The United States Department of War (DoW) and its leaders recognize overall well-being, including financial well-being, as a crucial component of overall military readiness and retention. Military spouse unemployment plays a central role in military family financial well-being and is therefore a topic of interest across surveys. Sponsored by the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Military Community and Family Policy (DASW[MC&FP]), the Office of People Analytics (OPA) conducts the Survey of Active Duty Spouses (ADSS) biennially to collect information on active duty spouse’s experience with military life and includes financial well-being and spouse employment measures. Because military spouse unemployment contributes to military family financial well-being, and to better understand military spouse unemployment rates and their assessment methods, DoW has conducted analyses on population estimates needed to lower the unemployment rate by 5% based on 2024 ADSS estimates and compare the 2024 ADSS data and methodology with the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) data and methodology in order to better understand how different surveys capture unemployment in military populations.