CBO describes economic outcomes of veterans who are Black, male, and working age and whose service began during or after 1990. CBO compares the outcomes of that group with outcomes of Black nonveterans and White veterans from 2017 to 2019.
In 2023, about 18 percent of veterans who had served in the military since the start of the first Gulf War were Black. A limited but growing body of research has examined the relationship between military service and economic outcomes of Black veterans, the largest minority group ever to have served. In this report, the Congressional Budget Office describes several economic outcomes of veterans who are Black, male, and working age (ages 22 to 54) and whose service began during or after August 1990. Using data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), CBO compared the outcomes of that group with outcomes of Black nonveterans and White veterans from 2017 to 2019.
CBO found the following:
Black veterans had more earnings, higher rates of marriage and homeownership, and greater educational attainment than Black nonveterans did. The average earnings of Black veterans and Black nonveterans did not differ among men with similar demographic characteristics (age, marital status, level of education, and region of residence).
Black veterans had less earnings and lower rates of marriage and homeownership than White veterans did. Educational attainment was much the same for the two groups. Among men whose demographic characteristics were similar, Black veterans earned about 20 percent less than White veterans did, on average.
Black veterans were more likely than White veterans to have disability ratings from VA, and their ratings were higher, on average. (VA disability ratings generally reflect the severity of a veteran’s service-connected conditions and are the basis for disability payments. The higher the rating, the more severe the conditions.) A larger percentage of Black veterans than White veterans received VA disability compensation and health care; but a greater share of White veterans used VA-supported home loans.
