It pays to be a veteran, and nowhere more so than in the Pentagon’s home state of Virginia, where ex- military personnel take home almost 72 percent more than those who’ve never served.  The BGOV Barometer shows the median annual income for veterans is an average of 44 percent more than for nonveterans nationwide, and even higher in states with big military bases such as South Carolina, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. One reason for the gap is many veterans retire early from the military, and simultaneously collect federal pensions and paychecks from their second careers.