Framingham's Veterans: How Many Have Served?

We celebrate and honor the service of military veterans each Nov. 11. Established as Armistice Day more than 100 years ago, the first reference to "Veterans Day" came in 1947 as Raymond Weeks organized a parade and festivities in Birmingham, Alabama.

Here are some numbers about veterans in Framingham, thanks to new U.S. Census numbers.

New data reveals there were 2,625 veterans in Framingham in 2015, about 4.5 percent of the overall adult population. Their average income was estimated at $37,120 - a bit more than the average non-veteran in Framingham. There was 222 veterans for whom poverty status is determined that fell under the poverty line at some point in the preceding 12 months.

About 97 percent of those veterans were men, and a large amount - more than 42 percent - were 75 years or older. Ninety-eight percent of the veterans in Framingham were white.

The number of veterans deemed as having a disability was at 942.

Source: 2015 American Community Survey data, U.S. Census; Cumming info from 2014 American Community Survey (most recent available)

Photo by the U.S. Army via Flickr Commons