Enlisted Military Pay Versus Civilian Pay: Do Enlisted Military Personnel Earn Enough to Support a Family With More Than One Child?

Essay by jstaiUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, June 2006

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Abstract

There have long been complaints that enlisted military personnel do not earn enough pay to support a family with more than one child. When researched, it was found that enlisted service members earn a small base salary entitled basic pay, but additional allowances more than made up the difference between civilian and enlisted military salaries. In 2004, the average enlisted military employee earned $42,664.48 annually while the average full-time, year-round civilian employee earned only $36,284. We, therefore, concluded that most enlisted military personnel earn sufficient salaries to support a family with more than one child.

ENLISTED MILITARY PAY VS. CIVILIAN PAY

Enlisted Military Pay Versus Civilian Pay

Complaints have long been made that enlisted military personnel do not earn an adequate salary to support a family with more than one child. Previous reports had only shown there was a gap between military and civilian pay over time. Enlisted service members earn a base pay or salary, basic housing allowance, dependent rate, cost of living allowance, and an allowance for subsistence and travel.

Median salaries and allowances of enlisted military personnel were compared to the median salaries of full-time employees in the United States for 2004. Research showed that salaries and allowances were sufficient to support the family of a service member with more than one child.

Method

Background

"According to widely published reports, a gap of more than 13 percent separates the pay of military personnel from that of workers in the civilian sector" (Congressional Budget Office, 1999, p. iv). This apparent disparity has long caused a uproar among military personnel due to the belief that they were not adequately compensated and, therefore, could not provide a sufficient life for their families. The Congressional Budget Office (1999) discussed the flaws in the previously reported findings. "Although it is called...