By David Heacock
In 2020 there were about 19.5 million U.S. Veterans, over a million of which were Korean War Era Veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affair. Congress defines the Korean War Era as June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955, and today most living Korean War Veterans are in their upper 80s or lower 90s. Overall, about 6.8 million Americans served during that era worldwide.
In 2020, about 78% of living Veterans had served during wartime. Of these wartime Veterans, the largest cohort is Vietnam Veterans, who account for 40% of the wartime Veteran population. Korean War Era Veterans are one of the oldest cohorts of Veterans, behind World War II Vets. Korean War Era Veterans numbered about 1.4 million in 2020, making up almost 9% of the total living wartime Veteran population.
States With the Largest Percentage of Korean War Vets
| State | Rank | Korean War Veteran share of the 80+ population | Current total population of Korean War Veterans | Estimated total population during the Korean War that served | Total Veteran population |
| Montana | 1 | 12.2% | 5,688 | 22,000 | 89,660 |
| Alaska | 2 | 12.1% | 1,915 | 2,500 | 69,384 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 12.0% | 4,565 | 27,000 | 65,014 |
| Maine | 4 | 11.8% | 7,808 | 42,000 | 109,567 |
| Nevada | 5 | 11.7% | 12,302 | 6,000 | 221,610 |
| Idaho | 6 | 11.6% | 7,481 | 23,000 | 124,302 |
| New Hampshire | 7 | 10.9% | 6,356 | 24,000 | 99,249 |
| Oregon | 8 | 10.6% | 18,029 | 60,000 | 295,279 |
| Oklahoma | 9 | 10.4% | 15,857 | 96,000 | 295,304 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 9.7% | 23,812 | 132,000 | 352,072 |
| Minnesota | 11 | 9.6% | 22,270 | 114,000 | 312,843 |
| Colorado | 12 | 9.6% | 17,619 | 48,000 | 392,116 |
| Nebraska | 13 | 9.6% | 7,679 | 54,000 | 126,951 |
| Arizona | 14 | 9.5% | 30,400 | 29,000 | 504,451 |
| South Carolina | 15 | 9.5% | 19,122 | 82,000 | 397,649 |
| United States | – | 8.3% | 1,092,119 | 5,658,500 | 19,541,960 |
