Money · 1 of 5
What basic pay looks like
Specialist, 4 years
$38,452
Private, first year
$25,297
Staff Sergeant, 8 years
$53,327
There is no wage survey for this job, because the armed forces are outside it. Pay comes from the Department of Defense basic pay table, set by Congress, and it depends only on your rank and your years of service. Two people doing completely different jobs in different branches are paid exactly the same. These are 2025 Army figures for basic pay alone, before allowances.