Indiana cities ranked among the best for veterans to live

(The Center Square) – Indiana is home to one of the top 40 cities in the United States for veterans to live, according to a new report.

WalletHub, a personal finance website, studied the 100 largest cities across the country to find the best for helping veterans tackle the unique challenges of re-entering civilian life through things like military skill-related jobs, affordable housing and the availability of VA facilities.

Fort Wayne ranked as Indiana’s best and landed at 69^th in the nation. It ranked 27^th in employment, 52^nd in economy, 70^th in quality of life and 93^rd in health.

Indianapolis came in at 87^th overall, ranking 34^th in employment, 60^th in economy, 89^th in quality of life and 92^nd in health.

According to the report, there are more than 19.5 million veterans currently living in the United States. Unemployment and homelessness declined nationally for veterans in recent years, though the unemployment rate has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country’s top city for veterans, according to the report, is Orlando, followed by Irvine, California; Tampa, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Austin, Texas.

At the same time, WalletHub released the results of its 2020 Military Money Survey, which surveyed things from how the government teaches military members financial literacy and if military members think they should have to pay interest on debt when deployed to a war zone.

The survey found 75% of Americans agree military families experience more financial stress than the average family.

Nearly 50% of people think poor financial literacy among military personnel is a threat to national security. That number is up from 40% a year ago. Also, 74% of Americans believe the military does not do enough to teach financial literacy.