Staff Sergeant Promotions Surge, Reversing 5-Year Slump

Promotions to staff sergeant rocketed up 42 percent versus a year ago, with 12,827 Senior Airmen selected for promotion to E-5 in the 2024 cycle, the Air Force Personnel Center announced Aug. 5. 

Nearly 23 percent of eligible Senior Airmen earned a promotion, up 5.45 percentage points from a year ago, when the selection rate plunged to just 17.4 percent—the lowest mark since 1997.

The surge does not return promotions to historic highs from 2000-2002 and 2016-2018, when promotions regularly exceeded 15,000 and the selection rate stayed above 40 percent. But it does snap a five-year run of declining selection rates. 

Senior raters gained access to the promotion list Aug. 6 so they can notify Airmen, and the full list will be shared on the Air Force Personnel Center website Aug. 8. 

Promotion volumes and promotion rates for noncommissioned officers are rising generally, indicative of a slow recovery in the wake of changes announced in 2022. Officials were concerned then that Airmen lacking necessary experience were being promoted, leaving a gap in leadership among senior NCOs. 

“The majority of the experience decline was attributable to the Air Force trying to achieve an enlisted force structure with too many higher grades,” Col. James Barger, Air Force Manpower Analysis Agency commander, said in a statement. “We also found that experience levels would continue to decline unless the Air Force lays in more junior Airmen allocations and fewer E-5 to E-7 allocations.”  

Manpower planners then set out to reach a healthier grade distribution by 2025. Now, as the Air Force adjusts, it is tweaking reenlistment incentives to enlarge retention bonuses and expand eligibility.  

The Air Force has now announced promotion statistics for 2024 for most enlisted ranks, including tech sergeant, master sergeant, and senior master sergeant. Results for chief master sergeant have not been released yet. 

Staff Sergeant Promotions

YEAR	SELECTED	ELIGIBLE	SELECTION RATE
2024	12,827	56,124	22.85
2023	9,000	51,717	17.40
2022	9,706	45,991	21.10
2021	15,660	44,663	35.06
2020	13,864	33,341	41.58
2019	14,235	29,179	48.79
2018	15,669	30,651	51.12
2017	14,181	32,006	44.31
2016	16,506	39,064	42.25
2015	13,269	39,260	33.80
2014	9,403	36,739	25.59
2013	11,212	34,078	32.90
2012	13,448	33,060	40.68
2011	11,337	26,549	42.70
2010	13,518	28,510	47.41
2009	15,223	30,574	49.79
2008	12,209	28,098	43.45
2007	15,130	36,608	41.33
2006	13,298	37,071	35.87
2005	14,614	36,405	40.14
2004	13,625	33,306	40.91
2003	13,651	27,416	49.79
2002	19,448	30,880	62.98
2001	20,793	32,170	64.63
2000	19,605	38,654	50.72
1999	16,053	44,109	36.39
1998	11,033	48,719	22.65
1997	9,854	52,820	18.66
1996	9,541	57,523	16.59