States that drafted the most men in World War II
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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.
