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Coast Guard Chief Petty OfficerE-7 Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Coast Guard |
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Coast Guard Ranks » Chief Petty Officer Rank • CPO Pay • CPO Rank History • Promotion Information
E-7 Chief Petty Officer -
Chief Petty Officer -
U.S. Coast Guard Ranks
Chief Petty Officer Coast Guard Military Ranks
| Class | Chief Petty Officer |
| Abbr. | CPO |
| Title | Chief Petty Officer (last name) |
| Paygrade |
E-7 (DoD Paygrade) OR-7 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $3,625/mo |
Chief Petty Officer is the first of the Coast Guard's Chief Petty Officer ranks, and the first rank with the Chief Petty Officer's enhanced duties and benefits. Like Petty Officers all Chief Petty Officers have a rating, or job, and their full operational title is determined by their rating; a Chief Petty Officer specializing as a Gunner's Mate, for example, is known by the full title of Chief Gunner's Mate.
Chief Petty Officer is the first Coast Guard rank that comes with vastly expanded powers and responsibilities over those of that below it. In addition to their rating's duties, a Chief Petty Officer is responsible for training junior officers and leading his division of sailors and petty officers.
In addition to enhanced responsibilities, Chief Petty Officers enjoy a wide variety of on-duty benefits far above anything received by Petty Officers or enlisted sailors. As well as a shipboard uniform similar to that of a commissioned officer, Chief Petty Officers enjoy private living quarters and access to the Chief's Mess, known in informal Coast Guard slang as the "goat locker", which is in reference to ship's livestock that used to be kept in the Chief's quarters for safekeeping. The Chief's quarters are exclusive and off-limits to all sailors, including officers, unless given specific invitation.
Promotion to Chief Petty Officer is an even more rigorous process then advancement to any of the Petty Officer ranks. In addition to specialty testing and commander recommendation, candidates must successfully pass a review by their peers, the senior petty officers with which they have served. After a highly competetive selection process, successful candidates are inducted into the Chief's community by their new peers and commanding officers.
Chief Petty Officer is the 7th rank in the United States Coast Guard , ranking above Petty Officer First Class and directly below Senior Chief Petty Officer. A chief petty officer is a Chief Petty Officer at DoD paygrade E-7, with a starting monthly pay of $3,625.
How do you become a Chief Petty Officer?
A Chief Petty Officer is most often promoted from Petty Officer First Class (PO1), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. Click here to learn more about promotion to Chief Petty Officer.
What is the proper way to address a Chief Petty Officer?
The correct way to address a Chief Petty Officer named Mr. Rodriguez is "Chief Petty Officer Rodriguez", or written as CPO Rodriguez. In formal situations, a Chief Petty Officer should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a Chief Petty Officer earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level Chief Petty Officer with 2 or less years of experience is $3,624.90 per month.
A Chief Petty Officer receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Chief Petty Officer's final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including food allowance, hostile fire pay, clothing allowance, and more.
For full details on the Coast Guard's Chief Petty Officer compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Pay Chart. A full table of the Coast Guard's current paygrades are available at the Coast Guard Pay Chart.
Equivalent Ranks to the Coast Guard's E-7 Chief Petty Officer
To learn more about the Coast Guard's rank structure, see our complete list of Coast Guard ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Chief Petty Officer is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Coast Guard rank to GS grade conversion table 
.
To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Coast Guard and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.