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Top 15 Employers For Veterans

This article is more than 9 years old.

The unemployment rate among veterans who have served on active duty since 2001 fell to 9% in 2013, according to data released last month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the jobless rate among all veterans dropped to 6.6%.

As of 2013, 21.4 million people--9% of the civilian population over the age of 18--are veterans, defined as men and women who have previously served on active military duty in the U.S. armed forces and are now civilians.

As hiring continues to pick up, many companies are eager to capitalize on the technical and managerial skills of those with military experience. To determine the top employers for veterans, Forbes worked with compensation information site Payscale.com to develop a ranking of companies that hire the most veterans for work in which military experience is highly relevant.

The employers on this list fall into three major categories: Weapons and Security, Aerospace, Government Agencies, and Information Technology. They exclusively offer skilled labor positions (many of the country's largest companies, particularly retailers, employ more veterans than the organizations that appear here, but in unskilled capacities.)

Within the list, companies are ranked by how many veterans they employ.

"For veterans on the job market who hope to build upon the skills they gained in the service and earn pay to rival their military pay, these employers and the skilled positions they offer are the way to go," says Katie Bardaro, Lead Economist at Payscale.com.

Topping the list for the third year in a row is Booz Allen Hamilton.

"One of Booz Allen’s greatest points of pride is our longstanding commitment to veterans and military families who are represented in our workforce, among our clients and in the communities where we live," says Betty Thompson, the company's Chief Personnel Officer. "Nearly 50 of our most senior leaders and one third of our employees have served our country."

Weapons and Security firms like Booz Allen, SAIC , and L-3 Communications offer the highest compensation of those companies appearing on the list. Top jobs like Management Consultant, Intelligence Analyst, and Software Developer offer average median pay of $81,900.

Similarly well compensated are Aerospace professions. Lockheed Martin , Boeing, and Northrop Grumman all appear on this ranking, offering jobs like Software Developer, Aerospace Engineer, and Mechanical Engineer paying average median pay of $77,900.

For veterans to whom the leadership, management, and process elements of military experience are particularly appealing, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans' Affairs also appear on the list. The top government jobs are Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, and Social Worker, with average median pay of $48,300 for someone with 5 - 8  years of professional experience.

Finally, Information Technology companies CACI International, General Dynamics, and Computer Sciences Corporation all make the cut. Each offers IT jobs like Programmer Analyst, Systems Administrator, and Software Developer that pay average median salaries of $69,500.

Top 15 Employers For Veterans

1. Booz Allen Hamilton

Industry: Weapons and Security

2. U.S. Department of Defense

Industry: Government Agencies

3. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)*

Industry: Weapons and Security

4. L-3 Communications

Industry: Weapons and Security

5. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Industry: Aerospace

6. BAE Systems Inc.

Industry: Weapons and Security

7. The Boeing Company

Industry: Aerospace

8. Department of Veterans' Affairs

Industry: Government Agencies

9. Northrop Grumman Corporation

Industry: Aerospace

10. CACI International Inc.

Industry: Information Technology

11. General Dynamics Information Technology

Industry: Information Technology

12. Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)

Industry: Information Technology

13. Securitas Security Services USA, Inc.

Industry: Weapons and Security

14. Allied Barton Security Services Inc.

Industry: Weapons and Security

15. G4S Security Services

Industry: Weapons and Security

*In September 2013, SAIC separated into two independent, publicly-traded companies, SAIC and Leidos. While both employ large numbers of veterans, data for this report is from the entire year, as such, the majority of veteran jobs included were with SAIC.

In pictures: Top Employers For Veterans

Follow me on Twitter @KathrynDill.