Contact:  Pamela Schwartz, Communications Director
        413-584-9556 (o); 413-219-5658 (cell)

Now Available:
Local Cost of War Breakdowns Based on President's New Funding Request

As Congress considers President  Bush's request for another $178 billion in total war funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2008 and the first part of Fiscal Year 2009, the National Priorities Project (NPP) released today a state-level table and breakdowns of Iraq war spending costs by state, congressional district, county and town, showing the local cost of the additional request and what that amount of money could buy in domestic services for each locality instead.

Of the $178 billion war spending request, $135 billion is dedicated to the Iraq War, with close to $84 billion allocated for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2008 and almost $52 billion allocated for the start of Fiscal Year 2009.

NPP's state-level table shows the cost of the Iraq War thus far to each state, the cost to each state of the pending funding request and what that amount could buy each state in health care, school teachers and affordable housing. NPP's "trade-offs" page offers similar breakdowns by congressional district, county, town and state as well.  

For example, the cost to the median Congressional District for the additional war funding would be $284 million.  The cost to St. Louis would be $92 million, Sacramento $161 million, Houston $952 million and New York City $4.5 billion.

"Once again, Congress must decide whether it's going to write a blank check to continue this failed war or whether it's going to require some accountability to bring it  to an end," said Greg Speeter, spokesperson for the National Priorities Project.  "Voters have made clear that the loss of lives and dollars must stop and now is the time for Congress to show they're listening."

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent.  Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels.  For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org.

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The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org.

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org.

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org.

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org.

• an analysis and breakdown of total proposed FY 08 war spending;
• a breakdown by state, county and city of Iraq War costs under proposed FY 08 spending;
• a breakdown by state, county and city of Iraq War costs thus far; and
• updated "trade-offs" by state and congressional district, showing what the money spent on the Iraq War could buy each area in local services such as health care for kids, university scholarships and affordable housing units.

"These local numbers bring home the impact of this extraordinary level of war spending," said Greg Speeter, executive director of the National Priorities Project. "We hope taxpayers will use them to tell Congress to bring an end to it."

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org/cms/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=23892&qid=38177.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Pamela Schwartz, Communications Director
413-584-9556 (o) 413-219-5658 (cell)

• the amount each state received in Department of Defense procurement contracts, showing that the largest recipients were California ($31.2 billion), Virginia ($26.8 billion) and Texas ($20.6 billion) while the smallest were Idaho ($156), Delaware ($178) and Wyoming ($184).
  
• the amount each state received from the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Nutrition Services, as compared to military spending. While $390.9 billion was distributed for the military in Fiscal Year 2005, $56.8 billion came to states in Department of Education programs.
• total expenditures by state as reported by the CFFR and compared with the information on taxes paid by state. Thirty-one states received more than its taxpayers paid in taxes and 20 states paid more in taxes than came back in federal spending.

These findings follow the release of a recent report by the Political Economy Research Institute which found that the economic impact of military spending that goes to local areas is not as effective at creating jobs as other types of spending. Specifically, the report shows that public spending on education creates more jobs that are higher paying than the same amount of money spent on the military.

Spending data at state and county levels for dozens of federal spending programs from 1983-2005 is also available at The NPP Database.

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org/cms/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=964&qid=23126

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Pamela Schwartz, Communications Director
413-584-9556 (o) 413-219-5658 (cell)

Cost of Iraq War Would Rise to $611 Billion Under New Spending Request;
State Breakdowns Available

• A significant number of counties, 13.2 percent, had below-average percentages of low-income people benefiting from Food Stamps, yet had above-average poverty rates.
• Counties with lower poverty rates and higher median household incomes had lower percentages of low-income people that were Food Stamp recipients.
• The rural South had the highest percentage of enrollment in the Food Stamp program and more than half of all children were eligible for lunches through the National School Lunch Program.

The reasons for some counties having a small percentage of low-income people in the Food Stamp program are varied and include the stigma of government benefits, eligibility rules and lack of information about the benefits. Click here for the full report.

