This state is a hub for the newest branch of the US military

24/7 Wall St. Perspectives

• With more than 2.5 million people on the payroll, the Department of Defense is the largest employer in the United States.
• The majority of DOD employees are active duty service members who can be deployed to combat at any time.
• While these men and women are stationed across the country, the presence of several major bases in Colorado has made the state a critical hub for US military operations.
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With nearly 2.6 million employees in 2022, the Department of Defense is the largest employer in the United States. By comparison, Walmart, the world’s largest private sector employer, has a global workforce of 2.1 million. While about 734,000 civilians are on the Pentagon payroll, the majority of DOD employees are active-duty troops, reservists and national guardsmen.

Across all branches of service in the U.S. military, there are more than 1.1 million active-duty members and an additional 743,000 Reserve Soldiers and Guardsmen. Although under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security rather than the DOD, the US Coast Guard employs another 57,000 Americans. The backbone of America’s military power, these men and women are stationed across the country — but in some states, the presence of military personnel is much more pronounced than in others. (Here’s a look at the number of active duty members in each state.)

While several branches of the military have facilities in Colorado, the US Space Force has a particularly large footprint. Founded just five years ago, the Space Force is the newest branch of the US military, and with just 7,600 active-duty troops, it’s also the smallest. The Space Force is tasked with protecting American interests in outer space and supporting the operations of other service branches with space capabilities.

Colorado is currently home to more than 45 percent of active-duty Space Force personnel. According to data from DOD’s 2022 Demographic Profile, there are more than 3,500 active duty members of the US Space Force stationed in Colorado, by far the most of any state.

Colorado’s status as a center for the US Space Force is due in large part to the presence of several major facilities. These include Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, as well as Peterson and Schriever bases in and around Colorado Springs. (Here’s a look at the newest US military bases.)

This is the number of active and reserve troops, from each branch of the US military, stationed in Colorado.

Why it matters

There are more than 1.1 million active-duty troops and another 743,000 reservists and guardsmen serving in the U.S. military. To maintain readiness for a growing array of threats, these men and women are stationed at bases across the country. While the US military has a footprint in every state in the country, the Space Force has an especially strong presence in Colorado.

US Army

• Number of active duty troops: 26,867 – 6th among 50 states (6.5% of all active duty troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of troops on active duty: 46.0 per 10,000 people – 5th highest among 50 states
• Number of reserve troops: 3,758 – 17th in the 50 states (2.2% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 6.4 per 10,000 people – 12th highest among 50 states

US Navy

• Number of active duty troops: 799 – 19th in the 50 states (0.3% of all active duty troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of troops on active duty: 1.4 per 10,000 population – 20th highest among 50 states
• Number of reserve troops: 997 – 15th in the 50 states (1.8% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.7 per 10,000 inhabitants – 14th highest among 50 states

US Marine Corps

• Number of active duty troops: 261 – 21st in the 50 states (0.2% of all active duty troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of troops on active duty: 0.4 per 10,000 inhabitants – 17th highest of 50 states
• Number of reserve troops: 420 – 22nd in the 50 states (1.5% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 0.7 per 10,000 inhabitants – 17th highest of 50 states

US Air Force

• Number of active duty troops: 6,491 – 15th in the 50 states (2.4% of all active duty troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of troops on active duty: 11.1 per 10,000 inhabitants – 22nd highest among 50 states
• Number of reserve troops: 3,289 – 6th among 50 states (4.9% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 5.6 per 10,000 people – second highest among 50 states

US Space Force

• Number of active duty troops: 3,516 – most of the 50 states (46.1% of all active duty troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of troops on active duty: 6.0 per 10,000 people – the highest among the 50 states
• Number of reserve troops: N/A
• Concentration of reserve troops: N/A

Army National Guard

• Number of active duty troops: N/A
• Concentration of troops on active duty: N/A
• Number of reserve troops: 3,636 – 16th of the 50 states (1.1% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 6.2 per 10,000 people – fourth lowest among the 50 states

Air National Guard

• Number of active duty troops: N/A
• Concentration of troops on active duty: N/A
• Number of reserve troops: 1,680 – 21st in the 50 states (1.6% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 2.9 per 10,000 population – 15th lowest in 50 states

US Coast Guard

• Total number of guards: 13th – 19th of the 50 states (0.2% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Reserve and Active Duty Guard Concentration: >1 per 10,000 population – 16th lowest of 50 states

US Department of Defense Total

• Number of active duty troops: 37,934 – 9th in the 50 states (3.3% of all active duty troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of troops on active duty: 65.0 per 10,000 population – 10th highest among 50 states
• Number of reserve troops: 13,793 – 24th in the 50 states (1.8% of all reserve troops in the service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 23.6 per 10,000 population – 18th lowest of 50 states

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