An Armed Forces's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Armed Forces Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of an Armed Forces's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Armed Forces Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Armed Forces. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $44,372
San Francisco: $43,886
Oakland: $42,961
San Jose, CA$44,372
San Francisco, CA$43,886
Oakland, CA$42,961
New York, NY$40,505
Paramus, NJ$40,013
Queens Village, NY$40,011
Passaic, NJ$39,978
Bergenfield, NJ$39,974
Stamford, CT$39,897
Huntington, NY$39,883
Newark, NJ$39,623
Bridgeport, CT$39,548
Vallejo, CA$39,478
New Brunswick, NJ$39,464
Petaluma, CA$39,443
Middlesex, NJ$39,376
Somerset, NJ$39,352
Santa Cruz, CA$39,306
Boston, MA$39,091
Monterey, CA$38,968
Seattle, WA$38,887
Santa Rosa, CA$38,880
Los Angeles, CA$38,870
Juneau, AK$38,778
Washington, DC$38,740
Orange, CA$38,614
Santa Ana, CA$38,521
Long Beach, CA$38,486
Anaheim, CA$38,479
Anchorage, AK$38,462
Santa Maria, CA$38,356
Everett, WA$38,349
Danbury, CT$38,225
Bremerton, WA$38,177
Tacoma, WA$38,050
New Suffolk, NY$38,049
Sacramento, CA$38,039
Santa Barbara, CA$38,001
Trenton, NJ$37,962
San Diego, CA$37,962
Brockton, MA$37,923
Fairbanks, AK$37,837
Lompoc, CA$37,747
Lowell, MA$37,719
Ventura, CA$37,712
Nashua, NH$37,705
Stockton, CA$37,702
Modesto, CA$37,445
Poughkeepsie, NY$37,368
Olympia, WA$37,301
Kennewick, WA$37,301
New Haven, CT$37,287
Lawrence, MA$37,160
Hartford, CT$37,125
Riverside, CA$37,118
New Bedford, MA$37,083
Richland, WA$37,083
Bakersfield, CA$37,033
San Bernardino, CA$37,019
New Britain, CT$37,016
Atlantic City, NJ$37,016
New London, CT$37,002
Norwich, CT$36,991
Portsmouth, NH$36,984
Boulder, CO$36,910
Portland, OR$36,861
Worcester, MA$36,857
Minneapolis, MN$36,748
Philadelphia, PA$36,699
Honolulu, HI$36,583
Saint Paul, MN$36,566
Vineland, NJ$36,558
Providence, RI$36,456
Chicago, IL$36,354
Bellingham, WA$36,312
Springfield, MA$36,284
Baltimore, MD$36,273
Chico, CA$36,186
Pittsfield, MA$36,091
Manchester, NH$36,024
Spokane, WA$35,869
Denver, CO$35,865
Albany, NY$35,700
Troy, NY$35,686
Nassau, NY$35,648
Schenectady, NY$35,612
Wilmington, DE$35,584
Burlington, VT$35,535
Salem, OR$35,521
Portland, ME$35,412
Yakima, WA$35,376
Rochester, MN$35,267
Reno, NV$35,250
Fresno, CA$35,250
Milwaukee, WI$35,218
Detroit, MI$35,183
Ann Arbor, MI$35,177
Allentown, PA$35,172
Colorado Springs, CO$35,113
Syracuse, NY$35,095
Carson City, NV$35,095
Houston, TX$35,046
Eugene, OR$35,028
Gary, IN$34,986
Springfield, OR$34,958
Bismarck, ND$34,951
Galveston, TX$34,926
Medford, OR$34,873
Fort Collins, CO$34,859
Concord, NH$34,842
Austin, TX$34,831
Mesa, AZ$34,757
Reading, PA$34,754
Phoenix, AZ$34,750
Dallas, TX$34,740
Saint Cloud, MN$34,706
Madison, WI$34,659
Utica, NY$34,564
Rochester, NY$34,507
Des Moines, IA$34,504
Raleigh, NC$34,500
Atlanta, GA$34,448
Battle Creek, MI$34,437
Salt Lake City, UT$34,427
Lancaster, PA$34,374
Harrisburg, PA$34,325
Kansas City, MO$34,289
Champaign, IL$34,282
Kansas City, KS$34,282
Fort Worth, TX$34,279
Columbus, OH$34,273
Boca Raton, FL$34,265
Pittsburgh, PA$34,251
Richmond, VA$34,237
Indianapolis, IN$34,230
Cleveland, OH$34,226
Las Vegas, NV$34,184
Cincinnati, OH$34,184
Petersburg, VA$34,131
Huntsville, AL$34,078
Lansing, MI$34,055
Lebanon, PA$34,050
Pueblo, CO$34,047
Appleton, WI$34,036
Buffalo, NY$34,022
Dayton, OH$34,011
