This is the fifth article in a series of posts to provide Naval Officers with information to aid in their decision making process about a post-military career. You can read more about the purpose of this information or sign-up for updates about additional data to be distribute in the weeks ahead (to include information on the US Army and Air Force). Executive Summary: The vast majority of Naval Officer veterans live in the South (55%), while the West (21%), Northeast (15%) and Midwest (9%) trail distantly behind. The most popular location for Naval Officer veterans is Washington D.C (17%), followed by California (12%), Texas (9%) and New York (5%). Across Warfare Specialities, Aviators are the most likely to live in the South (60% of Aviators), while Marines are the most likely to live in the West (23% of Marines). Submariners are the most likely of all Naval Officers to reside in the Northeast (18% of Submariners), while SWOs are the most likely to live in the Midwest (12% of SWOs). A breakdown of cities and states is provided in the data visualization.

You can view the complete interactive data visualizations here.

Navy-Wide Trends:

The majority of Naval Officer veterans live in the South (55% of Naval Officers), while the West (21%), Northeast (15%) and Midwest (9%) trail distantly behind. Where they live correlated well with the locations of major Naval Bases - California (12% of Naval Officers), Virginia (7%), Florida (5%), Washington (3%), Georgia (3%), North Carolina (3%), South Carolina (2%), and Hawaii (1%). The top non-Navy-base locations turned out to be Texas (9%), Maryland (6%), New York (5%), Pennsylvania (5%), and Massachusetts (3%).

The top 10 most popular locations for Naval Officer veterans are:

1. Washington D.C. (17% of Naval Officers)
2. California (12% of Naval Officers)
3. Texas (9% of Naval Officers)
4. Virginia (7% of Naval Officers)
5. Maryland (6% of Naval Officers)
6. New York (5% of Naval Officers)
7. Florida (5% of Naval Officers)
8. Pennsylvania (5% of Naval Officers)
9. Washington (3% of Naval Officers)
10. Georgia (3% of Naval Officers)

Warfare Specialty Trends

 

Submarine Officers (Submariners)  Compared to all Naval Officers, Submariners are the more likely to end upin the Northeast (18% of Submariners). Additionally, they are more likely than their counterparts to reside in:

• Georgia (4% of Submariners): given the Submarine base in Kingsbay, this makes sense.
• North Carolina (3% of Submariners): given the Marine Corps presence in North Carolina, I was surprised that they did not lead the charge here. However, Submariners beat them out slightly with their presence in North Carolina after separation.

Submariners are the least likely of all Naval Officers to end up in:

• Washington D.C. (15% of Submariners): although still the biggest location for Submariners, they are 22% less likely than SWOs, 19% less likely than Marines, and 16% less likely than Aviators to end up here.
• California (9% of Submariners): sadly, Submariners don't end up here as much as other Naval Officers. They are 43% less likely than Marines, 29% less likely than Aviators, and 23% less likely than SWOs to end up in California
• Texas (7% of Submariners): Texas does not win over the undersea warfare community, with Submariners being 38% less likely than Aviators, 35% less likely than Marines, and 17% less likely than SWOs to reside here.
• Florida (3% of Submariners): Florida also loses out on the former Nucs. Submariners are 57% less likely than Aviators, 42% less likely than Marines, and 31% less likely than SWOs to end up here.

A full list of cities and states are provided here.

Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs)

Compared to all Naval Officers, SWOs are the more likely to end up in the Midwest (12% of SWOs). Additionally, they are more likely than their counterparts to reside in:

• Washington D.C. (19% of SWOs): SWOs are most likely to reside in the capital, as they are 28% more likely than Submariners, 8% more likely than Aviators, and 3% more likely than Marines to end up here.
• Virginia (11% of SWOs): they must love their time stationed in Virginia, because SWOs are 203% more likely than Marines, 63% more likely than Submariners, and 25% more likely than Aviators to end up here after separation from the military.
• Maryland (8% of SWOs): it's good to be close to Annapolis, and SWOs are 53% more likely than Marines, 40% more likely than Submariners, and 23% more likely than Aviators to end up here after separation.

A full list of cities and states are provided here.

U.S. Marine Corps Officers (Marines)

Compared to all Naval Officers, Marines are the more likely to end up in the West (23% of Marines). Additionally, they are more likely than their counterparts to reside in:

• California (16% of Marines): Who said Marines were uptight? They are the most likely to end up in California, 77% more likely than Submariners, 36% more likely than SWOs, and 26% more likely than Aviators to end up in California.
• New York (7% of Marines): Marines break away from the pack, heading to New York after they transition. They are 136% more likely than Aviators, 41% more likely than SWOs, and 9% more likely than Submariners to end up in New York.
• Maryland (8% of Marines): it's good to be close to Annapolis, and SWOs are 53% more likely than Marines, 40% more likely than Submariners, and 23% more likely than Aviators to end up here after separation.
• Pennsylvania (6% of Marines): Marines are the most likely to end up in Pennsylvania, a full 56% more likely than Aviators, 41% more likely than SWOs, and 8% more likely than Submariners to end up here.

A full list of cities and states are provided here.

Naval Aviators (Aviators)

Compared to all Naval Officers, Aviators are the most likely to end up in the South (60% of Aviators). Additionally, they are more likely than their counterparts to reside in:

• Texas (11% of Aviators): Aviators are 62% more likely than Submariners, 34% more likely than SWOs, and 5% more likely than Marines to end up in Texas.
• Florida (7% of Aviators): Heralding back to their Flight School days, Aviators dominate Florida. They are 134% more likely than Submariners, 61% more likely than SWOs, and 37% more likely than Marines to end up in Florida.
• Washington (4% of Aviators): Aviators are 147% more likely than Marines, 5% more likely than SWOs and 2% more likely than Submariners to head to Washington when they get out.

A full list of cities and states are provided here.