With a combined annual budget of more than $215 billion, the U.S. Air and Space Forces account for over a quarter of American defense spending.
Currently, there are over 600,000 Americans working for the USAF or USSF.
While nearly every state in the country is home to thousands of Air and Space Force personnel, only a handful of states stand out as hubs of domestic operations for these service branches.
Over the nearly 250 years since the U.S. gained independence, American troops have fought by land and sea to defend the country and protect national interests abroad. But over the last century, technological advances have drastically altered U.S. military strategy — perhaps most notably, through the advent of aerial combat.
The U.S. Air Force as we know it traces its roots back to the Signal Corps, a branch of the U.S. Army that emerged less than a year before the outbreak of the Civil War. By the start of the First World War, the Signal Corps had established an Aeronautical Division, which, as stated in its founding document, was tasked with handling “all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all kindred subjects.”
While U.S. aircraft engaged in reconnaissance, aerial combat, and bombing missions in World War I, air power did not emerge as a central pillar of American military doctrine until the Second World War. Throughout World War II, the U.S. Army Air Force — an offshoot of the Signal Corps’ Aeronautical Division — employed the use of over 100 types of aircraft and dropped over 1.2 million tons of explosives on strategic targets in Germany and Japan. Over the same period, the Army Air Force’s fleet expanded from only a few hundred aircraft to nearly 80,000.
Following the unconditional surrender of Axis forces in 1945, the Air Force spun off from the Army to become its own independent branch — and as recently as 2019, the U.S. Space Force was established under the Department of the Air Force. Today, the USAF and USSF are charged with maintaining air superiority — a degree of control that minimizes threats to combat operations — from within the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond. (Here is a look at every aircraft in the U.S. Air Force.)
The outsized importance of American dominance in the air and in space is reflected in the Defense Department’s investment in the two military branches. The Air and Space Forces had a combined annual budget of over $215 billion in fiscal 2024 — about $30 billion more than the U.S. Army, a branch that employs nearly twice as many people.
Including Guardsmen, reservists, civilians, and active-duty service members, there were approximately 609,600 Americans working for the USAF or USSF in fiscal 2023, the latest year of available data. These men and women are stationed at military installations across the country, and partially as a result, nearly every state is home to thousands of Air and Space Force personnel, active-duty or otherwise.
Using data from the Pentagon’s report Defense Spending by State, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the most U.S. Air Force and Space Force personnel. All 50 states are ranked by their total number of residents who work for either of the two branches. Supplemental state-level data on Defense Department expenditures is also from the report. All data is current as of fiscal 2023.
Among the 50 states, the number of USAF and USSF personnel ranges from about 1,300 to nearly 60,000. In the highest ranking states on this list, the outsized presence of these branches is often reflected in the Air and Space Force’s spending with private sector defense contractors. The USAF and USSF typically use these companies for weapons development and manufacturing, as well as equipment maintenance and consulting services. Collectively, the Air and Space Forces spent over $93.2 billion on defense contractors in fiscal 2023 alone — and over half of that money went to companies in the top eight states on this list. (Here is a look at the states with the most armed forces personnel.)
Why it Matters
The U.S. Air and Space Forces are a critical component of American defense strategy. There are well over half a million USAF and USSF personnel stationed nationwide — including about 327,600 active-duty service members. While these men and women are stationed across the 50 states, they are especially concentrated in certain parts of the country.
Total Air Force and Space Force personnel stationed in state, 2023: 29,160 (49.5% of all DOD personnel in state)
Air Force or Space Force installations in state include: Tinker Air Force Base
Air Force and Space Force contractor spending in state, 2023: $2.6 billion (71.5% of all DOD contract spending in state) — 13th highest of 50 states
DOD payroll spending in state, 2023: $3.6 billion — 13th highest of 50 states
Total DOD spending in state, 2023: $7.3 billion — 25th highest of 50 states
5. Georgia
Total Air Force and Space Force personnel stationed in state, 2023: 29,499 (23.5% of all DOD personnel in state)
Air Force or Space Force installations in state include: Robins Air Force Base
Air Force and Space Force contractor spending in state, 2023: $2.9 billion (37.8% of all DOD contract spending in state) — 12th highest of 50 states
DOD payroll spending in state, 2023: $7.5 billion — 8th highest of 50 states
Total DOD spending in state, 2023: $15.3 billion — 11th highest of 50 states
4. Ohio
Total Air Force and Space Force personnel stationed in state, 2023: 29,809 (50.0% of all DOD personnel in state)
Air Force or Space Force installations in state include: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Air Force and Space Force contractor spending in state, 2023: $4.1 billion (53.8% of all DOD contract spending in state) — 8th highest of 50 states
DOD payroll spending in state, 2023: $3.8 billion — 11th highest of 50 states
Total DOD spending in state, 2023: $11.7 billion — 18th highest of 50 states
3. California
Total Air Force and Space Force personnel stationed in state, 2023: 39,135 (14.4% of all DOD personnel in state)
Air Force or Space Force installations in state include: Travis Air Force Base, Los Angeles Space Force Base
Air Force and Space Force contractor spending in state, 2023: $14.3 billion (34.6% of all DOD contract spending in state) — the highest of 50 states
DOD payroll spending in state, 2023: $18.2 billion — 2nd highest of 50 states
Total DOD spending in state, 2023: $60.8 billion — 3rd highest of 50 states
2. Florida
Total Air Force and Space Force personnel stationed in state, 2023: 44,272 (33.6% of all DOD personnel in state)
Air Force or Space Force installations in state include: Eglin Air Force Base, Patrick Space Force Base
Air Force and Space Force contractor spending in state, 2023: $5.6 billion (24.5% of all DOD contract spending in state) — 5th highest of 50 states
DOD payroll spending in state, 2023: $8.9 billion — 4th highest of 50 states
Total DOD spending in state, 2023: $32.3 billion — 4th highest of 50 states
1. Texas
Total Air Force and Space Force personnel stationed in state, 2023: 59,703 (28.2% of all DOD personnel in state)
Air Force or Space Force installations in state include: Sheppard Air Force Base
Air Force and Space Force contractor spending in state, 2023: $8.8 billion (15.0% of all DOD contract spending in state) — 2nd highest of 50 states
DOD payroll spending in state, 2023: $12.5 billion — 3rd highest of 50 states
Total DOD spending in state, 2023: $71.6 billion — the highest of 50 states
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