Drill Sergeant Salary in the United States

How much does a Drill Sergeant make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Drill Sergeant in the United States is $63,652 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $31.

However, a Drill Sergeant's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $72,992
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $54,125 to $68,541
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $45,450
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View as table View as graph 25% $54,125 10% $45,450 90% $72,992 75% $68,541 $63,652 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Drill Sergeant Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $68,541 $5,712 $1,318 $33
Average $63,652 $5,304 $1,224 $31
25th Percentile $54,125 $4,510 $1,041 $26
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Key Factors That Influence Drill Sergeant Salaries

A Drill Sergeant'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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Drill Sergeant Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Drill Sergeant'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:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $62,726
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $63,388
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $64,314
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $65,756
  • Expert (over 8 years): $66,941
Levels Salary
Entry Level Drill Sergeant$62,726
Intermediate Level Drill Sergeant$63,388
Senior Level Drill Sergeant$64,314
Specialist Level Drill Sergeant$65,756
Expert Level Drill Sergeant$66,941
$62,726 0 yr
$63,388 < 2 yrs
$64,314 2-4 yrs
$65,756 5-8 yrs
$66,941 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Drill Sergeants

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: $80,285
  • San Francisco: $79,495
  • Oakland: $77,732

What Skills Can Increase a Drill Sergeant's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Innovation (Mentioned in 6.83% Job Postings): The ability and process of implementing new ideas and initiatives to improve organizational performance.
  • Infection Control (Mentioned in 6.71% Job Postings): Infection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical (rather than academic) sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often underrecognized and undersupported, part of the infrastructure of health care. Infection control and hospital epidemiology are akin to public health practice, practiced within the confines of a particular health-care delivery system rather than directed at society as a whole. Anti-infective agents include antibiotics, antibacterials, antifungals, antivirals and antiprotozoals. Infection control addresses factors related to the spread of infections within the healthcare setting (whether patient-to-patient, from patients to staff and from staff to patients, or among-staff), including prevention (via hand hygiene/hand washing, cleaning/disinfection/sterilization, vaccination, surveillance), monitoring/investigation of demonstrated or suspected spread of infection within a particular health-care setting (surveillance and outbreak investigation), and management (interruption of outbreaks). It is on this basis that the common title being adopted within health care is "infection prevention and control."
  • Leadership Education (Mentioned in 0.34% Job Postings): Educational leadership is the process of enlisting and guiding the talents and energies of teachers, students, and parents toward achieving common educational aims.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Innovation 6.83%
Infection Control 6.71%
Leadership Education 0.34%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
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 a Drill Sergeant's salary.
  • Leadership Education: Can increase your salary by up to 33%.
  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 32%.
  • Coordination: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Leadership Education
$84,658
33%
Innovation
$84,021
32%
Coordination
$71,927
13%
Healthcare Services
$70,654
11%
Confidentiality
$69,381
9%
Clinical Skills
$69,381
9%
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Drill Sergeant Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Drill Sergeant'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.

Last Updated on April 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Drill Sergeant

Salaries for a Drill Sergeant can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $64,064 in 2023 to around $62,198 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Drill Sergeant salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Drill Sergeant Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$64,064
2024
$64,404
2025
$62,198
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $64,064
2024 $64,404
2025 $62,198
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Drill Sergeant

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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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.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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