Average Armed Forces Officer Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Armed Forces Officer salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Armed Forces Officer Make in United States?

An Armed Forces Officer working in United States will typically earn around 76,600 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 40,200 USD to the highest average salary of 116,400 USD.

Average Annual Salary
76,600 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,383 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
40,200 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,350 USD

Highest Annual Salary
116,400 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,700 USD

These are average salaries for an Armed Forces Officer in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Armed Forces Officer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Armed Forces Officer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Armed Forces Officer Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries an Armed Forces Officer will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Armed Forces Officer can earn between 40,200 USD and 116,400 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Armed Forces Officer in United States is 68,300 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 68,300 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 68,300 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Armed Forces Officer salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 51,500 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 51,500 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 83,300 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 83,300 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Armed Forces Officer Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average armed forces officer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Armed Forces Officer in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 46,700 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Armed Forces Officer salary would increase to 62,100 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Armed Forces Officer, the average salary would be 79,600 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 93,800 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Armed Forces Officer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 102,700 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Armed Forces Officer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 108,200 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
46,700 USD
2-5 Years +26%
62,100 USD
5-10 Years +32%
79,600 USD
10-15 Years +18%
93,800 USD
15-20 Years +11%
102,700 USD
20+ Years +6%
108,200 USD

Armed Forces Officer Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Armed Forces Officer in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Armed Forces Officer in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 56,600 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Armed Forces Officer in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 65,400 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Armed Forces Officer in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 87,700 USD.

  • Master's Degree. An Armed Forces Officer in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 107,700 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
56,600 USD
Certificate or Diploma +13%
65,400 USD
Bachelor's Degree +32%
87,700 USD
Master's Degree +24%
107,700 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Armed Forces Officer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male armed forces officer will earn an average of 76,800 USD, while a female armed forces officer will earn around 72,300 USD.

This means that a male armed forces officer earns approximately 6% more than a female armed forces officer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
76,800 USD
Female -6%
72,300 USD

Armed Forces Officer Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Armed Forces Officer in United States is around 12% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that an Armed Forces Officer in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Armed Forces Officer Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Armed Forces Officer is a low bonus based job, with 27% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

73% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 2%.

Received Bonus
27%
No Bonus
73%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Armed Forces Officer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Armed Forces Officer in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Army Officer Government and Defence 77,300 USD
Cartographer Government and Defence 68,900 USD
Customs Officer Government and Defence 60,600 USD
Defense Officer Government and Defence 111,700 USD
Electoral Project Coordinator Government and Defence 124,500 USD
Federal Government Worker Government and Defence 87,700 USD
Government Affairs Advisor Government and Defence 146,900 USD
Government Affairs Director Government and Defence 168,700 USD
Government Affairs Representative Government and Defence 158,700 USD
Government Officer Government and Defence 137,100 USD
Government Property Inspector Government and Defence 134,100 USD
Government Relations Associate Government and Defence 141,000 USD
International Cooperation Specialist Government and Defence 153,700 USD
Military Personnel Government and Defence 116,400 USD
Police Constable Government and Defence 78,500 USD
Public Affairs Specialist Government and Defence 114,600 USD
Public Information Officer Government and Defence 71,700 USD
Rifleman Government and Defence 58,600 USD
Soldier Government and Defence 72,400 USD
VAT Fraud Investigator Government and Defence 93,300 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 71,400 USD
Austin 89,400 USD
Baltimore 77,000 USD
Boston 80,900 USD
Bristol 67,000 USD
Chicago 95,600 USD
Cincinnati 64,400 USD
Cleveland 69,700 USD
Dallas 86,100 USD
Denver 83,800 USD
Detroit 77,100 USD
Honolulu 65,400 USD
Houston 87,900 USD
Indianapolis 88,300 USD
Iowa City 64,900 USD
Jacksonville 83,000 USD
Kansas City 79,600 USD
Kent 65,900 USD
Las Vegas 74,300 USD
Long Beach 74,200 USD
Los Angeles 91,700 USD
Memphis 83,300 USD
Miami 74,200 USD
Minneapolis 68,800 USD
New Orleans 73,100 USD
New York 91,900 USD
Oakland 71,800 USD
Oklahoma City 80,500 USD
Orlando 66,200 USD
Philadelphia 91,500 USD
Phoenix 93,200 USD
Sacramento 71,900 USD
San Antonio 92,100 USD
San Diego 92,100 USD
San Francisco 87,900 USD
San Jose 87,400 USD
Seattle 84,200 USD
Tampa 69,800 USD
Vancouver 65,500 USD
Washington D.C. 84,900 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 80,500 USD
Alaska 68,100 USD
Arizona 86,600 USD
Arkansas 75,100 USD
California 92,500 USD
Colorado 80,400 USD
Connecticut 75,500 USD
Delaware 73,500 USD
District of Columbia 68,200 USD
Florida 91,600 USD
Georgia 86,600 USD
Hawaii 72,400 USD
Idaho 77,000 USD
Illinois 87,200 USD
Indiana 87,000 USD
Iowa 75,900 USD
Kansas 80,300 USD
Kentucky 79,600 USD
Louisiana 76,900 USD
Maine 77,000 USD
Maryland 81,600 USD
Massachusetts 87,700 USD
Michigan 87,000 USD
Minnesota 79,700 USD
Mississippi 79,700 USD
Missouri 80,400 USD
Montana 77,400 USD
Nebraska 76,000 USD
Nevada 71,700 USD
New Hampshire 76,000 USD
New Jersey 83,300 USD
New Mexico 79,000 USD
New York 88,400 USD
North Carolina 83,700 USD
North Dakota 69,200 USD
Ohio 83,800 USD
Oklahoma 80,300 USD
Oregon 78,900 USD
Pennsylvania 92,300 USD
Rhode Island 72,700 USD
South Carolina 76,800 USD
South Dakota 71,900 USD
Tennessee 81,700 USD
Texas 92,900 USD
Utah 74,700 USD
Vermont 65,700 USD
Virginia 85,700 USD
Washington 84,600 USD
West Virginia 78,200 USD
Wisconsin 83,700 USD
Wyoming 66,900 USD

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