The statistics produced for this analysis include: the percentage of low-income people receiving Food Stamp benefits, the average monthly benefit per recipient, and the percentage of children in the National School Lunch Program, all of which are available for every county in the country from 1998-2004 on the NPP Database. The analysis is based on data and statistics from the Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Census 2000, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

"We've got over 35 million people in this country struggling to get enough food to eat and 50 percent of all low-income people are not receiving the benefit that is intended to alleviate this food insecurity," said Greg Speeter, executive director of the National Priorities Project. "While the Food Stamp program provides a vital service, clearly too many people are still going without. "

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around 60 percent of eligible people participated in the Food Stamp program in 2004. However, the eligibility criteria of the program cuts off many low-income people from receiving benefits, so the USDA figure does not address what proportion of low-income people are actually being reached. Since the Food Stamp Program sets an income-eligibility limit of 130 percent of the poverty level, this study uses that thr eshold, as opposed to the poverty level, to define "low-income." For a family of three, the income limit for low-income was $19,767.

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pamela Schwartz, Communications Director
413-219-5658 (cell)
413-584-9556 (office)

National Priorities Project Research Director Dr. Anita Dancs
Unveils Real Iraq War Costs at Take Back America Conference

Northampton, MA -- Congress has thus far spent or allocated $456 billion on the Iraq War, according to the National Priorities Project (NPP), a non-profit research group that analyzes federal spending data. NPP Research Director Dr. Anita Dancs will bring this information, along with an analysis of the military budget,
to the Take Back America Conference in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, June 20^th at 11:00 am at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Dr. Dancs will outline a fresh and controversial look at “Sensible Priorities: Challenging the Military Budget.” She will be joined by fellow panelists, Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Reagan, and Duane Peterson, executive director of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.

In its new publication, “Congress Votes for More War Funding,” NPP shows that if that $456 billion were spent locally, the following could have been provided:

• 5.7 million people could have received health care coverage each year since the war began; and

• 1 million affordable housing units could have been built; and

• 430,000 school teachers could have been hired since the war began; and

• 4.7 million students could have received tuition and fees for four years at a state university.
  

Similar analyses are available for each congressional district, state and hundreds of cities at www.nationalpriorities.org. The number of soldiers killed and wounded since the Iraq War began are also available state-by-state.

NPP Executive Director, Greg Speeter, said: “This latest NPP analysis continues to bring home to taxpayers the impact of the extraordinary cost of the Iraq War. These spending choices will affect Americans for generations to come.”

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to www.nationalpriorities.org.

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Contact: Pamela Schwartz, Communications Director
413-584-9556 (office) 413-219-5658 (cell)

Military Spending Gets Forty Per Cent of Every Income Tax Dollar

Northampton, MA -- As taxpayers prepare to meet this year's April 16th tax deadline, they may want to consider that almost 40 cents of every tax dollar is spent on past and present military spending, according to a newly released publication by the National Priorities Project (NPP), a non-profit research organization that examines the local impact of federal spending policies.

In Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?, NPP offers breakdowns of how the federal government spends the median household's tax payment in each state and over 200 cities.

In 2006, according to the National Priorities Project, current military spending accounted for 27 cents of every income tax dollar paid. Additionally, NPP determined that nine cents of every federal income tax dollar paid today could be attributed to borrowing to pay for past wars and military build-ups. Finally, disability payments, health care and other benefits accrued to veterans made up a little over three cents of the federal income tax dollar, bringing total military spending up to close to 40 cents of every tax dollar.

"To look at how the federal government spends our taxes allows us to stare at our federal spending priorities," said Greg Speeter, executive director of the National Priorities Project. "Right now, military spending crushes everything else, and we're not even close to the final price tag on the Iraq War that has already cost us half a trillion dollars."

National Priorities Project is also the leading source for the cost of the Iraq War, offering breakdowns of the cost by state and congressional district.

NPP's latest tax day publication shows that spending on preventive security measures, such as diplomacy, economic development assistance and locking down nuclear materials, amounted to three-quarters of a penny. Investing in renewable energy and conservation received hundredths of a penny of the federal income tax dollar. Domestic needs such as affordable housing and nutrition claimed two and three cents, respectively. Meanwhile, beyond military spending, the next two largest areas of spending occurred in health at 21 cents of every tax dollar and interest on the debt at 19 cents.

National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to www.nationalpriorities.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pamela Schwartz, Communications Director
413-584-9556 (o); 413-219-5658 (cell)

NEW STATE-LEVEL PUBLICATION BREAKS DOWN WAR SPENDING BILL
BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AND STATE

As Congress prepares to vote on a $100 billion supplemental bill for more war spending, the National Priorities Project (NPP) released today a new state-level publication that breaks down what that amount and the new total would cost each state and congressional district. Also available are the number of soldiers killed and wounded from each state and examples of what the money spent on the Iraq War could buy each congressional district in local services.

