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States that drafted the most men in World War II


H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

States that drafted the most men in World War II

Rows of American Soldiers standing at attention.

As of September 2022, there are just over 167,000 American veterans of World War II alive, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Since most are over 90 years old, it is estimated that three in every 10 will pass away in 2023. More than 16 million people served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the war, which took the lives of 30-65 million people. To this date, the exact number of casualties remains unknown.

In September 1940, Congress sanctioned the Selective Training and Service Act, the first peacetime draft law in the nation’s history. By then, most of Europe had been at war for a year. The legislation—also known as the Burke-Wadsworth Act—required men ages 21 to 45 to sign up for conscription. If inducted, they were appointed to serve for one year. When the U.S. officially entered the war, however, conscription limits were removed and service ran through the war’s end.

The age of draftees was also lowered to 18 as the war developed, a change that ignited protests and a public campaign demanding the government lower the statutory age to vote. (Decades later, amidst the Vietnam War, this would prove to be the premise for the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971.)

Over 36.5 million draft cards were issued during the time the U.S. fought in World War II; 10.1 million men were inducted between 1940 and 1947, which represented about 7.6% of the national population, according to estimates from the 1940 census. They joined 6 million volunteers in combat.

Stacker analyzed data quantifying draft numbers during World War II from multiple sources, including historical Census data, a report issued by the Selective Service System, and a WWII draft card project provided by Ancestry.com in association with the National Archives and Records Administration. Draft card data for Maine was not available; their draft cards were destroyed before being digitized. States are ranked by the number of inductees as a percentage of the total state population as estimated from the 1940 census.



mffoto // Shutterstock

#51. Alaska

Aerial view of Haines, Alaska.

– Number of men drafted: 3,564 (4.91% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 22,518
— 15.83% of draft cards called



S_Hoss // Shutterstock

#50. Vermont

Aerial view of rural road in summer.

– Number of men drafted: 21,456 (5.97% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 86,651
— 24.76% of draft cards called



QZ // Shutterstock

#49. Iowa

Scenic farmfields.

– Number of men drafted: 154,603 (6.09% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 621,426
— 24.88% of draft cards called



Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#48. South Dakota

South Dakota Capitol building.

– Number of men drafted: 39,707 (6.18% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 151,055
— 26.29% of draft cards called



Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

#47. North Dakota

Prairie landscape with grain elevator.

– Number of men drafted: 39,895 (6.21% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 380,297
— 10.49% of draft cards called



Ken Schulze // Shutterstock

#46. Nebraska

Road through hilly farmland in northeastern Nebraska.

– Number of men drafted: 82,735 (6.29% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 324,606
— 25.49% of draft cards called



Canva

#45. Wisconsin

“Wisconsin Welcomes You” Road Sign.

– Number of men drafted: 203,235 (6.48% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 777,714
— 26.13% of draft cards called



TLF Images // Shutterstock

#44. Oklahoma

Oklahoma Route 66 road sign in small town.

– Number of men drafted: 151,883 (6.50% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 580,191
— 26.18% of draft cards called



kan_khampanya // Shutterstock

#43. Washington

Elevated view of Seattle Space Needle and downtown.

– Number of men drafted: 113,451 (6.53% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 476,971
— 23.79% of draft cards called



John Hoffman // Shutterstock

#42. Colorado

Colorado Springs cityscape in autumn.

– Number of men drafted: 73,786 (6.57% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 284,881
— 25.90% of draft cards called



Bob Pool // Shutterstock

#41. Oregon

Red barn in Hood River Valley surrounded by pear blossoms.

– Number of men drafted: 72,800 (6.68% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 294,538
— 24.72% of draft cards called



Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#40. New Hampshire

Aerial view of Market Square and North Church in Portsmouth.

– Number of men drafted: 32,920 (6.70% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 123,730
— 26.61% of draft cards called



Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#39. Georgia

Riverfront skyline in Savannah.

– Number of men drafted: 209,589 (6.71% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 845,405
— 24.79% of draft cards called



Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#38. Massachusetts

Cape Cod seashore viewed from Pilgrim Monument.

– Number of men drafted: 292,439 (6.77% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 1,056,985
— 27.67% of draft cards called



barteverett // Shutterstock

#37. Kansas

“Welcome to Kansas” sign near Saunders grain elevators.

– Number of men drafted: 122,470 (6.80% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 428,140
— 28.61% of draft cards called



Canva

#36. Texas

Aerial view of Austin skyline.

– Number of men drafted: 438,232 (6.83% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 2,225,880
— 19.69% of draft cards called



ostreetphotography // Shutterstock

#35. Minnesota

Downtown Minneapolis overlooking Mississippi River.

– Number of men drafted: 191,238 (6.85% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 697,360
— 27.42% of draft cards called



saraporn // Shutterstock

#34. Wyoming

Historic barn with Grand Tetons in the background.

– Number of men drafted: 17,254 (6.88% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 66,540
— 25.93% of draft cards called



Nick Fox // Shutterstock

#33. Montana

Historic center of Livingston.

– Number of men drafted: 38,820 (6.94% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 144,604
— 26.85% of draft cards called



Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#32. Maine

Portland Head Lighthouse and coastline.

– Number of men drafted: 59,815 (7.06% of the state population)
– Draft card data not available



Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#31. Missouri

Kansas City downtown with Union Station.

– Number of men drafted: 272,180 (7.19% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 956,325
— 28.46% of draft cards called



Dancestrokes // Shutterstock

#30. California

Beaches in La Jolla San Diego.

