In this article, we are going to discuss the salaries of petty officers in the navy along with the job description, qualifications and FAQs related to the topic. Let us know about the ‘Salary Of An E4 Class 3rd Petty Officer In The Navy’.
Who is an e4 class 3rd petty officer?
Being a part of one of the largest navies in the world can surely sound surreal and amazing. They lead an active life, have brilliant work schedules, and are paid handsomely. Joining the navy means inviting tons of adventure and a lifetime of memories.
In the US Navy and US Coast Guard, the ranks of the non-commissioned officers are subdivided into classes. A petty officer class third ranks above the seaman and below the petty officer class second. Their ranks are equal to the corporal in the Army and the senior airman in the Airforce. They are paid accordingly to the E-4 category.
Who are petty officers and what do they do?
A petty officer is in charge of the technical, supervision and leadership role. Being the backbone of the navy, their role is crucial to the working of the naval unit. They are also called an aviation structural mechanic third class if they have the rating of ASM. They are required to divide the daily basis tasks among the juniors and supervise the work given to them. They serve as a link in the chain of command between the non-commissioned and the commissioned officers.
They are responsible for training their juniors with basic work assigned and skills. They are responsible for the development, supervision and on-ground control of the junior personnel in the naval unit.
The petty officers are a group of six ranked non-commissioned officers namely
- E4: Petty officer class 3
- E5: Petty officer class 4
- E6: Petty officer class 5
- E7: Chief Petty officer
- E8: Senior chief petty officer/ command chief petty officer
- E9: Master chief petty officer/ command master chief petty officer
A petty officer is an important role and so to maintain its seriousness, they are not promoted by the passage of time and experience, rather they have to go through an evaluation of their performance by their superiors and pass examinations with special knowledge in order to be qualified for the post.
Many seamen with 6 to 14 years of experience, compete for this biannual vacancy and only the top scores are considered for the posts with respect to vacant positions. They are expected to meet all the requirements needed for a surface-qualified candidate.
Salaries of the class 3rd petty officers
The petty officers are categorized from E-4 to E-9, termed as class third class to fifth class and then chief petty officer to master chief petty officer ranked E-9. Their salaries also vary with their ranks. The lowest ranked E-4 class 3rd petty officer is paid an average of $51,994 per year.
Their estimated total pay reaches $34,866 per year including an additional payment of $5,833 per year. These figures indicate the median of the entire payment scale in the petty officers’ class
The possible range of salary goes from $48,922 to $55,067 which varies according to the experience and seniority in the unit. The following table shows the basic pay of an E4 class 3rd petty officer
| Years into service | Basic Pay yearly |
| Starting pay | $28,720 |
| 2 years | $30,189 |
| 3 years | $31,824 |
| 4 years | $33,440 |
| 6 years | $34,866 |
Salary levels in the E4 to E9 class officers
The petty officers’ class ranges from E4 to E9 and so does their basic pay and additional pay. The salary levels in their class increase with the experience and years contributed by them in the navy. The range of basic pay of the petty officers is given below
- E4 Petty officer class 3: $49,927 – $56,728
- E5 Petty officer class 4: $54,859 – $65,820
- E6 Petty officer class 5: $58,116 – $75,951
- E7 Chief Petty officer: $63,970 – $94,955
- E8 Senior chief petty officer/ command chief petty officer: $81,112– $106,880
- E9 Master chief petty officer/ command master chief petty officer: $108,226-$134,992
Factors affecting salaries in the USA
The USA has many states and each state decides the salaries of their government personnel. Apart from the seniority and the number of years and experience, the salaries also vary from state to state.
Another factor that affects the salary level is the location and the type of work and duty postings of the personnel. They get extra pay for hazard pay or hostile fire work pay, pay per drill, and extra pay for extreme location postings.
Allowances such as Housing allowance, basic allowance for subsistence, and personal allowance also makes changes in the salaries of an E4 class 3rd petty officer.
Conclusion
A salary of an E4 class 3rd petty officer in the navy is a non-commissioned officer who follows the direct orders of the commissioned officers and transfers the same to the juniors in the naval unit. He is responsible for the task assignment and training of the new juniors. They are experienced officers who are promoted based on test scores and evaluations. Their class categorizes from E4 to E9 and their salary ranges from $49k to $135k, with a national average salary of $52k. After the navy, they are also hired by private organizations for their immense amount of experience and potential.
FAQs related to the petty officers
1. What are petty officers?
They are non-commissioned officers in the navy who ranks above seamen and below commissioned officers. They are the backbone of any navy and the ranks are equal to airmen in the airforce and corporals in the army.
2. What is the average salary of a petty officer?
The average salary of a petty officer ranges from $49k to $135k with a national average of $52k. Factors such as housing allowance, location, and state also affect the salaries of petty officers.
3. What do petty officers do?
They are the link between commissioned and non – commissioned officers, responsible of the daily assigned tasks in the unit, training, supervision and development of the junior navy personnel. They also are responsible for both technical and leadership roles given they have the rating of ASM also.
4. What is the average salary of an e4 class 3rd petty officer?
An E4 class third petty officer earns around an average of $51,994 including an additional payment of $5,833 along with the basic pay of $51,994.
