Sergeant vs staff sergeant

The differences between sergeants and staff sergeants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sergeant has an average salary of $48,557, which is higher than the $41,479 average annual salary of a staff sergeant.

The top three skills for a sergeant include safety procedures, patrol and direct supervision. The most important skills for a staff sergeant are combat, logistical support, and emergency situations.

Sergeant vs staff sergeant overview

	Sergeant	Staff Sergeant
Yearly salary	$48,557	$41,479
Hourly rate	$23.34	$19.94
Growth rate	-10%	3%
Number of jobs	79,335	68,521
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

What does a sergeant do?

A Sergeant is responsible for supervising a group of five or more Soldiers. Sergeants must oversee their daily activities, ensuring they are in proper disposition and are living under the conditions that adhere to the laws and regulations and training them according to the standards of the military. Furthermore, it is a Sergeant's responsibility to serve the public and report to the higher-ups, instill discipline to oneself, and serve as a role model to lower-ranked soldiers.

What does a staff sergeant do?

A staff sergeant is a noncommissioned officer under the supervision of a staff sergeant. Staff sergeants train junior officers who enter the unit for marine operation study. They interact with many soldiers and supervise property and equipment. Their other duties and responsibilities include the development, maintenance, and utility of the potential of soldiers. They can work as a medical laboratory specialist, avionics system repair, technical engineer, and water treatment specialist. The skills necessary for this job include strong communication skills, leadership, attention to detail, and physical fitness.

Sergeant vs staff sergeant salary

Sergeants and staff sergeants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sergeant	Staff Sergeant
Average salary	$48,557	$41,479
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $66,000	Between $31,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between sergeant and staff sergeant education

There are a few differences between a sergeant and a staff sergeant in terms of educational background:

	Sergeant	Staff Sergeant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Sergeant vs staff sergeant demographics

Here are the differences between sergeants' and staff sergeants' demographics:

	Sergeant	Staff Sergeant
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0%	Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between sergeant and staff sergeant duties and responsibilities

Sergeant example responsibilities.

Manage critical incidents including barricade gunmen, VIP visits, homicides, shootings and in-progress crimes.
Manage and submit all schedules for maximum security unit, and all non security staff assign to that unit.
Monitor and manage enlisted promotion boards and actions; publish promotion orders for soldiers being promote to SGT and SSG.
Assist in establishing overall S3 objectives and accomplishing assign missions.
Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
Implement USAF, DoD and MAJCOM security policies while balancing operational needs with security requirements for the protection of classify information.

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Staff sergeant example responsibilities.

Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
Facilitate meetings and submit weekly reports, briefings and PowerPoint slides.
Use varies Microsoft programs to create reports, memorandums, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and email.
Study activities relating to narcotics, money laundering, gangs, terrorism, or other national security threats.
Maintain and operate petroleum logistics operations.
Supervise and discipline airmen under direct supervision.

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Sergeant vs staff sergeant skills

Common sergeant skills

Safety Procedures, 16%
Patrol, 14%
Direct Supervision, 9%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Combat, 6%
CPR, 5%

Common staff sergeant skills

Combat, 12%
Logistical Support, 8%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Platoon, 6%
NCO, 5%
Law Enforcement, 3%

Sergeant vs. similar jobs

Sergeant related careers

Sergeant related jobs

Sergeant jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

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