Military Ranks in Order: Abbreviations and Pay Grades
The six services share one pay grade scale, E-1 to E-9, W-1 to W-5 and O-1 to O-10, but name ranks differently: E-4 is Specialist or Corporal in the Army, Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy. E-1 monthly basic pay is $2,407.20, or $2,225.70 under four months of service.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Page reviewed against DFAS pay tables and defense.gov rank titles October 27, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Not affiliated with the Department of Defense. FedRateCalc is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) or any military branch. Figures are basic pay only; BAH, BAS, special and incentive pays, and taxes are separate and are not included. This page is general information, not pay or financial advice. Your leave and earnings statement (LES) in myPay is the record of what you are actually paid.
Military ranks by pay grade and branch
Each row is one pay grade, lowest to highest. A dash means the branch has no rank at that grade. Basic pay is the same in every branch because it follows the pay grade; the range is the 2026 monthly basic pay across years of service.
| Pay grade | 2026 monthly basic pay | Army | Marine Corps | Navy | Air Force | Space Force | Coast Guard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $2,407.20 | Private | Private | Seaman Recruit (SR) | Airman Basic | Specialist 1 (Spc1) | Seaman Recruit (SR) |
| E-2 | $2,697.90 | Private (PV2) | Private First Class (PFC) | Seaman Apprentice (SA) | Airman (Amn) | Specialist 2 (Spc2) | Seaman Apprentice (SA) |
| E-3 | $2,836.80 – $3,198.00 | Private First Class (PFC) | Lance Corporal (LCpl) | Seaman (SN) | Airman First Class (A1C) | Specialist 3 (Spc3) | Seaman (SN) |
| E-4 | $3,142.20 – $3,815.40 | Specialist (SPC) Corporal (CPL) | Corporal (Cpl) | Petty Officer Third Class (PO3) | Senior Airman (SrA) | Specialist 4 (Spc4) | Petty Officer Third Class (PO3) |
| E-5 | $3,342.90 – $4,421.70 | Sergeant (SGT) | Sergeant (Sgt) | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) | Staff Sergeant (SSgt) | Sergeant (Sgt) | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) |
| E-6 | $3,401.10 – $5,267.70 | Staff Sergeant (SSG) | Staff Sergeant (SSgt) | Petty Officer First Class (PO1) | Technical Sergeant (TSgt) | Technical Sergeant (TSgt) | Petty Officer First Class (PO1) |
| E-7 | $3,932.10 – $7,067.40 | 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 | $5,656.50 – $8,067.30 | 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 | $6,910.20 – $10,729.20 | 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) Fleet/Command Master Chief Petty Officer |
| W-1 | $4,056.60 – $7,010.10 | Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) | Warrant Officer 1 (WO) | Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) | — | — | — |
| W-2 | $4,621.80 – $7,714.20 | Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) | Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) | Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) | — | — | Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) |
| W-3 | $5,223.30 – $9,162.60 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3) | Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3) | Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3) | — | — | Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3) |
| W-4 | $5,719.80 – $10,653.60 | Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4) | Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4) | Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4) | — | — | Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4) |
| W-5 | $10,169.70 – $13,308.30 | Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) | Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CWO5) | Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CWO5) | — | — | — |
| O-1 | $4,150.20 – $5,222.40 | Second Lieutenant (2LT) | Second Lieutenant (2ndLt) | Ensign (ENS) | Second Lieutenant (2d Lt) | Second Lieutenant (2d Lt) | Ensign (ENS) |
| O-2 | $4,782.00 – $6,617.70 | First Lieutenant (1LT) | First Lieutenant (1stLt) | Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) | First Lieutenant (1st Lt) | First Lieutenant (1st Lt) | Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) |
| O-3 | $5,534.10 – $9,004.20 | Captain (CPT) | Captain (Capt) | Lieutenant (LT) | Captain (Capt) | Captain (Capt) | Lieutenant (LT) |
| O-4 | $6,294.60 – $10,509.90 | Major (MAJ) | Major (Maj) | Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) | Major (Maj) | Major (Maj) | Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) |
| O-5 | $7,295.40 – $12,394.80 | Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) | Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) | Commander (CDR) | Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) | Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) | Commander (CDR) |
| O-6 | $8,751.30 – $15,408.30* | Colonel (COL) | Colonel (Col) | Captain (CAPT) | Colonel (Col) | Colonel (Col) | Captain (CAPT) |
| O-7 | $11,540.10 – $17,242.20 | Brigadier General (BG) | Brigadier General (BGen) | Rear Admiral Lower Half (RDML) | Brigadier General (Brig Gen) | Brigadier General (Brig Gen) | Rear Admiral Lower Half (RDML) |
| O-8 | $13,888.50 – $18,999.90* | Major General (MG) | Major General (MajGen) | Rear Admiral Upper Half (RADM) | Major General (Maj Gen) | Major General (Maj Gen) | Rear Admiral Upper Half (RADM) |
| O-9 | $18,999.90* | Lieutenant General (LTG) | Lieutenant General (LtGen) | Vice Admiral (VADM) | Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) | Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) | Vice Admiral (VADM) |
| O-10 | $18,999.90* | General (GEN) | General (Gen) | Admiral (ADM) | General (Gen) | General (Gen) | Admiral (ADM) |
Basic pay at Executive Schedule Level V is capped at $15,408.30 a month in 2026; amounts held at that cap for O-6 are marked with an asterisk.
Basic pay at Executive Schedule Level II is capped at $18,999.90 a month in 2026; amounts held at that cap for O-8 to O-10 are marked with an asterisk.
These are 2026 rates. A 2027 raise is not final: the proposals would take effect on January 1, 2027, and none is enacted yet. The military pay raise 2027 page tracks where each stands.
Ranks in order by branch
- Army ranks in order
- Marine Corps ranks in order
- Navy ranks in order
- Air Force ranks in order
- Space Force ranks in order
- Coast Guard ranks in order
- Military rank pay: look up pay by rank title such as Staff Sergeant or Captain
- Military pay chart 2026: pay by grade and years of service
Military ranks FAQ
- What are the military ranks in order?
- By pay grade: enlisted E-1 to E-9, warrant officer W-1 to W-5 and commissioned officer O-1 to O-10. Each branch gives the grades its own rank titles; the table above lines them up grade by grade, and the branch pages list every rank with its abbreviation.
- What is the difference between rank and pay grade?
- Pay grades such as E-1, W-2 and O-5 are administrative classifications used primarily to standardize compensation across the military services, according to the defense.gov page. Rank is the title and leadership position. Some enlisted pay grades have two ranks, so a pay grade does not always name one rank.
- Which branches have warrant officers?
- Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard have warrant officers; the Coast Guard only at W-2, W-3, W-4. The Air Force and Space Force have none.