PCS Moves Cost Families Too Much: Military Family 360 Data Report
Over 60% of active-duty families paid $ 1,000 out of pocket for involuntary permanent change-of-station moves in a single year, just one of many financial burdens military families face each year, according to a survey by the Military Family Advisory Network.
PCS Moves Cost Families Too Much: Military Family 360 Data Report
The 2025 Military Family 360 Data Report documents the living conditions of U.S. military members. It is intended for lawmakers who need information on military quality of life and data on where the federal government fails to support its all-volunteer military adequately.
According to the official site, the 2025 Military Family 360 ran from October 2, 2025, through January 16, 2026, to log the military life experiences of 10,089 respondents. “The report provides a data-driven look at the factors shaping military family well-being and, in turn, the readiness and long-term strength of the all-volunteer force.”
This year’s report is said to have an improved framework “for understanding military family life, examining how key dimensions including family functioning, community connection, economic security, employment, and access to health care intersect to influence outcomes across the lifecycle of service.”
Survey Says Nearly 85% of Respondents Have Housing Expense Issues
According to the survey, 84.4 percent of respondents have housing expense issues associated with a military career. Rents and mortgages consume a larger share of military paychecks than ever, and food insecurity among junior troops is compounding the financial strain. Military spouses face challenges with portable careers, adding to financial uncertainty when it’s time to relocate.
How much? According to the survey, food security affects 41.2 percent of all respondents. Nearly 28% of all military families have food insecurity problems, but this number spikes at more than 51% for families who recently relocated for a PCS move.
Many military households move approximately once every three years. At that frequency, it’s easy to see why they should not be asked to pay out of pocket for such moves when they have been ordered to relocate and have not volunteered to do so.
Military Families Suffer
The survey includes other troubling information. Military health care networks are failing to meet demand. Negative experiences securing or maintaining medical care were reported by 27 percent of currently serving families, and emergency mental health care was inaccessible to over 23% of those seeking help. Another 23.3 percent needed care but never sought it.
40.9% “reported decreased satisfaction with military life over time,” and only 49.2% of respondents “fell in a moderate family well-being range, indicating many families are functioning but vulnerable to shocks such as PCS moves, financial strain, and care disruptions.”
Dr. Shannon Smith, Director of Research, is quoted on the survey on the official site, noting, “This research is designed for action, what we’re seeing is that these challenges do not exist in isolation.”
Smith adds, “They interact and compound in ways that shape family stability, influence decision-making, and ultimately impact readiness outcomes. Understanding those connections is key to building effective, targeted solutions…”
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About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