If Congress approves the additional $100 billion in war spending, the total amount allocated to the Iraq War will reach almost half a trillion dollars, according to Anita Dancs, research director of the National Priorities Project. This figure does not include the additional $142 billion in war spending already requested by the Bush Administration for Fiscal Year 2008.

"A price tag this high deserves every American's serious attention," said Greg Speeter, executive director of the National Priorities Project. "With the upcoming vote, this publication can help voters inform themselves and their representatives about the high costs of this war."

A Vote to Pay for More War?, NPP's latest publication, will be distributed via national networks of organizations, legislators and the internet. NPP's web pages on the cost of the Iraq War receive at least 100,000 web hits each month.

The National Priorities Project is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that examines the local impact of federal policies.

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Contact: Pamela Schwartz, Communications Director
413-584-9556 (o); 413-219-5658 (c)

"This is an incredibly important opportunity to stare at the Bush Administration's priorities: more war spending, more tax cuts for the wealthy and more budget cuts to programs that meet our citizens' basic needs," said Greg Speeter, executive director of the National Priorities Project. "And it's an opportunity for citizens to respond to their congresspeople, telling them if and what they would choose differently."

The National Priorities Project is a non-profit, non-partisan research group that studies the local impact of federal policies.

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Contact: Anita Dancs, Research Director
                  413-320-1204 (c) (through Jan. 1)

              413-584-9556 (w)
             

Army Fails to Meet its Own Recruitment Benchmarks;

Wealthy Recruits Continue to be Under-Represented

Northampton, MA --  The Army filled its ranks in 2006 by ignoring its own benchmarks for recruits' education standards,  according to an analysis of 2006 military recruitment data released today by the National Priorities Project (NPP), a non-profit research organization that studies the local impact of federal policies.

     According to the Army's benchmark, 90 percent of new recruits should have a high school diploma.  In 2006, 73 percent of all new recruits met this requirement, a drop of 13 percentage points since 2004.

     "While President Bush talks about expanding the troops to fight the war in Iraq, the Army is already going after kids who haven't had the privilege of finishing high school," said Anita Dancs, research director of the National Priorities Project.  "It appears that the Army's ticket to recruitment success is finding young men and women with limited opportunities."

     At the same time, 2006 Army recruits from wealthy neighborhoods -- those with median household incomes of $60,000 and above -- continued to be under-represented at about the same level as 2005 and more so than in 2004, according to the NPP analysis.  The low- and middle-income neighborhoods were more over-represented than in 2004.

     State and county military recruitment data and analysis are available at www.nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruits06.

     While the Army met its goals for new recruits in 2006, it did so with a significant drop in what the Department of Defense (DoD) deems to be 'high quality' recruits.  This qualification requires a high school diploma and a score of at least the 50th percentile on the Armed Forces Qualification Test.  In 2006, according to the DoD's criteria, more than half of the Army´s recruits for active-service duty were 'non-high quality,' well below their 60 percent benchmark. The 47 percent of recruits who were 'high quality' in 2006 is 14 percentage points lower than the 61 percent in 2004.

     "The answer to these inequities or shortfalls in military recruiting is not a draft," Dancs continued.  "Instead, we should be talking about how we can ensure these young people get a quality education and avoid this devil's choice by not engaging in wars of choice.".

     The NPP analysis indicates that the states with the largest proportion of high-quality recruits were:  North Dakota (59 percent), Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.  All of those except for Nebraska and Wisconsin had recruiting rates (recruits per 1000 youth population) below the national average.  None of these states had a proportion of high-quality recruits equal to the national average of 2004.

     The states with the lowest proportion of high-quality recruits were:   Mississippi (35 percent), Alabama (37 percent), Arkansas, Louisiana, Nevada, Georgia, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Hawaii, and Tennessee.  Of those, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Rhode Island were below the national recruiting rate.

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Contact: Anita Dancs, Research Director
                anita@nationalpriorities.org
                413-584-9556 (work)
                413-325-1204 (cell)

The budget process this year began with a whimper and ended with even less than that, as Congress failed to pass almost every single budget bill and deferred this year's business to next year's Congress.  The 2006 Federal Budget Year in Review offers a two-page analysis and graphics on how the year unfolded.

