Where Should Veterans Choose to Live After the Military
Which State Should Veterans Live In Upon Leaving the Military?
Deciding where to live and work after transitioning out of the military can be an overwhelming process especially if you haven’t decided which state to live in. We have put together some factors for you to consider. Setting yourself up to make sure your money goes further and living in a state that has veteran employment programs as well as companies willing to hire veterans will help the transition from military life to civilian life.
Things to Consider When Determining Where to Live After the Military
Cost of Living
Consists of all of your living expenses including groceries, utilities, insurance, and housing. The average cost of living is 100 nationally and can be used as a gage to determine affordability. We have used Insure.com‘s cost of living metrics.
Median Income
Median income is the middle point of a sample of household incomes, it is a good gage to determine what your income might be in each state starting out. According to Census.gov in 2019 Median household income was $68,703.
Top Benefit
The Top Benefit of a state gives you insight on how military friendly and a state might be as well as how popular and useful that benefit is to other military members.
Top Veteran Employer
Know who the top veteran employer may give you a leg up in searching for a job after you have left the military. Once companies hire veterans and discover their amazing work ethic they commit to hiring more. This information came from the VA.
Individual State Benefits
Wherever you are planning to move check out the veteran benefits offered in each state by Collegerecon.com. Knowing what is available to you could help determine where you might live or help you get access to benefits in your current state.
State Listings for Veterans to Determine Where to Live
Alabama
Average Cost of living: 85.76
Median household income: $48,486
Top Benefit: State Veterans Homes
Top Veteran Employer: Navigator Development Group, Inc.
Alaska
Average Cost of living: 122.88
Median household income: $76,715
Top Benefit: Alaska Property Tax Exemption
Top Veteran Employer: The State of Alaska
Programs and benefits offered to the military community
Arizona
Average Cost of living: 97.66
Median household income: $56,213
Top Benefit: Special License Plates
Top Veteran Employer: List of veteran friendly employers
Arkansas
Average Cost of living: 89.17
Median household income: $45,726
Top Benefit: State tax exemption on military retirement pay
Top Veteran Employer: The State of Arkansas
California
Average Cost of living: 148.53
Median household income: $71,228
Top Benefit: Flexible financing for home purchases
Top Veteran Employer: Employment Development Department (EDD) Workforce Services
Colorado
Average Cost of living: 107.01
Median household income: $68,811
Top Benefit: Tax exemption on homes
Top Veteran Employer: Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
Connecticut
Average Cost of living: 121.59
Median household income: $76,106
Top Benefit: Veteran designation State Driver’s License and ID Cards
Top Veteran Employer: Lockheed Martin, United Technologies Corporation, Sikorsky, Electric Boat, Peoples United, Cigna and Aetna. Click Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. for more information.
Delaware
Average Cost of living: 107.51
Median household income: $65,627
Top Benefit: Veterans license plates
Top Veteran Employer: Dover Air Force Base and the state of Delaware.
Florida
Average Cost of living: 103.45
Median household income: $53,267
Top Benefit: Tax exemption benefits on homes
Top Veteran Employer: CSX and Florida Blue. Click here for more information.
Georgia
Average Cost of living: 90.73
Median household income: $55,679
Top Benefit: Free license plates for Veterans
Top Veteran Employer: The Southern Company.
Hawaii
Average Cost of living: 198.49
Median household income: $78,084
Top Benefit: Totally Disabled Veterans Real Property Tax Exemption
Top Veteran Employer: Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and the U.S. Government
Idaho
Average Cost of living: 95.52
Median household income: $53,089
Top Benefit: Reduced hunting & fishing license and tag fees
Top Veteran Employer: Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
Illinois
Average Cost of living: 97.68
Median household income: $63,575
Top Benefit: Veteran designation on driver’s licenses
Top Veteran Employer: The Illinois State Government.
Indiana
Average Cost of living: 90.19
Median household income: $54,325
Top Benefit: Cancelation of tuition and fees for children of disabled Veterans
Iowa
Average Cost of living: 91.12
Median household income: $58,580
Top Benefit: Homeownership Assistance Program – https://va.iowa.gov/benefits.
Top Veteran Employer: Home Base Iowa Initiative
Kansas
Average Cost of living: 89.17
Median household income: $57,422
Top Benefit: Hunting and fishing fee discount
Top Veteran Employer: The state of Kansas
Kentucky
Average Cost of living: 92.93
Median household income: $48,392
Top Benefit: Tuition waived at all state colleges and universities for dependents of qualifying Veterans
Top Veteran Employer: UPS, Humana, and Toyota. Click here for more information.
Louisiana
Average Cost of living: 100.71
Median household income: $47,942
Top Benefit: Retired military pay excluded from state income tax
Top Veteran Employer: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Maine
Average Cost of living: 114.6
Median household income: $55,425
Top Benefit: Maine Resident Lifetime Veteran State Park and Museum Pass
Top Veteran Employer: Bath Iron Works.
