,6553,192
26New Jersey8,1727054,758
27North Dakota7,423337,334
28Ohio7,1004735,318
29Nebraska6,4471745,846
30Connecticut6,33510535
31Utah4,5371694,203
32Rhode Island4,26712271
33Arkansas3,8491173,653
34Massachusetts3,7613541,154
35South Dakota3,644433,597
36Idaho3,530873,374
37Delaware3,499483,385
38Montana3,490503,407
39Wyoming3,293273,264
40Tennessee2,620474182
41Pennsylvania2,532962229
42Michigan2,093403100
43Oregon1,64914490
44New Hampshire1,26261191
45Indiana1,074642106
46Wisconsin998424115
47Maine7426314
48Minnesota66715950
49West Virginia2075318
50Iowa2019034
51Vermont1443852

What correlates with Active Duty All Branches (2026)?

Pearson r against 2,086 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Active Duty All Branches tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. # of Wells Fargo BanksWells Fargo Banks by State
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 37
    Plot
  2. Federal EmployeesFederal Government Employees by State
    r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Total Registered VotersRegistered Voters by Party
    r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 31
    Plot
  4. Additional Nurses Needed from 2022 to 2030Nursing Shortage by State
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. # of Wells Fargo ATMsWells Fargo Banks by State
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 37
    Plot
  6. # of Employed DentistsDentist Salary by State
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Active Duty All Branches tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Req. English CreditsHigh School Graduation Requirements by State
    r = −0.53 · strong · n = 48
    Plot
  2. Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Number of SeasonsAll Four Seasons States
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 51
    Plot
  4. % of Needed 2030 RNs State Is Projected to HaveNursing Shortage by State
    r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Total Possible Years of ServiceGovernor Term Limits by State
    r = −0.47 · moderate · n = 37
    Plot
  6. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.44 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Active Duty All Branches?
California has the highest Active Duty All Branches in 2026, at 166,510, followed by Virginia (128,484) and Texas (118,314).
Which state has the lowest Active Duty All Branches?
Vermont has the lowest Active Duty All Branches in 2026, at 144.
What is the median Active Duty All Branches across US states?
The median is 8,172 across the 51 US states with data in 2026.
Where does this military members by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: 2021 Military Active-Duty Personnel, Civilians by State - Governing; Geographic stationing of active duty United States Armed Forces personnel in 2022, by U.S. state - Statista.