In 2018, the average income of male Vietnam-era veterans and nonveterans the same ages was roughly comparable: For veterans 63 to 78 years old, it was $63,300; for nonveterans, it was $65,000. The veterans’ average includes the disability compensation that some receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs. With that disability income excluded, veterans’ average income was $59,000, 9 percent less than nonveterans’ average income. Veterans age 72 or older had more income, on average, than nonveterans. Overall, veterans received more money from Social Security and retirement plans; nonveterans had more earnings from work and more investment income. The differences probably arose from the types of jobs veterans and nonveterans held.

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