PolicyMic looks at the data and the “widespread perception in the U.S. that enlisted soldiers are poor, uneducated and underprivileged, that they choose to enlist and to serve because they have few other options, and that they risk their lives because they have very little to lose.”

What do they find: “The conclusion is simple but surprising: The wealthier the average household is in your neighborhood, the more likely you are to have joined the U.S. military in 2006 and 2007. Considering the sample size, this is likely to be true today, too.”