The budget request for fiscal year 2007, submitted at the beginning of February, 2006, proposed deep cuts to goods and services while proposing to make the tax breaks permanent, extending indefinitely their disproportionate benefit to the wealthiest Americans.  On the heels of this proposal, Congress passed the administration's request for more war spending, bringing spending on just the Iraq War in FY2006 to $100 billion.   By the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, no more than two appropriations bills out of 13 were passed: homeland security and defense.  In mid-December, the 109th Congress closed and left the budget for fiscal year 2007 to be determined by the next Congress.  The Federal Budget Year in Review provides a more detailed review of this past year.

Recent releases: 

NPP has updated its National Security web pages to include the most recent numbers available regarding where our dollars go around the world,  spending comparisons between the U.S. and other countries, and how much homeland security spending goes to your state.

Anita Dancs, NPP's research director, published a report Terrorism or All-Hazards? Broadening Homeland Security as part of the Security Policy Working Group, a consortium of national organizations working on improving US national security policy.

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Contact:  Anita Dancs, Research Director
                 413-584-9556  (office)
                 413-325-1204 (cell)
                 anita@nationalpriorities.org

NEW WAR COST BROKEN DOWN BY STATE, CITY, CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

         NORTHAMPTON, MA  --  With the Senate´s passage today of $70 billion in new war spending, the total amount spent or allocated for the Iraq War has now reached $378 billion, according to the National Priorities Project (NPP).  In its new publication,  Cost of Iraq War Rises Higher, NPP provides taxpayer breakdowns of this total for all states, congressional districts and hundreds of cities across the country.

Each publication  also provides the number of U.S. soldiers killed and wounded from each state and a summary presentation of how the Iraq War has undermined U.S. national security.  Read more here.

"With this latest appropriation, the total war cost is up to $378 billion," noted Anita Dancs, research director for the National Priorities Project.  "All of those tax dollars have only bought us less security at home and more soldiers and civilians dead and wounded in Iraq."

Dr. Dancs also provided testimony at a congressional forum on September 26th on the opportunity costs of the Iraq War.  Updating that testimony with the new war cost total, Dancs pointed out that $378 billion could pay for all of the following:

• Health care coverage for all uninsured children for the length of time the war has lasted; and
• 4-year scholarships to a public university for all of this year's graduating seniors; and
• Construction of half a million affordable housing units; and
• The Coast Guard's estimate of what is needed for port security; and
• A tripling of the energy conservation budget in the U.S. Dept. of Energy; and
• Reduce this year's budget deficit by half.  

Click here to read her complete testimony. 

The National Priorities Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that provides citizens with tools and resources to help shape federal budget priorities.

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Contact:  Anita Dancs
                 413.584.9556 (o)
                 413.325.1204 (cell)
                 anita@nationalpriorities.org

NORTHAMPTON, MA - Data released today on military recruits in fiscal year 2005 shows that low- and middle-income neighborhoods are over-represented in the Army, while wealthier neighborhoods have become even more under-represented, compared to fiscal year 2004.

A new ZIP code-level analysis of Army recruits released by the National Priorities Project today shows that neighborhoods with median household incomes between $30,000 - $55,000 became more over-represented in 2005 for active-duty Army recruits.  Median household incomes above $55,000, already under-represented in 2004, became more under-represented in 2005.

The National Priorities Project, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, released military recruiting data for all four branches of the armed forces for fiscal year 2005, its third such release on military recruiting.  Data by ZIP code, county, and state is available for the armed forces at http://database.nationalpriorities.org, and the companion analysis is available at http://nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruiting05pr. 

The analysis also reveals such details as:

• While most recruits come from urban areas because most of the population is located in urban areas, Army recruits per thousand youth were higher in rural counties.   
• Arkansas, Texas and Wisconsin had the largest increases in active-duty Army recruits per thousand youth.
• Harmon County, Oklahoma had the most Army recruits per thousand youth.
• A higher percentage of Black recruits had high school diplomas compared to White recruits in the Army.
• The Navy had the highest percentage of minority active-duty military recruits.
• In 2005, the military recruiting and advertising budget increased.  The total military recruiting budget (including the pay of recruiters and other expenses) amounted to about $4 billion.
  

"The under-representation of Army recruits from wealthy neighborhoods speaks volumes about the Americans who are paying the price of the Iraq War," said executive director Greg Speeter. "As long as this war continues unabated, we should acknowledge who is being asked to make sacrifices."

To find more information on military recruits of 2005, go to http://nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruiting05pr or contact Anita Dancs at 413.584.9556.

