This past Veterans Day saw all the usual gestures of appreciation from the public, legislators and companies offering freebies to current and former members of the uniformed armed forces. However, there are far more extensive and enduring publicly funded services available to the veterans who have served their country.
All veterans are entitled to certain benefits, but there are state-specific, even city-specific benefits that veterans may be entitled to. Some cities may not offer special benefits, but they do have a large community of veterinarians, more jobs that may suit veterans, or they offer more healthcare services.
According to an index of 38 metrics compiled by data blog Lawnstarter, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ranks 12th among the 200 largest US cities for veterans. Pittsburgh’s highest ranking category in the Index is Education and Training, which includes the concentration of VA-approved schools and on-the-job training opportunities.
About 14,440 veterans live in Pittsburgh, or 5.6% of the city’s total population, according to five-year estimates from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
For a full explanation of the index, categories, and methodology used in this ranking, see the Lawnstarter 2023’s Best Cities for Veterans report.
| rank | city | total index value | Best index category | veteran population | Veterans as a share of all pop. (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence, R.I | 46.2 | Medical and mental health care | 3,415 | 2.4 |
| 2 | Salt Lake City, Utah | 41.7 | Mental Health Care & Employment and Volunteerism | 7,065 | 4.4 |
| 3 | Miami, Fla | 38.2 | Mental Health Care | 7,509 | 2.0 |
| 4 | St.Louis, MO | 35.4 | education and training | 15,797 | 6.4 |
| 5 | Syracuse, New York | 35.4 | Medical health care | 5.212 | 4.6 |
| 6 | DesMoines, IA | 34.7 | education and training | 9,633 | 5.9 |
| 7 | Tampa, FL | 34.4 | Employment and Volunteering | 21,233 | 6.9 |
| 8th | Atlanta, GA | 34.1 | Employment and Volunteering | 18,350 | 4.5 |
| 9 | Dayton, OH | 33.6 | Mental Health Care | 9,021 | 8.1 |
| 10 | Washington, D.C | 33.6 | Support | 25,514 | 4.5 |
| 11 | Madison, WI | 32.9 | Mental Health Care | 9,345 | 4.3 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, Pa | 32.8 | education and training | 14,440 | 5.6 |
| 13 | San Antonio, Texas | 32.5 | community | 97,318 | 8.5 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 32.2 | Employment and Volunteering | 12,718 | 3.7 |
| fifteen | Grand Rapids, MI | 31.9 | education and training | 7.176 | 4.6 |
| 16 | Boston, MA | 31.7 | Employment and Volunteering & Safety | 15.124 | 2.6 |
| 17 | Jackson, MS | 31.5 | Mental Health Care | 6,609 | 5.4 |
| 18 | Sioux Falls, SD | 31.4 | Mental Health Care | 8,914 | 6.6 |
| 19 | McAllen, TX | 31.1 | Medical health care | 3,385 | 3.4 |
| 20 | Cincinnati, OH | 31.1 | Mental Health Care | 13,030 | 5.5 |
| 21 | Seattle, WA | 31.1 | security | 26.211 | 4.1 |
| 22 | Charleston, SC | 8/30 | Mental Health Care | 9.105 | 8.0 |
| 23 | Buffalo, New York | 30.1 | security | 11,092 | 5.6 |
| 24 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 30.0 | affordability | 6,805 | 6.3 |