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How big is the US military?
The US military is made up of active-duty and reserve troops, but how many serve today? Here’s a closer look at the size of the military, which branches have the most service members, and [where they’re stationed]([link removed]).
- In June 2024, the US military had about 2.1 million troops, down 10.2% from its recent annual peak in 2010. Active-duty personnel made up 63.3% of the force.
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- The Army has the most service members: 443,000 active-duty troops and 498,000 reservists as of June 2024. The Navy has the second-most active-duty troops at (329,000), while the Air Force has the second-most reserve troops (169,000).
- Most active-duty troops serve within the US. As of last June, 1.1 million were stationed domestically. California, Virginia, and Texas each had more than 100,000 troops, accounting for nearly 35% of all active-duty personnel. Another 166,000 troops were stationed abroad.
[Track troop trends]([link removed])
How do men and women use time differently?
Whether it’s clocking in at work or managing a household, how we spend our time depends on a lot of factors — including gender. Government data shows that [men and women]([link removed]) divide their time differently, from paid labor to childcare. Do you have a minute? Let’s take a closer look.
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- In 2023, employed men worked 7.47 hours each weekday, while women worked 6.52 hours. When unpaid household and caregiving tasks are included, men and women worked nearly the same amount of labor hours: 8.78 hours vs. 8.86 hours.
- Women with children under 6 spent nearly an hour more every day caring for them than men, including more than 50% more time traveling for their children and twice as much time providing physical care. [Check out the article]([link removed]) to see how time use varies based on children’s ages.
- Hispanic/Latina women spent an hour and 19 minutes more on household activities than Hispanic/Latino men, the biggest margin among people of all races or ethnicities. The smallest gap was among Black/African American women, who spent 46 minutes more per day on household work than their male counterparts.
- Women of all races also spent more time caretaking. The largest disparity was among Asian men and women. Asian women spent twice as much time on care. The smallest gap was between white men and women.
[Keep reading]([link removed])
Data behind the news
Last Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the [Department of Education]([link removed]). (Closing a Cabinet-level agency requires an act of Congress). [Explore this page]([link removed]) to learn how many federal dollars fund schools in your state.
In a new report, the National Transportation Safety Board strongly criticized Maryland officials for not properly assessing structural risks regarding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which partially collapsed after being struck by a barge a year ago this week. Curious which state has highway bridges in “good” or “poor” condition? [Get the data]([link removed]).
With USAFacts as your study buddy, you’re sure to pass the [weekly fact quiz]([link removed]).
One last fact
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Last month, [headline inflation dipped]([link removed]) to 2.8%, and core inflation cooled down to 3.1%.
What’s the difference? Headline inflation is the overall inflation in an economy, including food and energy costs. Core inflation excludes those volatile items for a more focused picture of price trends.
Year-over-year price changes from within the basket of goods tracked by headline inflation include [eggs]([link removed]), up 58.8%, and fuel, down 3.2%
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