Military soldier carrying child with an American flag on shoulders.

States with the most active-duty military members

Written by:
March 21, 2023
Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

States with the most active-duty military members

The largest army in the world as of 2024—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.

The U.S. military force is the smallest it's been in more than 80 years, since World War II—and it's projected to shrink even more in 2024, down to about 1.28 million amid difficulties recruiting new members, federal budget cuts, and losing members who rejected the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The military's scope and missions, however, remain robust.

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. To see where exactly, Stacker compiled a list of the states with the most active-duty military members using data from the Department of Defense's 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. 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.

Read on to find out which states have the most active-duty military members—and how many there are where you call home.

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#51. West Virginia

- Number of active-duty military members: 123
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 7

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#50. Vermont

- Number of active-duty military members: 127
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 20

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Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald // Getty Images

#49. Maine

- Number of active-duty military members: 201
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 15

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#48. Iowa

- Number of active-duty military members: 231
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 7

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#47. Minnesota

- Number of active-duty military members: 522
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 9

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#46. Wisconsin

- Number of active-duty military members: 747
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 13

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#45. Oregon

- Number of active-duty military members: 886
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 21

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#44. Michigan

- Number of active-duty military members: 969
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 10

A member of the Indiana National Guard wearing an American flag balaclava carries a box of food while helping workers in distributing food.
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Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket // Getty Images

#43. Indiana

- Number of active-duty military members: 1,028
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 15

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#42. New Hampshire

- Number of active-duty military members: 1,174
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 84

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#41. Massachusetts

- Number of active-duty military members: 2,157
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.2%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 31

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#40. Pennsylvania

- Number of active-duty military members: 2,208
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.2%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 17

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#39. Tennessee

- Number of active-duty military members: 2,348
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.2%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 33

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#38. Wyoming

- Number of active-duty military members: 3,176
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 546

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Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe // Getty Images

#37. Rhode Island

- Number of active-duty military members: 3,262
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 298

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#36. Montana

- Number of active-duty military members: 3,355
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 299

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#35. South Dakota

- Number of active-duty military members: 3,488
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 383

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Smith Collection/Gado // Getty Images

#34. Idaho

- Number of active-duty military members: 3,608
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 186

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#33. Delaware

- Number of active-duty military members: 3,623
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 356

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#32. Arkansas

- Number of active-duty military members: 3,818
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 125

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#31. Utah

- Number of active-duty military members: 4,640
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.4%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 137

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#30. Nebraska

- Number of active-duty military members: 6,362
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.5%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 323

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#29. Connecticut

- Number of active-duty military members: 6,385
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.5%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 176

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#28. New Jersey

- Number of active-duty military members: 6,461
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.6%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 70

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#27. Ohio

- Number of active-duty military members: 6,605
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.6%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 56

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#26. North Dakota

- Number of active-duty military members: 7,514
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.6%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 964

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#25. Alabama

- Number of active-duty military members: 7,786
- Percent of total active-duty force: 0.7%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 153

National Guard soldiers are issued rifles in front of the U.S. Capitol.
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Samuel Corum // Getty Images

#24. District of Columbia

- 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

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#23. Mississippi

- Number of active-duty military members: 11,446
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 389

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#22. Nevada

- Number of active-duty military members: 12,373
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 389

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#21. New Mexico

- Number of active-duty military members: 12,701
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 601

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#20. Louisiana

- Number of active-duty military members: 14,378
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.2%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 313

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#19. Missouri

- Number of active-duty military members: 15,570
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 252

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#18. Alaska

- 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

National Guard members listening to a speech.
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CAITLIN O'HARA/AFP // Getty Images

#17. Arizona

- Number of active-duty military members: 19,019
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.6%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 258

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#16. New York

- Number of active-duty military members: 19,520
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.7%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 99

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#15. Oklahoma

- Number of active-duty military members: 21,425
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.8%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 533

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#14. Illinois

- Number of active-duty military members: 21,534
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.9%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 171

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#13. Kansas

- Number of active-duty military members: 21,663
- Percent of total active-duty force: 1.9%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 738

A historic building with a green dome and businesses on the water at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
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#12. Maryland

- Number of active-duty military members: 29,244
- Percent of total active-duty force: 2.5%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 474

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#11. Kentucky

- Number of active-duty military members: 35,064
- Percent of total active-duty force: 3.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 777

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#10. South Carolina

- Number of active-duty military members: 37,467
- Percent of total active-duty force: 3.2%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 709

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#9. Colorado

- Number of active-duty military members: 38,035
- Percent of total active-duty force: 3.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 651

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Smith Collection/Gado // Getty Images

#8. Hawaii

- 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

Homes and businesses on a hill in Tacoma with mountains in the background.
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#7. Washington

- Number of active-duty military members: 61,771
- Percent of total active-duty force: 5.3%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 793

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#6. Florida

- Number of active-duty military members: 64,318
- Percent of total active-duty force: 5.5%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 289

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#5. Georgia

- Number of active-duty military members: 69,391
- Percent of total active-duty force: 6.0%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 636

Soldiers in a warehouse listening to instruction next to a large American flag.
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Melissa Sue Gerrits // Getty Images

#4. North Carolina

- Number of active-duty military members: 99,135
- Percent of total active-duty force: 8.5%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 927

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#3. Texas

- Number of active-duty military members: 116,970
- Percent of total active-duty force: 10.1%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 390

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#2. Virginia

- 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

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PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP // Getty Images

#1. California

- Number of active-duty military members: 157,639
- Percent of total active-duty force: 13.6%
- Active-duty military members per 100,000: 404

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