Earnings
• Former operational intelligence specialists are among the highest earners after leaving the service. (The U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force have operational intelligence specialists who collect, analyze and disseminate intelligence information; the Coast Guard does not.)
• In their first year after service, Army veterans who were operational intelligence specialists typically had average earnings of $55,000 while former infantry veterans average earnings were $33,000. Veterans of the Navy, Marines and Air Force experienced similar gaps in initial median earnings in their first year after service.
• Former unmanned vehicle systems operators (such as drone operators) also had relatively high pay compared to other military occupations. (Average earnings include $52,000 for Army veterans, $79,000 for Marine Corps veterans, and $83,000 for Air Force veterans.)

Job Type
• Army and Marine Corps veterans, who were enlisted infantry and gun crews, primarily worked in the Administrative and Support Services and Manufacturing industry sectors.
• The largest share (16%) of new Army and Marine veterans were employed in the Administrative and Support Services sector. The next highest sectors were Retail Trade, Manufacturing and Construction.
• Recent Air Force infantry veterans were most likely to be employed in professional services: 15% had federal government jobs; 15% were employed in Administrative and Support Services; and 14% were employed in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

Pandemic Impact
• The global recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 may have affected employment among new Air Force veterans who left service in 2020-2021.
• Air Force veterans had relatively high rates of employment in the Transportation sector, compared to veterans from other branches. (The transportation sector was negatively affected by the pandemic.)
• The share of new Air Force veterans with stable employment was 46% in 2020-2021, nearly the same as the share (47%) in 2018-2019. (Stable employment is defined as having worked at least three quarters in the calendar year and earned at least the equivalent of working full-time at the federal minimum wage.)
• In contrast, the share of new veterans from all other branches with stable employment was 54% in 2020-2021, which was up from 50% in 2018-2019.