– Number of men drafted: 500,920 (7.25% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 2,094,031
— 23.92% of draft cards called



Susanne Pommer // Shutterstock

#29. South Carolina

Downtown Charleston street view.

– Number of men drafted: 137,969 (7.26% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 501,839
— 27.49% of draft cards called



Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#28. Florida

Skyline of Miami with palm trees.

– Number of men drafted: 138,619 (7.31% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 545,128
— 25.43% of draft cards called



Derek Olson Photography // Shutterstock

#27. North Carolina

Asheville skyline in the fall.

– Number of men drafted: 262,942 (7.36% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 1,483,473
— 17.72% of draft cards called



shuttersv // Shutterstock

#26. Arkansas

Downtown Bentonville.

– Number of men drafted: 143,682 (7.37% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 395,488
— 36.33% of draft cards called



Canva

#25. Alabama

Birmingham cityscape.

– Number of men drafted: 210,599 (7.43% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 764,045
— 27.56% of draft cards called



Canva

#24. Utah

Aerial view of Salt Lake City.

– Number of men drafted: 41,061 (7.46% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 145,410
— 28.24% of draft cards called



Ramunas Bruzas // Shutterstock

#23. Rhode Island

Harbor in Newport City.

– Number of men drafted: 53,235 (7.46% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 186,940
— 28.48% of draft cards called



GypsyPictureShow // Shutterstock

#22. Idaho

Rural landscape and farms.

– Number of men drafted: 39,220 (7.47% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 139,652
— 28.08% of draft cards called



Herbert Heinsche // Shutterstock

#21. New Mexico

Winding road through New Mexico.

– Number of men drafted: 39,944 (7.51% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 141,042
— 28.32% of draft cards called



Pierre Leclerc // Shutterstock

#20. Hawaii

Aerial view of Kauai mountains.

– Number of men drafted: 31,899 (7.54% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 139,178
— 22.92% of draft cards called



Canva

#19. Louisiana

Aerial photo Baton Rouge State Capitol Park.

– Number of men drafted: 179,029 (7.57% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 649,825
— 27.55% of draft cards called



Canva

#18. Indiana

Indiana farm fields.

– Number of men drafted: 261,079 (7.62% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 904,608
— 28.86% of draft cards called



Real Window Creative // Shutterstock

#17. Kentucky

Aerial view Bowling Green cityscape.

– Number of men drafted: 220,619 (7.75% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 738,534
— 29.87% of draft cards called



Gregory E. Clifford // Shutterstock

#16. Arizona

Scenic view of Phoenix.

– Number of men drafted: 39,069 (7.83% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 141,706
— 27.57% of draft cards called



Canva

#15. Mississippi

Biloxi lighthouse.

– Number of men drafted: 172,136 (7.88% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 564,513
— 30.49% of draft cards called



marchello74 // Shutterstock

#14. Illinois

Chicago cityscape on sunny autumn day.

– Number of men drafted: 629,516 (7.97% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 2,124,699
— 29.63% of draft cards called



CrackerClips Stock Media // Shutterstock

#13. Tennessee

Knoxville skyline with Worlds Fair Park.

– Number of men drafted: 233,993 (8.02% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 764,556
— 30.61% of draft cards called



Orhan Cam // Shutterstock

#12. Virginia

Arlington Memorial Bridge in autumn.

– Number of men drafted: 216,060 (8.07% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 768,847
— 28.10% of draft cards called



Vladimir Mucibabic // Shutterstock

#11. Michigan

Detroit skyline on clear day.

– Number of men drafted: 424,335 (8.07% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 1,462,490
— 29.01% of draft cards called



f11photo // Shutterstock

#10. Connecticut

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Hartford.

– Number of men drafted: 139,629 (8.17% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 488,632
— 28.58% of draft cards called



Canva

#9. New York

New York City skyline.

– Number of men drafted: 1,108,799 (8.23% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 3,802,625
— 29.16% of draft cards called



Kamira // Shutterstock

#8. New Jersey

Aerial view of Jersey City.

– Number of men drafted: 345,236 (8.30% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 1,168,325
— 29.55% of draft cards called



Canva

#7. West Virginia

Elevated view of Wheeling.

– Number of men drafted: 158,533 (8.34% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 524,336
— 30.24% of draft cards called



photo.ua // Shutterstock

#6. Ohio

Cincinnati skyline.

– Number of men drafted: 576,622 (8.35% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 1,790,654
— 32.20% of draft cards called



Canva

#5. Delaware

Wilmington skyline.

– Number of men drafted: 22,330 (8.38% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 74,649
— 29.91% of draft cards called



Real Window Creative // Shutterstock

#4. Maryland

Aerial view of Annapolis and Statehouse.

– Number of men drafted: 158,121 (8.68% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 536,962
— 29.45% of draft cards called



Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#3. Pennsylvania

Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

– Number of men drafted: 866,264 (8.75% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 2,660,878
— 32.56% of draft cards called



Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#2. Nevada

Aerial view of Reno cityscape.

– Number of men drafted: 10,289 (9.33% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 36,348
— 28.31% of draft cards called



Orhan Cam // Shutterstock

#1. Washington D.C.

Pennsylvania Avenue and U.S. Capitol.

– Number of men drafted: 64,243 (9.69% of the state population)
– Total number of Draft Cards issued: 212,943
— 30.17% of draft cards called

Data reporting by Sam Larson. Story editing by Brian Budzynski. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Elizabeth Ciano.


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