Executive Summary
Military spouses remain a uniquely positioned but persistently underleveraged segment of the U.S. labor force. Despite being well-educated, resilient, and highly mobile, their employment outcomes continue to lag behind civilian peers. This report draws primarily on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), offering a comparative view of active-duty spouses alongside veteran and civilian spouses across industries, occupations, and geographies. To provide a more comprehensive perspective, these findings are considered alongside other national research efforts that offer deeper insights into the lived experiences, household dynamics, and employment challenges specific to military-connected families.
View The Series on Reimagining Military Spouse Employment
Key Findings
- Unemployment is only part of the story. Using data from the Census in 2023, the unemployment rate for active-duty military spouses was 8.83%, nearly four times higher than the civilian spouse rate of 2.48%. However, this number alone obscures the broader reality: many military spouses are employed in roles that do not reflect their qualifications, are underpaid relative to their peers, or cycle through unstable jobs due to mobility and caregiving responsibilities.
- Earnings gaps highlight deeper workforce challenges. Active-duty military spouses reported a median income of $35,000—42% lower than their civilian counterparts. For those who relocated within the past year, average income dropped to $31,222, compared to $45,793 for those who stayed in place. These short-term losses accumulate over time, limiting financial security and long-term career growth.
- Employment is concentrated in low-advancement sectors. Military spouses are heavily employed in Education, Health & Social Services (38%), Retail (10%), and Professional Services (10%). These sectors, while often portable, tend to offer lower wages and fewer opportunities for promotion. For example, military spouses working in Service Occupations earn a median of $22,600, compared to $58,000 for those in management or finance—who still earn 36% less than civilians in similar roles.
- Workforce participation masks employment quality. Active-duty spouses have a labor force participation rate of 61%, nearly identical to civilian spouses (63%). Yet their employment outcomes—especially income, job continuity, and advancement—fall significantly behind. This suggests that simply increasing participation is not enough; attention must shift to the quality and trajectory of employment.
- Mobility and child care demands remain key constraints. Frequent relocations—3.6 times more often than civilian families—and the high prevalence of young children in the home (69% of active-duty spouses) lead to recurring employment interruptions. These factors make it challenging to build tenure, pursue promotions, or sustain upward career momentum.
- Employment outcomes vary across communities and populations. Unemployment rates vary by state, with Georgia (14.29%) and Arizona (16.28%) reporting some of the highest rates for military spouses. Outcomes also differ across demographic groups. Female spouses face a higher unemployment rate (8.83% vs. 7.26% for males), and minority spouses report average earnings that are 36% lower than their white counterparts.
- Employer hiring programs are growing—but uneven. Over 80 companies have launched targeted initiatives to hire military spouses, particularly in finance, logistics, and professional services. Large firms in banking, insurance, and real estate lead the way, with other sectors like transportation, hospitality, and legal services also offering entry points. However, program transparency, career alignment, and retention outcomes vary widely across organizations
- Public sector and nonprofit roles provide stability—but have limits. Government jobs, particularly at the federal level, remain more stable and portable due to hiring preferences and remote work options. However, these roles account for only 10% of military spouse employment. Local and state positions often lack workplace flexibility and may not align with military relocation patterns
- No single data source tells the full story. While the ACS offers the most comprehensive national view of employment trends, other large-scale surveys focused on the military-connected community provide valuable context. These efforts often capture the day-to-day realities influencing employment—such as child care access, relocation challenges, and career continuity. When considered together, these data sources offer a more complete understanding of employment outcomes, lived experience, and relative impact across sectors and life stages.
Conclusion and Where to Go From Here
Military spouse employment is not a story of lack of effort or qualification—it is a structural challenge shaped by mobility, caregiving, occupational segregation, and limited advancement opportunities. While progress has been made, a shift is needed—from focusing on getting military spouses “a job” to enabling them to build careers that grow across relocations, offer income stability, and reflect their talents.
Moving forward, several areas should be prioritized to drive meaningful progress:
- Repositioning the business case for military spouse hiring. Too often, military spouses are recruited into entry-level or temporary roles under the banner of social responsibility. Employers must evolve their approach to recognize the strategic advantage of hiring this workforce—particularly in roles requiring adaptability, resilience, and high-quality output. Highlighting productivity, retention, and the value of portable skills will be key to expanding hiring beyond low-tier jobs.
- Shifting from hiring to advancement. While hiring pipelines have improved, they often lack the supports needed to retain and promote military spouses. Employer efforts should focus not only on access but on long-term career development—through mentorship, leadership programs, and remote advancement tracks.
- Mapping career progression within industries and occupations. Current research largely focuses on sector entry points. What’s missing is a deeper understanding of how military spouses move—or fail to move—within industries over time. Future research must explore sector-specific trajectories, identify promotion bottlenecks, and document scalable pathways to leadership roles.
- Building long-term, evidence-driven programs. Sustainable employment solutions require more than short-term fixes. Programs must be designed for durability and adaptability, with continuous evaluation, stakeholder feedback loops, and outcome tracking at their core. This includes greater investment in infrastructure and policies that support career continuity—such as child care access, professional credentialing solutions, and portable employment pathways.
- Expanding cross-sector collaboration. While military-connected coalitions have been instrumental in driving visibility and launching targeted initiatives, future progress depends on integration beyond the military community. Military spouse employment must be connected to broader regional and national workforce development strategies. Many of the challenges military spouses face—such as career disruptions, licensing barriers, and limited access to child care—mirror those experienced by women, caregivers, minority workers, and professionals in mobile or contract-based careers. Embedding military spouse efforts within these larger conversations—through chambers of commerce, industry associations, workforce boards, and state agencies—can unlock new partnerships, reduce duplication, and scale solutions that benefit a wider cross-section of the labor force.
- The path forward must prioritize not just employment, but long-term economic mobility. That means reframing how we measure success, shifting incentives, and developing systems that reward retention, growth, and skill alignment.