Racine, WI$34,004
Charlotte, NC$34,001
Saint Louis, MO$33,990
York, PA$33,969
Elkhart, IN$33,969
Gastonia, NC$33,963
Billings, MT$33,954
Beaumont, TX$33,945
Lorain, OH$33,938
Benton Harbor, MI$33,931
Toledo, OH$33,923
Binghamton, NY$33,906
Rock Hill, SC$33,902
Rockford, IL$33,885
Springfield, IL$33,871
Elyria, OH$33,867
Fargo, ND$33,867
Flagstaff, AZ$33,843
Fort Lauderdale, FL$33,821
Duluth, MN$33,800
Miami, FL$33,800
Cheyenne, WY$33,776
Grand Forks, ND$33,776
Bangor, ME$33,698
Cedar Rapids, IA$33,660
Durham, NC$33,645
Louisville, KY$33,642
Grand Rapids, MI$33,635
Hialeah, FL$33,632
Casper, WY$33,582
Scranton, PA$33,540
New Orleans, LA$33,529
Virginia Beach, VA$33,526
Akron, OH$33,508
Peoria, IL$33,463
Sarasota, FL$33,456
Nashville, TN$33,431
Omaha, NE$33,431
Green Bay, WI$33,431
Baton Rouge, LA$33,413
Charleston, SC$33,406
Jamestown, NY$33,389
Davenport, IA$33,389
Tucson, AZ$33,371
Saint Petersburg, FL$33,350
Tampa, FL$33,343
Evansville, IN$33,322
Port Arthur, TX$33,322
Bradenton, FL$33,308
Santa Fe, NM$33,245
Orlando, FL$33,181
Clearwater, FL$33,171
Canton, OH$33,097
La Crosse, WI$33,097
Albuquerque, NM$33,076
Newport News, VA$33,072
High Point, NC$33,062
Ogden, UT$33,048
Corpus Christi, TX$33,019
Norfolk, VA$32,998
Laramie, WY$32,998
Rock Island, IL$32,977
Saginaw, MI$32,970
Jacksonville, FL$32,967
Salisbury, NC$32,960
Boise, ID$32,953
Moline, IL$32,935
Fort Myers, FL$32,924
Memphis, TN$32,917
Tulsa, OK$32,900
Waterloo, IA$32,879
Spartanburg, SC$32,843
Lincoln, NE$32,826
Fort Wayne, IN$32,819
Provo, UT$32,815
Cedar Falls, IA$32,773
San Antonio, TX$32,759
Greensboro, NC$32,745
South Bend, IN$32,741
Savannah, GA$32,703
Muskegon, MI$32,689
Birmingham, AL$32,685
Winston Salem, NC$32,668
Lake Charles, LA$32,583
Anderson, IN$32,576
Lexington, KY$32,566
Augusta, GA$32,555
Greenville, SC$32,555
Lima, OH$32,527
Wichita, KS$32,523
Tuscaloosa, AL$32,523
Columbia, SC$32,492
Springfield, OH$32,485
Asheville, NC$32,428
Bloomington, IN$32,404
Knoxville, TN$32,277
Shreveport, LA$32,274
Wilmington, NC$32,228
Roanoke, VA$32,228
Topeka, KS$32,165
Frankfort, KY$32,161
Oklahoma City, OK$32,136
Chillicothe, OH$32,122
Longview, TX$32,119
Melbourne, FL$32,115
Sioux Falls, SD$32,059
Mobile, AL$32,055
Terre Haute, IN$32,041
Altoona, PA$32,020
Amarillo, TX$31,996
Killeen, TX$31,985
Fayetteville, AR$31,957
Chattanooga, TN$31,946
Sioux City, IA$31,915
Idaho Falls, ID$31,908
Lynchburg, VA$31,880
Gainesville, FL$31,834
Portsmouth, OH$31,816
Little Rock, AR$31,809
Lafayette, LA$31,795
Youngstown, OH$31,795
Daytona Beach, FL$31,774
Clarksville, TN$31,771
Pensacola, FL$31,767
Temple, TX$31,765
Hopkinsville, KY$31,661
Erie, PA$31,654
Florence, SC$31,640
Charleston, WV$31,584
Great Falls, MT$31,566
Macon, GA$31,517
Tallahassee, FL$31,514
Fayetteville, NC$31,507
Waco, TX$31,500
Helena, MT$31,475
Pine Bluff, AR$31,462
Vincennes, IN$31,419
Lubbock, TX$31,405
Alamogordo, NM$31,384
Twin Falls, ID$31,352
Rapid City, SD$31,341
Jackson, MS$31,278
Huntington, WV$31,276
Greenville, MS$31,274
Parkersburg, WV$31,239
Montgomery, AL$31,232
Wichita Falls, TX$31,197
Springfield, MO$31,197
Biloxi, MS$31,180
Monroe, LA$31,144
Johnstown, PA$31,120
Sumter, SC$31,106
Columbus, GA$31,102
Pascagoula, MS$31,035
Abilene, TX$31,035
Kingsport, TN$30,944
Albany, GA$30,944
Gulfport, MS$30,933
Alexandria, LA$30,817
Fort Smith, AR$30,729
El Paso, TX$30,634
Las Cruces, NM$30,476
