On average, members of the U.S. Military are better educated than the people they serve:
27.7% of active duty Air Force members HAVE A BACHELOR’S DEGREE OR HIGHER — THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE AMONG SERVICE BRANCHES — COMPARED WITH ONLY 11.8% of Marine Corps members WHO HAVE A BACHELOR’S DEGREE OR HIGHER
THE PERCENTAGE OF ACTIVE DUTY ENLISTED MEMBERS WHO HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA/ GED OR HIGHER IS 99.1%
WHILE IN THE U.S. POPULATION, 88.4% OF THOSE AGES 25 OR OVER HAD AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA/ GED IN 2015.
A bachelor’s degree for an active duty military officer pays off a whopping 88% more than for a civilian counterpart with the same level of education
Since 2000, the percentage of active duty enlisted personnel with no high school diploma or GED has continued to decline to 0.2% in 2015, while the percentage of those with a Bachelor’s degree or higher has continued to increase to 6.6%.
Source: DOD 2015 Demographiocs Report: Profile of the Military Community; United States Census (2015) http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2015-Demographics-Report.pdf
