Ranks by service

Coast Guard ranks in order

Seaman recruit to admiral: titles shared with the Navy, the insignia that differ, three warrant grades and the 2026 pay of each grade.

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Coast Guard, E-5 · Enlisted

Petty Officer Second Class (PO2)

Petty officer

Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class insignia
Petty Officer Second Class
ArmySergeant (SGT)
Marine CorpsSergeant (Sgt)
NavyPetty Officer Second Class (PO2)
Air ForceStaff Sergeant (SSgt)
Space ForceSergeant (Sgt)
2026 basic pay, over 4 years$3,946.80 a month

Same pay grade means the same basic pay in every service. Basic pay only: housing, food and special pays are not included.

Everything about E-5

The Coast Guard uses the Navy's rank titles, from seaman recruit (SR) at E-1 to admiral (ADM) at O-10, and has 24 titles on the Department of War chart, counting its command master chiefs and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard. The chart notes that Coast Guard insignia "are the same as the Navy except for color and the seaman recruit rank, which has one stripe". Its warrant officers run from chief warrant officer 2 to chief warrant officer 4 only: no W-1 and no W-5. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and serves with the Navy in time of war, the chart explains, but its members are paid from the same DFAS basic pay tables as the five services of the Department of War: an E-5 petty officer second class draws $3,342.90 a month at the start in 2026, like an Army sergeant.

What is this rank called in another service?

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in the Navy

Chief Petty Officer

Pay gradeE-7
GroupChief petty officer
AbbreviationCPO

Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.

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Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Navy titles, Coast Guard insignia

A Coast Guard petty officer, chief or officer holds the same title as a Navy counterpart at the same grade. The difference is in the insignia colors and at E-1, where the Coast Guard seaman recruit wears one stripe and the Navy's wears none. Officer titles are those title 37 of the US Code lists for the Navy and the Coast Guard together, from ensign to admiral.

What is this rank called in another service?

Coast Guard Lieutenant (LT) in the Army

Captain

Pay gradeO-3
GroupCompany grade officer
AbbreviationCPT

Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.

Compare every rank side by side →

Three warrant grades

The chart lists Coast Guard chief warrant officers 2, 3 and 4. Since chief warrant officer 2 is the first commissioned warrant grade, a Coast Guard warrant officer holds a commission from the start. The pay is that of the W-2 to W-4 rows of the warrant officer table.

Coast Guard enlisted ranks, E-1 to E-9

U.S. Coast Guard, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
E-1Seaman RecruitSR$2,407.20
E-2Seaman ApprenticeSACoast Guard Seaman Apprentice$2,697.90
E-3SeamanSNCoast Guard Seaman$2,836.80
E-4Petty Officer Third ClassPO3Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class$3,142.20
E-5Petty Officer Second ClassPO2Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class$3,342.90
E-6Petty Officer First ClassPO1Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class$3,401.10
E-7Chief Petty OfficerCPOCoast Guard Chief Petty Officer$3,932.10
E-8Senior Chief Petty OfficerSCPOCoast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer$5,656.50
E-9Master Chief Petty OfficerMCPOCoast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer$6,910.20
E-9Command Master Chief Petty Officer (position)Coast Guard Command Master Chief Petty Officer$6,910.20
E-9Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (one person)MCPOCGCoast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard$6,910.20

Coast Guard warrant officer ranks

U.S. Coast Guard, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
W-2Chief Warrant Officer 2CWO2$4,621.80
W-3Chief Warrant Officer 3CWO3$5,223.30
W-4Chief Warrant Officer 4CWO4$5,719.80

Coast Guard officer ranks, O-1 to O-10

U.S. Coast Guard, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
O-1EnsignENSCoast Guard Ensign$4,150.20
O-2Lieutenant Junior GradeLTJGCoast Guard Lieutenant Junior Grade$4,782.00
O-3LieutenantLTCoast Guard Lieutenant$5,534.10
O-4Lieutenant CommanderLCDRCoast Guard Lieutenant Commander$6,294.60
O-5CommanderCDRCoast Guard Commander$7,295.40
O-6CaptainCAPTCoast Guard Captain$8,751.30
O-7Rear Admiral Lower HalfRDMLCoast Guard Rear Admiral Lower Half$11,540.10
O-8Rear Admiral Upper HalfRADMCoast Guard Rear Admiral Upper Half$13,888.50
O-9Vice AdmiralVADMCoast Guard Vice Admiral$18,999.90
O-10AdmiralADMCoast Guard Admiral$18,999.90
O-11 (wartime)Fleet Admiralno table

Questions people ask

How many ranks does the Coast Guard have?

The Department of War chart lists 24 Coast Guard titles from E-1 to O-10, counting positions that share a pay grade, such as Master Chief Petty Officer and Command Master Chief Petty Officer at E-9. 3 of them are warrant officer grades (W-2 to W-4). Each title is in the tables on this page with its abbreviation.

What is the highest enlisted rank in the Coast Guard?

Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) at pay grade E-9, and above it a single post, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, the senior enlisted leader of the service, paid a flat $11,166.90 a month in 2026. Below it comes Senior Chief Petty Officer at E-8. Since rank between services follows the pay grade, the top enlisted grade is E-9 in every service, with the same basic pay table.

Does the Coast Guard pay differently from the other services?

No. Basic pay comes from the same DFAS tables in all six services and depends only on pay grade and years of service. A Coast Guard petty officer second class at E-5 with four years of service earns $3,946.80 a month in 2026, exactly what any other E-5 with four years earns. Allowances and special pays can differ by job and location.

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Chevrons, rockers, bars, leaves, eagles and stars: how to read an insignia, with a quiz on all six services.

2026 pay chart

Every 2026 basic pay rate, E-1 to O-10, by years of service, with the calculator and the DFAS notes.

Army ranks

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Marine Corps ranks

Private to General: LCpl, Cpl, GySgt, MGySgt, warrant officers and officers, with insignia and pay.

Official pages behind this page

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Independent publisher of a rank, insignia and basic pay reference for the six US armed forces, built on the Department of War rank chart and the DFAS pay tables

Ranks and pay tables checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

Military ranks and basic pay 2026, read on the Department of War chart and the DFAS tables, last checked on