Maryland
Average Cost of living: 121.32
Median household income: $81,868
Top Benefit: Property tax exemption
Top Veteran Employer: Department of Defense agencies and private sector defense contractors
Massachusetts
Average Cost of living: 128.44
Median household income: $77,378
Top Benefit: Retired military pay income tax benefit
Top Veteran Employer: For information visit here
Michigan
Average Cost of living: 97.22
Median household income: $54,938
Top Benefit: Michigan Veterans Trust Fund (MVTF)
Top Veteran Employer: DTE and Consumers
Minnesota
Average Cost of living: 103.56
Median household income: $68,411
Top Benefit: VA Claims representation or State Soldiers Assistance Program
Top Veteran Employer: The state of Minnesota, Target, Best Buy, and Cargill. Click here for more information.
Mississippi
Average Cost of living: 85.76
Median household income: $43,567
Top Benefit: Homestead exemption
Top Veteran Employer: Huntington-Ingalls.
Missouri
Average Cost of living: 90.78
Median household income: $53,560
Top Benefit: State Veterans Services Program
Top Veteran Employer: Boeing
Montana
Average Cost of living: 106.35
Median household income: $52,559
Top Benefit: Veteran Designation on the drivers’ licenses
Top Veteran Employer: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Nebraska
Average Cost of living: 91.73
Median household income: $59,116
Top Benefit: Nebraska Veterans Registry
Top Veteran Employer: Werner Enterprises
Nevada
Average Cost of living: 103.49
Median household income: $57,598
Top Benefit: Nevada veterans property tax exemption
Top Veteran Employer: Cosmopolitan
New Hampshire
Average Cost of living: 105.25
Median household income: $74,057
Top Benefit: Property tax credits
Top Veteran Employer: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and BAE Systems
New Jersey
Average Cost of living: 124.28
Median household income: $79,363
Top Benefit: $6,000 exemption on income tax return
Top Veteran Employer: The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
New Mexico
Average Cost of living: 88.41
Median household income: $48,059
Top Benefit: Veterans State property tax exemption
Top Veteran Employer: Veterans Business Development Division
New York
Average Cost of living: 145.04
Median household income: $65,323
Top Benefit: Fresh Connect Checks Program
Top Veteran Employer: New York State Police
North Carolina
Average Cost of living: 93.89
Median household income: $52,413
Top Benefit: Veteran license plates and the tax exclusion for 100% disabled
Top Veteran Employer: Lowe’s and Bank of America
North Dakota
Average Cost of living: 96.97
Median household income: $63,473
Top Benefit: Grant program
Top Veteran Employer: Midwest AgEnergy and Sysco North Dakota
Ohio
Average Cost of living: 91.56
Median household income: $54,533
Top Benefit: Veterans Service Commission.
Top Veteran Employer: The State of Ohio, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and the Department of Job and Family Services. Click here for more information.
Oklahoma
Average Cost of living: 89.29
Median household income: $51,424
Top Benefit: 100% Veteran Disability tax exemption
Top Veteran Employer: For more information click here
Oregon
Average Cost of living: 134.67
Median household income: $59,393
Top Benefit: Veteran recognition license plates
Top Veteran Employer: Public Employers Grant Preference
Pennsylvania
Average Cost of living: 104.05
Median household income: $59,445
Top Benefit: Real Estate Tax Exemption
Top Veteran Employer: The state of Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Average Cost of living: 117.86
Median household income: $63,296
Top Benefit: Rhode Island National Guard members receive free tuition
Top Veteran Employer: For more information click Error! Hyperlink reference not valid..
South Carolina
Average Cost of living: 93.71
Median household income: $51,015
Top Benefit: Homestead exemption
Top Veteran Employer: Boeing
South Dakota
Average Cost of living: 92.84
Median household income: $56,499
Top Benefit: bonus program
Top Veteran Employer: The state of South Dakota
Tennessee
Average Cost of living: 88.3
Median household income: $50,972
Top Benefit: the property tax relief for certain 100% disabled Veterans
Top Veteran Employer: Fedex Express World Hub
Texas
Average Cost of living: 95.02
Median household income: $59,570
Top Benefit: Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Claims Department
Top Veteran Employer: Click here for more information
Utah
Average Cost of living: 95.84
Median household income: $68,374
Top Benefit: Veterans property tax abatement
Top Veteran Employer: Zions Bank
Vermont
Average Cost of living: 113.27
Median household income: $60,076
Top Benefit: Property tax reduction program
Top Veteran Employer: The State of Vermont and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Virginia
Average Cost of living: 109.54
Median household income: $71,564
Top Benefit: VA claims assistance program
Top Veteran Employer: CACI International, Inc.
Washington
Average Cost of living: 122.18
Median household income: $70,116
Top Benefit: Free license plates for disabled Veterans
Top Veteran Employer: Boeing
West Virginia
Average Cost of living: 90.59
Median household income: $44,921
Top Benefit: Receive yearly funds to pay for education and training opportunities
Top Veteran Employer: Agencies of the state government.
Wisconsin
Average Cost of living: 97.09
Median household income: $59,209
Top Benefit: WDVA’s online
Top Veteran Employer: Click here for more information
Wyoming
Average Cost of living: 101.23
Median household income: $62,268
Top Benefit: Property tax exemption
Top Veteran Employer: Walmart
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About the author
Lori Waddell serves as Co-director of an emergency response COAD in Montana, a freelance writer, and an Air Force Key Spouse. She is passionate about empowering communities and individuals through knowledge and resources. She currently lives in Montana with her husband and two children.
