This year, National Priorities Project (NPP) used data provided by the U.S. Army Accessions Command and obtained by members of the media for our analysis. This report includes an analysis of recruit demographics and is accompanied by spreadsheets of selected datasets on our website at NationalPriorities.org. 

 

Data was requested from U.S. Army Accessions Command on the demographics of each FY2010 non-prior service accession, including their hometown, race, age, and level of education. NPP purchased demographic information by zip code from Nielson Claritas, a marketing and demographic company. Comparisons to earlier research done by NPP are included where relevant. 

 

[Table 1 Note - Virginia is divided into counties and independent cities. The latter are county equivalents for Census purposes and also for this analysis.

Table 2 Note – Prior to FY2009 the age of the recruit was computed by NPP using the given date of birth. For FY2009 and after, DoD supplied the recruit's age instead.]

 

 

U.S. Army Recruiting Command (2010). U.S. Army Recruiting Command Goals. Retrieved May 9, 2011 from http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/apa/goals.htm
 

Department of Defense (2002). Population Representation in the Military Services. Retrieved May 9, 2011 from http://prhome.defense.gov/MPP/ACCESSION
 

The Education Trust (2010). Shut Out of the Military: Today's High School Education Doesn't Mean You're Ready for Today's Army. Retrieved May 9, 2011 from http://mldc.whs.mil/download/documents/Readings/ASVAB_4.pdf
 

ABC News (2010). U.S. Army Waiting List Near Record Levels with High Unemployment, GI Bill. Retrieved May 9, 2011 from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-army-waiting-list-record-levels-high-unemployment/story?id=12495054
 

Associated Press (2010). Army Ends GED Program for Aspiring Soldiers. Retrieved May 9, 2011 from http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/08/ap-army-ged-program-ends-082610/
 

Quincy Patriot Ledger (2011). Hard Economic Times Makes Military More Appealing. Retrieved May 9, 2011 from http://www.patriotledger.com/business/x897927631/Hard-economic-times-makes-military-more-appealing