Typical Military Salaries
Basic pay schedules in the military are based on years of service and a pre-assigned pay grade. Pay schedules also differ for commissioned officers, commissioned officers with past active duty experience, warrant officers and enlisted personnel.

An enlisted member of the military at a mid-level pay grade and less than two years of experience is paid approximately $1,500 a month or $18,000 a year. In addition to salary, most active military are either provided housing and meals on a military base or given a basic allowance for housing and subsistence for themselves and their dependents in the area they are assigned.

It is estimated that the Pentagon spent more than $80 billion on U.S. military personnel and an additional $4 billion on military family housing in 2002.
Sources: Department of Defense, Center for Defense Information