Staff sergeant vs petty officer

The differences between staff sergeants and petty officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff sergeant has an average salary of $41,479, which is higher than the $39,336 average annual salary of a petty officer.

The top three skills for a staff sergeant include combat, logistical support and emergency situations. The most important skills for a petty officer are preventative maintenance, law enforcement, and logistics.

Staff sergeant vs petty officer overview

	Staff Sergeant	Petty Officer
Yearly salary	$41,479	$39,336
Hourly rate	$19.94	$18.91
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	68,521	69,776
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	46	43
Years of experience	-	-

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.

What does a petty officer do?

A petty officer is a non-commissioned navy officer who is responsible for supervising the day-to-day activities of junior sailors and making sure that they have a productive day. Petty officers with more experience are expected to provide training in basic skills to their junior petty officers. Once a petty officer is reprimanded, first-class petty officers may conduct discipline by ordering those reprimanded to do extra military instruction or extra work within the division. Petty officers are also required to meet all the requirements for surface warfare qualification.

Staff sergeant vs petty officer salary

Staff sergeants and petty officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Sergeant	Petty Officer
Average salary	$41,479	$39,336
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $54,000	Between $24,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between staff sergeant and petty officer education

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

	Staff Sergeant	Petty Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	-

Staff sergeant vs petty officer demographics

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

	Staff Sergeant	Petty Officer
Average age	46	43
Gender ratio	Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9%	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 5.6% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between staff sergeant and petty officer duties and responsibilities

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.

Show more

Petty officer example responsibilities.

Lead three CPO's and 50 maintenance personnel in target maintenance planning on two C-2A aircraft.
Manage CPR and first aid program that involve directing quarterly CPR and first aid classes while tracking employee s certifications.
Manage the day to day operations of USS Olympia's EKMS account to include support and compliance for EKMS Visits/inspection.
Manage 13 ready-service-lockers containing all shipboard ordinances while personally keeping duty gunner's mate and ammunition handling qualify.
Supervise sailors in responsible tasks relate to managing inventory, facilitating laundry operations, and maintaining secure watch detail.
Assist LPO and ALPO as needed.

Show more

Staff sergeant vs petty officer skills

Common staff sergeant skills

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

Common petty officer skills

Preventative Maintenance, 9%
Law Enforcement, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Sailors, 5%
Coast Guard, 5%
Combat, 4%

Staff Sergeant vs. similar jobs

Staff Sergeant related careers

Staff Sergeant related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse protective service jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z