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Enlisted Annual Salary

Below is the FY 2003 Average Annual Salary Chart for military enlisted personnel.

It's really impossible to produce an actual annual salary chart. This is because there are many variables to military pay.

Some jobs are entitled to an enlistment or re-enlistment bonus, and some jobs are not. Some people live in free on-base government quarters (barracks or base housing) and others live off-base and receive a housing allowance. The amount of the housing allowance depends on the person's location, and whether or not they have dependents.

Additionally, some people receive a monetary food allowance, and some people do not (instead, they get free meals in the "chow hall.")

The below chart shows average annual military salary for enlisted personnel, to include base pay, average housing allowance, monetary food allowance, and the "tax advantage" of untaxed allowances. The charts do not include items such as overseas housing allowance, overseas COLA (cost of living allowance), enlistment or reenlistment bonuses, or other bonuses and allowances that many servicemembers are entitled to.

For more information about pay and benefit changes for FY 2003, see Your 2003 Military Pay and Benefits.

Military pay is based upon grade (rank) and years of service:

Note: A square without an entry indicates that none of the services reported anyone currently serving in that grade/time-in-service.