The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans dropped to 6.7 percent in February, government data show, mirroring a drop in the nation's unemployment rate.
The country added 295,000 jobs overall, as unemployment fell from 5.7 percent in January to 5.5 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For the newest generation of veterans, the unemployment rate was down more than 1 point from January's 7.9 percent mark. Large month-to-month changes are common in this measure, which has a small sample size that is prone to fluctuation.
Statisticians advise focusing on longer-term trends, such as annual unemployment rates.
Those are clearly pointing in the right direction for post-9/11 veterans: The 2014 annual unemployment rate was 7.2 percent, nearly 2 points lower than the 2013 rate and nearly 5 points lower than the rate in 2011.
By George Altman
Military Times
Published March 6, 2015