Veteran Earnings One, Five, and Ten Years Post-Discharge
By Lainey Stalnaker, Data Analytics Writer
Since the launch of Operation Palmetto Employment in 2014, South Carolina has maintained its commitment to aiding veterans in their transition to the civilian labor force, a mission supported by the Department of Employment and Workforce through the administration of unique resources for veterans. Recently released Census data on veteran earnings one, five, and ten years after discharge can help to assess employment outcomes as measured by earnings for veterans who have migrated to the civilian workforce.[1] These data are available at the state and national level for veterans of each branch of the military and are broken down by cohort based on the year discharged. All dollar amounts are converted into 2022 dollars using the CPI-U.
Earnings Across States
For veterans who left the military between 2020 and 2021, median earnings in South Carolina one year after discharge were $39,030. This was over $1,000 higher than the median earnings in Georgia and over $4,000 higher than in North Carolina, a shift from previous years. For veterans discharged between 2002 and 2011, earnings in South Carolina lagged behind North Carolina and Georgia, as shown in Figure 1. Beginning with veterans who ended their service between 2012 and 2013, South Carolina began to surpass its neighbors.
In South Carolina, median earnings after one year peaked for the 2008-2009 cohort at $44,610, but swiftly dropped to a low of $35,990 for those discharged between 2012 and 2013, a difference of over $8,000. Earnings then began to rise again. Median earnings after one year for veterans who ended their military service between 2020 and 2021 were slightly lower than for those who left between 2018 and 2019, but they did not drop as drastically in South Carolina as in neighboring states.
For veterans five years post-discharge, earnings have followed a similar pattern. At $49,690, median earnings for the 2016-2017 cohort outpaced those in Georgia and were well above earnings in North Carolina. Median earnings in Georgia five years after discharge were 49,380, a difference of $310. In North Carolina, median earnings were just $44,280, a difference of $5,410, shown in figure 2.
Ten years after being discharged, median earnings for veterans employed in South Carolina and North Carolina were about equal. For veterans who left the military between 2010 and 2011, median earnings in South Carolina were $55,870 after ten years, just $80 lower than in North Carolina. In Georgia, median earnings for this cohort were slightly higher at $57,490. This was a difference of $1,620, which was a smaller gap than recorded in years past. See figure 3 for a visualization of earnings data ten years after discharge.
