First sergeant vs commanding officer

The differences between first sergeants and commanding officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a first sergeant has an average salary of $98,755, which is higher than the $40,452 average annual salary of a commanding officer.

The top three skills for a first sergeant include personnel actions, professional development and general supervision. The most important skills for a commanding officer are logistical support, emergency situations, and combat.

First sergeant vs commanding officer overview

	First Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Yearly salary	$98,755	$40,452
Hourly rate	$47.48	$19.45
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	2,487	55,602
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

First sergeant vs commanding officer salary

First sergeants and commanding officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Average salary	$98,755	$40,452
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $138,000	Between $33,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between first sergeant and commanding officer education

There are a few differences between a first sergeant and a commanding officer in terms of educational background:

	First Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

First sergeant vs commanding officer demographics

Here are the differences between first sergeants' and commanding officers' demographics:

	First Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6%	Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between first sergeant and commanding officer duties and responsibilities

First sergeant example responsibilities.

Supervise and manage the refit and reset of the unit upon redeployment.
Manage food, water, ammunition, and equipment for the squad and ensure everyone ration accordingly.
Demonstrate unparalleled proficiency in managing operations and administrative requirements in a combat environment, with superior technical and tactical adeptness.
Provide leadership and knowledge of federal shipping and logistics regulations by managing adherence to all policies and procedures from higher headquarters.
Use PowerPoint to create briefs and training slides.
Develop a full training program in accordance with USAF protocols.

Commanding officer example responsibilities.

Lead precinct to the largest percentage decrease in crime of all 76 NYC precincts.
Facilitate strategic planning efforts and public-private partnerships to maximize results in accomplishing DHS and USCG missions.
Coordinate and manage logistical combat support services, engineering support, and security escorts to bases/units locate within the region.
Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
CAPTAIN GEORGE``JOE"PAITL, USCG (Ret . )
Used CCTV to continuously monitor customer, staff, and parking lot areas.

First sergeant vs commanding officer skills

Common first sergeant skills

Personnel Actions, 20%
Professional Development, 11%
General Supervision, 7%
Combat, 7%
Logistical Support, 6%
Personnel Accountability, 5%

Common commanding officer skills

Logistical Support, 12%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Combat, 8%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
Direct Oversight, 5%
Coast Guard, 5%

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First Sergeant
First Sergeant vs Commanding Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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