Pay grades
Enlisted ranks, E-1 to E-9
Nine pay grades, six services, more than fifty titles. How the enlisted ranks are grouped, who counts as an NCO and what each grade pays in 2026.
Look up an enlisted rank
Army, E-5 · Enlisted
Sergeant (SGT)
Noncommissioned officer
| Marine Corps | Sergeant (Sgt) |
| Navy | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) |
| Air Force | Staff Sergeant (SSgt) |
| Space Force | Sergeant (Sgt) |
| Coast Guard | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) |
| 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-5Enlisted members make up the nine E grades, from E-1 to E-9. The Department of War chart describes three stages. E-1 to E-3 are members "usually either in some kind of training status or on their initial assignment": basic training, then a specialty school. The midlevel grades bring formal leadership, recognized by the terms noncommissioned officer and petty officer; "an Army sergeant, an Air Force staff sergeant and a Marine corporal are considered NCO ranks", and the naval services reach petty officer at E-4. E-8 and E-9 have "15 to 30 years on the job" and are "commanders' senior advisers for enlisted matters". Basic pay in 2026 runs from $2,225.70 a month for a new E-1 to $10,729.20 for an E-9 over 38 years, and $11,166.90 for the senior enlisted leader of each service.
What is a promotion worth in basic pay?
E-4 to E-5, over 4 years
+$288.30 / mo
| E-4 | $3,658.50 |
| E-5 | $3,946.80 |
| Over a year | +$3,460 |
Same years of service in both grades, 2026 DFAS table.
Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The nine grades in every service
| Grade | Army | Marine Corps | Navy | Air Force | Space Force | Coast Guard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 | Private (PV1) | Private | Seaman Recruit (SR) | Airman Basic | Specialist 1 (Spc1) | Seaman Recruit (SR) |
| E-2 | Private (PV2) | Private First Class (PFC) | Seaman Apprentice (SA) | Airman (Amn) | Specialist 2 (Spc2) | Seaman Apprentice (SA) |
| E-3 | Private First Class (PFC) | Lance Corporal (LCpl) | Seaman (SN) | Airman First Class (A1C) | Specialist 3 (Spc3) | Seaman (SN) |
| E-4 | Specialist (SPC) Corporal (CPL) | Corporal (Cpl) | Petty Officer Third Class (PO3) | Senior Airman (SrA) | Specialist 4 (Spc4) | Petty Officer Third Class (PO3) |
| E-5 | Sergeant (SGT) | Sergeant (Sgt) | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) | Staff Sergeant (SSgt) | Sergeant (Sgt) | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) |
| E-6 | Staff Sergeant (SSG) | Staff Sergeant (SSgt) | Petty Officer First Class (PO1) | Technical Sergeant (TSgt) | Technical Sergeant (TSgt) | Petty Officer First Class (PO1) |
| E-7 | Sergeant First Class (SFC) | Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) | Chief Petty Officer (CPO) | Master Sergeant (MSgt) First Sergeant | Master Sergeant (MSgt) | Chief Petty Officer (CPO) |
| E-8 | Master Sergeant (MSG) First Sergeant (1SG) | Master Sergeant (MSgt) First Sergeant | Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) | Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) First Sergeant | Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) | Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) |
| E-9 | Sergeant Major (SGM) Command Sergeant Major (CSM) | Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) Sergeant Major (SgtMaj) | Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) Fleet/Command Master Chief Petty Officer | Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) First Sergeant Command Chief Master Sergeant | Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) | Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) Command Master Chief Petty Officer |
Junior enlisted, E-1 to E-4
The first grades follow training. The chart notes that basic training is followed by "a specialized or advanced training phase": a military occupational specialty in the Army and the Marine Corps, a rate in the Navy, an Air Force specialty in the Air Force. In the Army, time decides the first moves: six months of service for private E-2, twelve months for private first class, 24 months for specialist, according to army.mil. E-4 is where the services diverge: the Marine corporal and the naval petty officer third class are already leaders, the Army specialist and the Air Force senior airman are not.
Quick check: 2026 basic pay
E-3, over 2 years
$3,015.00 / mo
| Over a year | $36,180 |
| Lowest rate of the grade | $2,836.80 |
| Highest rate of the grade | $3,198.00 |
DFAS table effective January 1, 2026; basic pay only.
NCOs and petty officers, E-5 and E-6
Sergeants and staff sergeants lead teams and squads, petty officers lead work centers. The NCO page compares where each service draws the line and what the Army expects of its first-line leaders.
Senior NCOs and chiefs, E-7 to E-9
From E-7, every service has several titles per grade: one for the technical track and one or more for leadership posts such as first sergeant or command sergeant major. The pay is the same for both. Above all of them sits a single senior enlisted leader per service, described on the senior enlisted leaders page.