What does the do?

Refreshed annually

The Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) is an independent federal agency responsible for providing housing, healthcare, and supportive services to retired and eligible veterans. It offers residential care, medical and dental services, and recreational activities to support the well-being and dignity of its residents. It operates two campuses—in Washington, DC, and Gulfport, Mississippi—and was established in 1991.

In FY 2025,

$46M

was spent by the Armed Forces Retirement Home
In FY 2025,

<0.1%

of federal spending was by the Armed Forces Retirement Home

How much does the Armed Forces Retirement Home spend?

Armed Forces Retirement Home spent $46 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This was 0.00065% of the $7.04 trillion in overall federal spending. The department ranked 76 among federal agencies in total spending.

The Armed Forces Retirement Home accounted for <0.1% of all federal spending in FY 2025.

Share of Armed Forces Retirement Home net spending compared to the top ten highest spending agencies in FY 2025

Federal spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Armed Forces Retirement Home’s federal spending has decreased from $67 million in 1980 to $46 million in 2025.

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The Armed Forces Retirement Home’s federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Yearly federal net spending by Armed Forces Retirement Home, adjusted for inflation (2025 dollars), FYs 1980–2025

Since 1980, Armed Forces Retirement Home spending has decreased 31.3%, while overall spending has increased 196.9%.
The department’s spending grew less than overall spending, which means that the department’s share of the federal budget decreased. In 2025, Armed Forces Retirement Home accounted for 0.00065% of all federal spending. That’s 0.0022 percentage points lower than 1980 and 0.00031 points lower than in 2015.
Major legislation, internal or global economic conditions, and acute events like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect spending year to year. For example, the federal budget fluctuated during the pandemic, rising from $5.3 trillion (in 2023 dollars) in 2019 to $7.7 trillion in 2020 and $7.8 trillion in 2021.

The Armed Forces Retirement Home's share of federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Percentage of federal budget dedicated to Armed Forces Retirement Home, FYs 1980–2025

Most federal spending can be categorized as direct or indirect. Direct spending refers to money the federal government spends on budget items such as federal programs, employee salaries, and debt interest. Indirect spending refers to federal transfers to state and local governments.
In FY 2025, all of the Armed Forces Retirement Home's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net Armed Forces Retirement Home spending.

How did the Armed Forces Retirement Home spend its budget in 2025?

Federal government net spending isolated to Armed Forces Retirement Home, FY 2025

How many people work for the Armed Forces Retirement Home?

Some 271 of the 2.02 million total civilian federal employees work for the Armed Forces Retirement Home as of May 2026. This is 2.9% fewer people than the department staffed in 2012.

The number of federal employees working for the Armed Forces Retirement Home has decreased 2.9% since 2012.

Number of federal employees working for , May 2012–2026

Armed Forces Retirement Home accounts for 0.013% of the overall federal workforce. As the number of federal employees has changed, so too has the way the workforce is organized, with resources allocated to agencies depending on government priorities. Armed Forces Retirement Home constituted a smaller share of the overall federal workforce in May 2026 than in 2012 (0.013%).
While the number of employees on an agency’s payroll contributes to that agency’s expenditures, some agencies have relatively few employees compared to their budget or vice versa, giving them an outsized share of either the budget or the workforce. According to the most recent data, the Armed Forces Retirement Home’s share of the workforce (0.013%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.00065%).

Who leads the Armed Forces Retirement Home?

The AFRH is led by a Chief Executive Officer (https://www.afrh.gov/sites/default/files/20220310_AFRH_OrganizationChart.pdf), who is appointed by the Secretary of Defense. The CEO does not serve a fixed term and remains in the role at the discretion of the Secretary.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.