Ranks by service

Marine Corps ranks in order

Every Marine rank from private to general, the abbreviations Marines write, the insignia and the 2026 starting pay of each grade.

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Used for the 2026 basic pay only.

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Marine Corps, E-3 · Enlisted

Lance Corporal (LCpl)

Junior enlisted, usually in training or on a first assignment

Marine Corps Lance Corporal insignia
Lance Corporal
ArmyPrivate First Class (PFC)
NavySeaman (SN)
Air ForceAirman First Class (A1C)
Space ForceSpecialist 3 (Spc3)
Coast GuardSeaman (SN)
2026 basic pay, over 4 years$3,198.00 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-3

The Marine Corps has 27 rank titles on the Department of War chart, from private at E-1 to general at O-10, including five warrant officer grades. Its enlisted titles differ from the Army's in three places that cause most mix-ups: a Marine private first class is an E-2, not an E-3; lance corporal is the Marine E-3; and the Marine Corps has no specialist, so every E-4 is a corporal and already a noncommissioned officer. At E-7 the Marines have the gunnery sergeant. At E-8 and E-9 they split into two tracks at the same pay: master sergeant or first sergeant, then master gunnery sergeant or sergeant major. The Marine Corps is part of the Department of the Navy but uses Army-style officer titles, from second lieutenant to general. Abbreviations mix capitals and small letters: LCpl, SSgt, GySgt, 2ndLt, LtCol.

What is this rank called in another service?

Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) 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

The Marine NCO starts at corporal

The Department of War chart counts a Marine corporal among the noncommissioned officers, a status the Army and the Air Force give only from E-5. A Marine with four years of service can therefore be a corporal, an NCO, at the same $3,658.50 of 2026 basic pay that an Army specialist with the same years draws.

How is this rank abbreviated?

Marine Corps, E-9

MGySgt

Master Gunnery SergeantMGySgt
Sergeant MajorSgtMaj
Sergeant Major of the Marine CorpsSgtMajMC

Abbreviations as printed on the Department of War chart; capitals differ by service.

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Two tracks at the top

At E-8, a Marine is a master sergeant, a technical expert, or a first sergeant, the senior enlisted Marine of a company. At E-9, the master sergeant becomes a master gunnery sergeant and the first sergeant a sergeant major. The chart notes that the master gunnery sergeant and the sergeant major "receive the same pay but have different responsibilities", the sergeant major ranking higher. One Marine, the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, stands above all of them.

Marine Corps enlisted ranks, E-1 to E-9

U.S. Marine Corps, 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-1Private$2,407.20
E-2Private First ClassPFCMarine Corps Private First Class$2,697.90
E-3Lance CorporalLCplMarine Corps Lance Corporal$2,836.80
E-4CorporalCplMarine Corps Corporal$3,142.20
E-5SergeantSgtMarine Corps Sergeant$3,342.90
E-6Staff SergeantSSgtMarine Corps Staff Sergeant$3,401.10
E-7Gunnery SergeantGySgtMarine Corps Gunnery Sergeant$3,932.10
E-8Master SergeantMSgtMarine Corps Master Sergeant$5,656.50
E-8First Sergeant (position)Marine Corps First Sergeant$5,656.50
E-9Master Gunnery SergeantMGySgtMarine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant$6,910.20
E-9Sergeant Major (position)SgtMajMarine Corps Sergeant Major$6,910.20
E-9Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (one person)SgtMajMCMarine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps$6,910.20

Marine Corps warrant officer ranks

U.S. Marine Corps, 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-1Warrant Officer 1WOMarine Corps Warrant Officer 1$4,056.60
W-2Chief Warrant Officer 2CWO2Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2$4,621.80
W-3Chief Warrant Officer 3CWO3Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 3$5,223.30
W-4Chief Warrant Officer 4CWO4Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 4$5,719.80
W-5Chief Warrant Officer 5CWO5Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 5$10,169.70

Marine Corps officer ranks, O-1 to O-10

U.S. Marine Corps, 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-1Second Lieutenant2ndLtMarine Corps Second Lieutenant$4,150.20
O-2First Lieutenant1stLtMarine Corps First Lieutenant$4,782.00
O-3CaptainCaptMarine Corps Captain$5,534.10
O-4MajorMajMarine Corps Major$6,294.60
O-5Lieutenant ColonelLtColMarine Corps Lieutenant Colonel$7,295.40
O-6ColonelColMarine Corps Colonel$8,751.30
O-7Brigadier GeneralBGenMarine Corps Brigadier General$11,540.10
O-8Major GeneralMajGenMarine Corps Major General$13,888.50
O-9Lieutenant GeneralLtGenMarine Corps Lieutenant General$18,999.90
O-10GeneralGenMarine Corps General$18,999.90

Questions people ask

How many ranks does the Marine Corps have?

The Department of War chart lists 27 Marine Corps titles from E-1 to O-10, counting positions that share a pay grade, such as Master Gunnery Sergeant and Sergeant Major at E-9. 5 of them are warrant officer grades (W-1 to W-5). Each title is in the tables on this page with its abbreviation.

What is the highest enlisted rank in the Marine Corps?

Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) at pay grade E-9, and above it a single post, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the senior enlisted leader of the service, paid a flat $11,166.90 a month in 2026. Below it comes Master Sergeant 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 Marine Corps 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 Marine Corps lance corporal at E-3 with four years of service earns $3,198.00 a month in 2026, exactly what any other E-3 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

Private to General: the insignia, abbreviations, unit sizes and 2026 pay of every Army rank.

Navy ranks

Seaman Recruit to Admiral: petty officers, chiefs, Navy captain versus Army captain, 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