NORTHAMPTON, MA - The National Priorities Project today released the taxpayer cost of the Iraq War for every congressional district in the country, available at: http://database.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoff. The taxpayer costs can also be broken down in terms of local services that the money could provide such as public safety officers and school teachers.

The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that provides citizens with tools and resources to help shape federal budget priorities.

The taxpayer cost of the Iraq War is also available by state and for more than 1,000 towns, cities and counties across the country at: http://nationalpriorities.org/warcitycost.

Contact:  Anita Dancs, Research Director
                    413-584-9556 (office)
                    413-325-1204 (cell)
                    anita@nationalpriorities.org

                                MILITARY RECRUITMENT DATA AVAILABLE
                                              BY RACE AND ETHNICITY

The National Priorities Project (NPP) has expanded the NPP Database to include race and ethnicity data for Army recruits in 2004.   The NPP Database also contains 2004 military recruitment data broken down by zip code, county and state, along with related statistics.  A summary of the race and ethnicity data is available at  www.nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruits04, and includes tables and charts by county, high school, and college, highlighting top locations for recruits.

The summary findings include:

• The three counties with the highest numbers of Hispanic Army recruits were Los Angeles County, California with 718; Bexar County, Texas with 316; and Miami-Dade County, Florida with 288.
• The three counties with the highest numbers of Black Army recruits were Kings County, New York (239); Cook County, Illinois (223); and Los Angeles County, California (199).
• The county with the highest Hispanic recruitment rate (number of Hispanic recruits per 1000 Hispanic youths) was Eaton County, Michigan.  The county with the highest Black recruitment rate (number of Black recruits per 1000 Black youths) was Montgomery County, Mississippi.
• Seventy percent of Black recruits come from neighborhoods whose median household incomes are below the median household income, while 64% of Hispanic recruits and 57% of White recruits come from such neighborhoods.
• Within the top 50 high schools ranked by Black recruits, 81 recruits came from Florida high schools and 82 from Virginia high schools.  Of the top 50 high schools ranked by Black recruits, 47 (or 94%) have a JROTC program affiliated with some branch of the military.
• High schools from Texas (16 schools), California (14 schools) and Florida (13 schools) made up 86% of the top 50 high schools ranked by number of Hispanic recruits. 

More summary data, along with charts and tables, is available at www.nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruits04. 

The National Priorities Project is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that illustrates the impact of federal policies on local communities.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anita Dancs, research director
anita@nationalpriorities.org
413-584-9556(o)
413-253-7760(cell) 

The administration submitted to Congress a $72.4 billion request for additional war-related funding last week. The National Priorities Project (NPP) concluded that total spending on the Iraq War will rise to more than $315 billion. NPP's analysis offers state and local taxpayer costs of the Iraq War available at www.nationalpriorities.org/iraqwarcost.

If the request is approved, NPP estimates that the request will add another $61 billion in funding for the Iraq War, and $10 billion for the war in Afghanistan. Other funding included in the request is $900 million for international assistance and peacekeeping activities in parts of Africa and Pakistan. 

"As the national debate increases about the merits of the Iraq War, the public needs to know the enormous human and financial costs, " said Greg Speeter, executive director of National Priorities Project. 

Number of U.S. soldiers killed and wounded by state is also available in the new NPP publication, Cost of Iraq War Rises at: www.nationalpriorities.org/iraqwarcost. 


The National Priorities Project is a national, non-partisan organization that illustrates the impact of federal policies on local communities. 



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• The highest recruitment rates -- defined as the number of recruits per thousand of 18-24 year-old population -- were found in counties that were relatively poorer than the rest of the nation. All of the top 20 counties had median household incomes below the national level, and 19 of the 20 had median household incomes below their respective state level.
• The three largest schools or programs in the country from which recruits are drawn include the GED Test Center in the New York State Education Department, the Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, Texas and another GED-based program in New York.
• Montana -- a state with low median household income and high poverty rates -- led the country in state recruitment rates. Rhode Island was at the bottom.
• High-income neighborhoods are under-represented. Low- and middle-income neighborhoods are over-represented.


"Parents, students and concerned activists by the thousands have voiced their concerns in recent months about military recruitment tactics," said Sam Diener, Co-Editor of Peacework Magazine at the American Friends Service Committee New England Regional Office. "Now, the NPP Database will be used to help people focus their efforts on the states, counties, zip code and schools most heavily impacted by military recruitment."

The National Priorities Project is a national, non-partisan organization that illustrates the impact of federal policies on local communities.

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