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Schedule:
Saturday, January 23, 2027
Union Station 5 & 6 (Hilton San Francisco Union Square)
* noted as presenting author
Background and Purpose
Military service is often framed as a pathway to middle‑class status and economic stability for Black Americans, offering access to educational benefits (e.g., the GI Bill), housing resources (e.g., VA home loans), and retirement income. Black Americans are overrepresented in the U.S. military relative to their share of the general population (approximately 16% vs. 13%) and are disproportionately exposed to wartime service and combat risk. Exposure to war‑time conflicts has been linked to disruptions in educational trajectories as well as elevated risks of physical and psychological distress, which often undermines long‑term employment prospects, economic stability, and wealth accumulation. This study examines how military service, and wartime service specifically, is associated with household economic outcomes among Black Americans.
Methods
Using data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS‑ASEC), this study analyzed economic outcomes for both Black veterans and non‑veterans (N = 442,300). Veterans ranged in age from approximately 25 to 85 years. Logistic regression models examined associations between veteran status and multiple indicators of economic well‑being, including homeownership, asset ownership, poverty status, and asset‑derived income (interest, dividends, and rental income). Among veterans (n = 35,341), additional models compared those who served during peacetime with those who served during wartime.
Results
Veteran status was strongly associated with higher rates of homeownership among Black Americans, with 68% of veterans owning homes compared to 50% of non‑veterans. Among Black Americans overall, homeownership increased significantly with educational attainment, ranging from 47% among those with less than a high school education to 67% among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In contrast, homeownership among Black veterans remained consistently high across education levels (approximately 64–77%), indicating that military service disrupts the usual upward trend in education and housing access.
Despite gains in housing stability, veterans exhibited significantly lower odds of broader asset ownership (OR = 0.86, p < .001). Among Black veterans, wartime service was associated with higher odds of homeownership (OR = 0.89 for non‑homeownership, p < .001) and slightly higher odds of being above poverty (OR = 1.07, p = .016). Further analyses revealed wartime veterans were more likely to have lower educational attainment than peacetime veterans, suggesting that combat deployments disrupt educational mobility. The findings indicate that while military service is associated with housing stability and reduced poverty, it is also linked to educational disadvantage for some veterans and does not translate into long‑term wealth accumulation.
Conclusions and Implications
These findings suggest that military service, particularly wartime service may promote housing stability across age and educational levels but fails to improve broader wealth outcomes. For social work practice and policy, these findings highlight the need to expand Black veterans’ access to investment‑oriented financial education, asset‑building accounts, and wealth‑generating opportunities that support both younger soldiers and veterans, especially those whose educational pathways were disrupted by wartime service.
Military service is often framed as a pathway to middle‑class status and economic stability for Black Americans, offering access to educational benefits (e.g., the GI Bill), housing resources (e.g., VA home loans), and retirement income. Black Americans are overrepresented in the U.S. military relative to their share of the general population (approximately 16% vs. 13%) and are disproportionately exposed to wartime service and combat risk. Exposure to war‑time conflicts has been linked to disruptions in educational trajectories as well as elevated risks of physical and psychological distress, which often undermines long‑term employment prospects, economic stability, and wealth accumulation. This study examines how military service, and wartime service specifically, is associated with household economic outcomes among Black Americans.
Methods
Using data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS‑ASEC), this study analyzed economic outcomes for both Black veterans and non‑veterans (N = 442,300). Veterans ranged in age from approximately 25 to 85 years. Logistic regression models examined associations between veteran status and multiple indicators of economic well‑being, including homeownership, asset ownership, poverty status, and asset‑derived income (interest, dividends, and rental income). Among veterans (n = 35,341), additional models compared those who served during peacetime with those who served during wartime.
Results
Veteran status was strongly associated with higher rates of homeownership among Black Americans, with 68% of veterans owning homes compared to 50% of non‑veterans. Among Black Americans overall, homeownership increased significantly with educational attainment, ranging from 47% among those with less than a high school education to 67% among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In contrast, homeownership among Black veterans remained consistently high across education levels (approximately 64–77%), indicating that military service disrupts the usual upward trend in education and housing access.
Despite gains in housing stability, veterans exhibited significantly lower odds of broader asset ownership (OR = 0.86, p < .001). Among Black veterans, wartime service was associated with higher odds of homeownership (OR = 0.89 for non‑homeownership, p < .001) and slightly higher odds of being above poverty (OR = 1.07, p = .016). Further analyses revealed wartime veterans were more likely to have lower educational attainment than peacetime veterans, suggesting that combat deployments disrupt educational mobility. The findings indicate that while military service is associated with housing stability and reduced poverty, it is also linked to educational disadvantage for some veterans and does not translate into long‑term wealth accumulation.
Conclusions and Implications
These findings suggest that military service, particularly wartime service may promote housing stability across age and educational levels but fails to improve broader wealth outcomes. For social work practice and policy, these findings highlight the need to expand Black veterans’ access to investment‑oriented financial education, asset‑building accounts, and wealth‑generating opportunities that support both younger soldiers and veterans, especially those whose educational pathways were disrupted by wartime service.