Post-9/11 veterans have similar labor force participation rates to the civilian prime working age population (prime working age represents the population ages 25 to 54), while veterans are more highly concentrated within specialized technical industries. This veteran group also has a significantly lower representation within healthcare, education and leisure and hospitality — compared with the general employed population.
For the purposes of state benefits, Idaho defines a veteran as a resident who served on active duty and was discharged or separated from service under honorable conditions after 90 days of continuous active duty or earlier than 90 days due to a service-disconnected disability.
The U.S. Census Bureau further defines post-9/11 veterans (also referred to as Gulf War-era II veterans) as service members who have separated from active duty since September 2001. Active-duty military personnel are not generally included within civilian employment statistics.
Post-9/11 veterans are the youngest wartime veteran cohort in the nation’s labor force. Data from 2025 shows nearly 80% of post-9/11 veterans nationally were in the prime working age group of 25 to 54. This compares with 51% of the nonveteran population and 43% of Gulf War-era I veterans (this active-duty service period covers August 1990 to August 2001) who were in their prime working age. [1]
Nationally, post-9/11 veterans in the prime working age had a labor force participation rate of 83% in 2025. This result was highly comparable with the nonveteran prime working age labor force participation rate of 84% (shown below in Figure 1). More than four out of every five prime working age and honorably discharged post-9/11 veterans were active participants in the U.S. labor force in 2025.
Figure 1. U.S. prime working age (ages 25 to 54) and labor force participation rate by group, 2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment situation of veterans – 2025.”
The U.S. Army represents the highest share of discharged post-9/11 veterans employed in the state within five years after separating from active duty.
Figure 2. Employed post-9/11 veterans five years after active duty ended by military branch, 2002-2021
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, “Veteran Employment Outcomes”
The industry concentration of employed post-9/11 veterans does not mirror the general population but is instead focused within industries requiring technical and mechanical specialization.
Between 2002-2021, the highest number of post-9/11 veterans nationally were employed within Professional and Business Services (26% of post-9/11 veteran employment). In contrast, the industries comprising the highest U.S. civilian job count were led by Healthcare and Education (23% of U.S. jobs) followed by Trade, Transportation and Utilities (20%).
Compared with the general population, post-9/11 veterans were less likely to be employed in the customer facing industries of healthcare and educational services as well as leisure and hospitality. Combined, these industry sectors represented 34% of U.S. civilian jobs while accounting for a much smaller 12% share of post-9/11 veteran employment.
Figure 3. Industry concentration comparison of the U.S. population and post-9/11 veterans, 2002-2021
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, “Veteran Employment Outcomes” and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2002-2021.”
Within Professional and Business Services, post-9/11 veterans were employed within Professional, Scientific and Technical industries (at 13%) at over double the rate of the U.S. general population (at 6%). Many roles in this industry rely on skills that are complementary for discharged post-9/11 veterans, including specialized technical training, complex system operation, adaptability, trouble shooting and decisive problem solving.
For Idaho, these technical skills are likely to be in greater demand by the state’s larger employers compared with small independent businesses.
Idaho’s nine urban counties were home to 80% of statewide employer establishments within the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industry in 2025.
Along with expanded opportunities for specialized skills in the state’s urban areas, Idaho also has distinct pockets of professional and technical specialization within two primary counties – Ada (urban) and Butte (rural). Combined, these two counties comprise 60% of statewide employment in 2025 and over 40% of employer establishments within the Professional, Technical and Scientific Services industry sector. [2]
While the overall concentration of post-9/11 veteran employment nationally within Trade, Transportation and Warehousing is similar to the U.S. population, employed veterans have a concentration 1.5 times higher than the general population within the Transportation and Warehousing sub-group and comprised 6% of post-9/11 veteran employment compared with 4% of employed U.S. workers. In contrast, post-9/11 employed veterans have slightly lower representation in Retail Trade compared with U.S. workers on average.
Operating heavy trucks and industrial machinery has a clear connection between relevant military experience and civilian employment. Following federal guidelines, Idaho allows recently discharged service members to bypass a commercial driver’s license (CDL) skills test for up to two years after separation from active duty. This action streamlines veteran participation in this high demand industry while formally recognizing relevant civilian work skills gained during military service. [3]
Providing a simplified CDL pathway is beneficial for recently discharged veterans while simultaneously allowing Idaho to fill high demand positions. Between 2024-2034, the transportation and warehousing industries are expected to add 5,000 jobs throughout Idaho and represent the state’s third fastest annual growth rate behind healthcare and construction. [4] Veterans can fulfill those jobs with their direct military experience and relevant skill set.
While military duties of operating specialized machinery is easily transferable into civilian roles, the direct connection within other military combat occupations can be less straight forward.
Military service members and the civilian labor force function within different occupational classification systems. As a result, both transitioning veterans and local employers potentially struggle to correlate the relevant value of military experience with civilian job titles.
Successful civilian employment for Idaho’s post-9/11 veterans depends on an individual veteran’s ability to translate between these two classification systems. The key for a veteran is to convey how their military skills directly relate to the needs of the employer.
Many scenarios encountered during military combat may not be specific to the civilian labor force, but these experiences are potentially valuable assets within a dynamic business environment. Completing military orders likely required inter-related skills of leadership, teamwork, adaptability, operations of complex systems, trouble shooting, precise logistics and environmental awareness. These skills can be especially relevant for the state’s diverse pool of employers facing ongoing competitive threats and technological transitions.
The top five military occupational groupings of Idaho’s employed post-9/11 veterans are highlighted in Figure 4 below, along with primary skill development and related civilian occupations.
Figure 4. Top military occupation codes employed in Idaho within five years of leaving active duty
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, “Veteran Employment Outcomes” and O-net, “O*net Military Transition Search”
With Idaho’s tight labor market and strong job growth expected to continue in the near term, employers are seeking qualified personnel to lead their business forward. A post-9/11 veteran’s value to an employer lies in demonstrating their willingness to show up and navigate unforeseen circumstances on a daily basis – just as they did during active duty.
Researcher’s note: Much of the data for this piece was sourced from version 2.0 of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Veteran Employment Outcomes application. This data product is currently considered an experimental release to offer insight into earnings and employment for recently discharged military veterans. [5]
Lisa.Grigg@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
208-696-2256
Sources
[1] “Employment situation of veterans – 2025.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed Oct. 2, 2026, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf
[2] “Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages,” Idaho Department of Labor.
[3] “Application for Military CDL Skills Test Waiver,” Idaho Transportation Department, accessed Sept. 30, 2026, https://itd.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/3141.pdf
[4] “Idaho employment projections, 2024-2034,” Idaho Department of Labor, accessed Oct. 9, 2026, https://lmi.idaho.gov/data-tools/occupational-industry-projections/
[5] “Veteran Employment Outcomes (VEO),” U.S. Census Bureau, accessed Oct. 1, 2026, https://lehd.ces.census.gov/data/veo_experimental.html#methodology
The Idaho Department of Labor offers services for veterans to get assistance with their job search at offices across the state.
This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY27 as part of a Workforce Information grant (55%) and state/nonfederal funds (45%) totaling $649,127.
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