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United States Marine Corps - E-6 Staff Sergeant

Yearly Base Pay

$37,627 - $58,277

Monthly Base Pay

$3,135.60 - $4,856.40

Hourly Base Pay *

$19.60 - $30.35

Marine Corps Staff Sergeant - Rank Details


Staff Sergeant (SSgt)

Classification Staff Noncommissioned Officer
Abbreviation SSgt
NATO Code OR-6
Service United States Marine Corps
Address Staff Sergeant (last name),

NEVER Sarge or Sergeant

What are a Staff Sergeant's Responsibilities?

Staff Sergeant is the sixth among Enlisted ranks in the USMC. It is the first Staff Non-Commissioned Officer rank, with the clear distinction of being both a career Marine and someone never to piss off.

Staff Sergeants are usually Platoon Sergeants in charge of 40-50 Marines. They must recognize the Marines with the most potential and help them get promoted, and spend extra dedication aiding Marines who struggle at their jobs. One primary duty for Staff Sergeants is training Junior Officers, who might be mature enough to have graduated college, but know nothing about the Fleet. Being a Staff Sergeant means the Corps is your life, and your mastery of interpersonal and technical skills must keep increasing.

Only the most elite are chosen to become Drill Instructors, enduring hell in order to earn their dreaded "green belts", or even their master "black belts".

What is a Staff Sergeant's Paygrade?

A Staff Sergeant is considered a Staff Noncommissioned Officer, with a paygrade of E-6. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-5 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

On this page you can learn more about a Staff Sergeant's payscale, the process of becoming a Staff Sergeant, and the history of the rank in the United States Marine Corps.

Seal of the Marine Corps Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Pay Calculator

Starting pay for a Staff Sergeant is $3,135.60 per month, with raises for experience resulting in a maximum base pay of $4,856.40 per month. You can use the simple calculator below to see basic and drill pay for a Staff Sergeant, or visit our Marine Corps pay calculator for a more detailed salary estimate.


Basic Pay:

Drill Pay:

n/a Learn more
For an E-6 Staff Sergeant with
years of experience.

Use the slider below to calculate the basic pay and drill pay for an E-6 Staff Sergeant at varying years in his or her military career.

2 or less years

Over 40 years


Equivalent Ranks to a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant

A Staff Sergeant is a Staff Noncommissioned Officer, with a military paygrade of E-6. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-5 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

The table below lists the equivalent ranks of a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, and their insignia, in the other four branches of the United States' Armed Services.


** This Document Provided By www.FederalPay.org - The Civil Employee's Resource **
Source: www.federalpay.org/military/marine-corps/staff-sergeant