Happy Veterans Day!
Today, we in America, celebrate the service that Vets gave to secure freedom with some paying the ultimate sacrifice. More needs to be done in this country and around the world to ensure that those who sacrifice themselves to serve in the armed forces and are fortunate enough to return home alive, are given the best care possible!
Fortunately, 71 percent of the Veteran’s Administraion’s medical centers recently demonstrated an increase in quality in the past year. Owing to this boost, the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst Places for Veterans to Live as well as accompanying videos.
The report compares the 100 largest U.S. cities across 18 key metrics, ranging from share of military skill-related jobs to housing affordability to availability of VA health facilities.
| Best Cities for Veterans | Worst Cities for Veterans | |||
| 1 | Austin, TX | 91 | Philadelphia, PA | |
| 2 | Scottsdale, AZ | 92 | Cleveland, OH | |
| 3 | Colorado Springs, CO | 93 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC | 94 | San Bernardino, CA | |
| 5 | Gilbert, AZ | 95 | Toledo, OH | |
| 6 | Plano, TX | 96 | Baltimore, MD | |
| 7 | Virginia Beach, VA | 97 | Fresno, CA | |
| 8 | Irvine, CA | 98 | Memphis, TN | |
| 9 | Tampa, FL | 99 | Newark, NJ | |
| 10 | Orlando, FL | 100 | Detroit, MI | |
Best vs. Worst
- Virginia Beach, Virginia, has the highest veteran population, 130.43, which is 15.3 times higher than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest at 8.51.
- Chesapeake, Virginia, has the highest veteran income adjusted for cost of living, $56,568, which is 2.8 times higher than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the lowest at $20,462.
- Stockton, California, has one of the lowest shares of veterans living below the poverty line, 1.91 percent, which is 11 times lower than in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the city with the highest at 21.05 percent.
- Virginia Beach, Virginia, has the lowest ratio of homeless veterans to the veteran population, 0.65, which is 49.1 times lower than in San Francisco, the city with highest at 31.89.
- Plano, Texas, has the lowest veteran unemployment rate, 2.40 percent, which is 6.5 times lower than in Detroit, the city with highest at 15.60 percent.
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-veterans/815