Harlingen, TX$30,387
Pocatello, ID$30,381
Florence, AL$30,335
Brownsville, TX$30,328
Mcallen, TX$30,254
Dothan, AL$30,205
Columbus, MS$29,996
Altus, OK$29,832
Lawton, OK$29,765
Pierre, SD$29,639
What Skills Can Increase an Armed Forces's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 18.96% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Microsoft Office (Mentioned in 1.77% Job Postings): Microsoft Office is a suite of desktop productivity applications that is designed by Microsoft for business use. You can create documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, create presentations and posters.
Telemarketing (Mentioned in 1.17% Job Postings): Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent face to face or Web conferencing appointment scheduled during the call. Telemarketing can also include recorded sales pitches programmed to be played over the phone via automatic dialing. Telemarketing is defined as contacting, qualifying, and canvassing prospective customers using telecommunications devices such as telephone, fax, and internet. It does not include direct mail marketing.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Armed Forces's salary.
Coaching: Can increase your salary by up to 18%.
Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
Armed Forces Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Armed Forces roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 38% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Business Services
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Armed Forces positions in Biotechnology or Chemicals typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Armed Forces as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for an Armed Forces
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense
$42,215
$20.0
20%
Business Services
$40,456
$19.0
15%
Construction
$39,401
$19.0
12%
Energy & Utilities
$38,697
$19.0
10%
Healthcare
$37,994
$18.0
8%
How Education impacts an Armed Forces's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Armed Forces enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for an Armed Forces with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between
$33,443
and $35,645).
Armed Forces Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how an Armed Forces's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Salaries for an Armed Forces can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $34,859 in 2023
to around $33,836 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Armed Forces salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Armed Forces Over Time
$???
$34,859
$34,271
$33,836
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$34,859
2024
$34,271
2025
$33,836
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Armed Forces
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Armed Forces
Here are companies hiring for Armed Forces and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Armed Forces Job
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Armed Forces job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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FAQ about Armed Forces
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Armed Forces?
The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Armed Forces roles,
with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
