The largest proportions of FY 1999 NPS Reserve Component accessions were in the 17- to 19-year age group (Table 5.2).  The one exception to this trend was the USNR, which had 68 percent falling in the 25- to 34-year age group. This was true, despite the high percentage of unknown age for NPs Reserve Component accessions to the USNR (15 percent in FY 1999).

Several factors contribute to age differences within the Reserve Component, including the size of the recruiting mission and the incentives used by recruiters.  ARNG and USAR recruiters work extensively with the high school population because of the size of their respective NPs recruiting missions.  Although the high school senior market is their primary target, recruiters use the split training option as an important incentive.  This option allows high school juniors to enlist and attend basic training after their junior year of high school, and then enter skill training a year later upon graduating from high school.  In FY 1999, 40 percent of ARNG NPs recruits were students still enrolled in high school.  This is an increase of 7-percentage points from FY 1998.  Twenty-one percent of USAR NPs recruits were students still enrolled in high school.

Table 5.2.  FY 1999 Selected Reserve Non-Prior Service Enlisted Accessions, by Age and Component, and Civilian Labor Force 17–35 Years Old (Percent)
Age Group	Army National Guard	Army Reserve	Naval Reserve	Marine Corps Reserve	Air National Guard	Air Force Reserve	Total DoD	17- to 35-Year-Old Civilians
17–19	63.3	71.4	0.1	65.6	56.9	40.1	61.5	16.5
20–24	23.1	20.4	1.1	28.5	29.6	38.7	22.7	24.6
25–29	8.1	5.4	37.7	5.0	9.2	14.6	8.7	25.5
30–34	3.4	2.2	29.9	0.9	3.6	5.9	4.2	27.2
35–39	1.3	0.5	16.1	*	0.6	0.7	1.6	6.3
40–44	0.4	*	0.2	0.0	*	0.0	0.2
45–49	0.2	*	0.0	0.0	*	0.0	*
50+	0.1	*	0.0	0.0	*	0.0	*
Unknown	0.2	*	14.9	*	*	0.0	0.8
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Columns may not add to total due to rounding.  * Less than one-tenth of one percent. Also see Appendix Tables C-1 (Age by Component and Gender) and C-2 (Age by Marital Status and Gender). Source:  Civilian data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey File, October 1998 – September 1999.