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Navy Petty Officer Second ClassE-5 Noncommissioned Officer, U.S. Navy |
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Navy Ranks » Petty Officer Second Class Rank • PO2 Pay • PO2 Rank History • Promotion Information
E-5 Petty Officer Second Class -
Noncommissioned Officer -
U.S. Navy Ranks
Petty Officer Second Class Navy Military Ranks
| Class | Noncommissioned Officer |
| Abbr. | PO2 |
| Title | Petty Officer (last name) |
| Paygrade |
E-5 (DoD Paygrade) OR-5 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $2,872/mo |
Petty Officer Second Class is the second of the Navy's Petty Officer grades, and serve as a junior non-commissioned officer. A Petty Officer Second Class serves both as a leader and as a technical expert, and all Petty Officers have a specified rating, or job. The exact title with which a petty officer is addressed depends on their specialty; a Petty Officer Second Class serving as a Gunner's Mate, for example, would have the full title of Gunner's Mate Second Class.
Like advancement from Seaman to Petty Officer Third Class, to receive a promotion from Petty Officer Third Class to Petty Officer Second Class, sailors must complete a specialty test for their particular rating and apply for advancement every six months. Only a certain number of Petty Officer Second Class billets are available to be filled every year, and competition for promotion is extremely fierce among qualified applicants.
Petty Officer Second Class is the 5th rank in the United States Navy , ranking above Petty Officer Third Class and directly below Petty Officer First Class. A petty officer second class is a Noncommissioned Officer at DoD paygrade E-5, with a starting monthly pay of $2,872.
How do you become a Petty Officer Second Class?
A Petty Officer Second Class is most often promoted from Petty Officer Third Class (PO3), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. Click here to learn more about promotion to Petty Officer Second Class.
What is the proper way to address a Petty Officer Second Class?
The correct way to address a Petty Officer Second Class named Mr. Williams is "Petty Officer Williams", or written as PO2 Williams. In addition to their rank, all Navy noncommissioned officers have a rating (job) such as Gunner's Mate. This job is included in their full rank title. In formal situations, a Petty Officer Second Class should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a Petty Officer Second Class earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level Petty Officer Second Class with 2 or less years of experience is $2,872.20 per month.
A Petty Officer Second Class receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Petty Officer Second Class' final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Navy Petty Officer Second Class may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including hostile fire pay, retirement benefits, education allowance, housing allowance, and more.
For full details on the Navy's Petty Officer Second Class compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Navy Petty Officer Second Class Pay Chart. A full table of the Navy's current paygrades are available at the Navy Pay Chart.
Equivalent Ranks to the Navy's E-5 Petty Officer Second Class
To learn more about the Navy's rank structure, see our complete list of Navy ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Petty Officer Second Class is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Navy rank to GS grade conversion table 
.
To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Navy and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.