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Pay Grade. Enlisted pay grades, E1 to E9,
correspond to the ranks of Private in the Army and Marine Corps, Seaman Recruit in the Navy, and Airman Basic in the Air Force through Sergeant Major in the Army and Marine Corps, Master Chief Petty Officer in the Navy,
and Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force. Enlisted personnel in grades E1 and E2 are trainees. Members in pay grades E3 and E4 are at the apprentice level, working under journeymen, who are at pay grades
E5 and E6. Supervisor positions are at pay grades E7 through E9. Soldiers, marines, and airmen at pay grades E5 and above and some at E4 are noncommissioned officers (NCOs), with demonstrated ability in the job
and as a leader. In the Navy, those at pay grades E4 and above are petty officers, with leadership responsibilities. Servicemembers in NCO and petty officer positions are required to lead, supervise, and
train entry-level enlisted personnel. They perform the work as well as direct the work of others.More than half of the enlisted force is in pay grades E1
through E4 (54 percent). Grades E4 and E5 have the largest concentration of the enlisted force (22 and 21 percent, respectively). This distribution is necessary to provide a sufficient number of trained leaders to
fill the higher ranks; not all personnel in the lower ranks reenlist and progress to the higher grades. There are slight variations among racial/ethnic groups (Table 3.10) as well as differences between male and
female enlisted members (Table 3.11).A comparison of pay grade distributions by race/ethnicity shows larger percentages of Black and "Other" minorities at pay grades E5 through E7 than Whites and
Hispanics. Hispanics fill the lower grades (E1 through E3) in greater proportions than the other racial/ethnic groups. Retention rates play a role in these distributions. Blacks traditionally have higher
retention rates than other racial/ethnic groups.
| Table 3.10. FY 1998 Pay Grade of Active Component Enlisted Members, by
Race/Ethnicity (Percent) |
| Pay Grade |
White |
Black |
Hispanic |
Other |
Total DoD |
| E1 |
6.1 |
5.6 |
8.5 |
6.4 |
6.2 |
| E2 |
8.4 |
7.5 |
11.3 |
8.6 |
8.5 |
| E3 |
16.3 |
15.4 |
22.4 |
17.2 |
16.6 |
| E4 |
23.0 |
20.7 |
23.9 |
21.6 |
22.4 |
| E5 |
20.8 |
21.4 |
16.7 |
19.6 |
20.5 |
| E6 |
13.7 |
16.2 |
9.4 |
14.7 |
14.0 |
| E7 |
8.5 |
9.8 |
5.9 |
8.6 |
8.6 |
| E8 |
2.3 |
2.5 |
1.6 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
| E9 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
0.5 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
| Unknown |
* |
* |
* |
0.0 |
* |
| Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Columns may not add to total due to rounding.
* Less than one-tenth of one percent.
Also see Appendix Table B-47
(Active Component by Pay Grade and Race/Ethnicity.) |
As shown in Table 3.11, a larger proportion of women fill pay grades E1 to E4 (64
percent) than men (52 percent). At higher pay grades, there are more men. The primary reason for the difference by gender is lower retention rates among enlisted women.
| Table 3.11. FY 1998 Pay Grade of Active Component Enlisted Personnel, by
Gender (Percent) |
| Pay Grade |
Male |
Female |
Total DoD |
| E1 |
6.2 |
6.7 |
6.2 |
| E2 |
8.3 |
9.6 |
8.5 |
| E3 |
15.9 |
20.9 |
16.6 |
| E4 |
21.7 |
27.0 |
22.4 |
| E5 |
20.9 |
17.9 |
20.5 |
| E6 |
14.6 |
10.1 |
14.0 |
| E7 |
9.0 |
6.1 |
8.6 |
| E8 |
2.4 |
1.4 |
2.3 |
| E9 |
1.0 |
0.4 |
0.9 |
| Unknown |
* |
* |
* |
|
Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Columns may not add to total due to rounding.
* Less than one-tenth of one percent.
Also see Appendix Table B-46
(Active Component by Pay Grade and Gender). |
 Go to Chapter 4
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