It’s a Middle Class Force

The American middle class, not the poor, compose the bulk of military recruits since the 9/11 attacks, according to a new study by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation. The report titled “Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of US Military Recruits Before and After 9/11” cross-checks zip codes of recruits over the past five years with federal estimates of household incomes in the neighborhoods. The study’s numbers state that 18 percent of recruits before 1999 and 14.6 percent in 2003 came from the poorest neighborhoods—contrasted with more than 85 percent who came from households between the $30,000 and $200,000 income range. See a couple of the graphs here.