GHENT, W.Va. (WVNS) — With West Virginia’s high level of respect for the armed forces, it makes you wonder which military branch do West Virginians like to enlist in the most?
According to the data from governing.com in 2021, the short answer is the Coast Guard with the most active duty members. However, the numbers change for the military civilians and reserve forces, where the Army/Army National Guard comes out on top.
In 2021, there were, in total, only 186 active-duty members in West Virginia, where the Coast Guard barely beats the Army by six members.
Total active members per branch:
- Coast Guard – 72 members
- Army – 68 members
- Marine Corps – 24 members
- Air Force – 19 members
- Navy – 3 members
The reserve forces are much higher than active-duty, with West Virginia having 7,658 in 2021. This time however, the Army National Guard is on top.
Total reserve members per branch:
- Army National Guard – 4,005 members
- Air National Guard – 2,147 members
- Army Reserve – 1,345 members
- Marine Corps Reserve – 94 members
- Navy Reserve – 62 members
- Coast Guard Reserve – 5 members
- Air Force Reserve – 0 members
Finally, the military civilians have lower members than the reserve, but still have more than active-duty with 1,686 members. Also, the Army is still on top with the most members.
Total military civilians per branch:
- Army – 1,306 members
- Air Force – 332 members
- 4 Estate (DoD) – 41 members
- Navy – 7 members
- Marine Corps – 0 members
If you would like to check out these statistics for yourself or even check out the statistics for other states, visit governing.com.
