Navy SEALs Earn About $54,000 a Year, Even for Finding Osama Bin Laden

What did the Navy SEALs who cornered Osama bin Laden get for pulling off such a risky mission? Their weekly paychecks.

The estimated maximum salary for a Navy SEAL — with over a dozen years of experience and an E-7 pay grade — is about $54,000, according to an estimate based on data from the Department of Defense.

“Each of these operations is different, but we get the same amount of pay, so it’s fair,” said John Scorza, MC2, under the Naval Special Warfare Command.

That salary level is comparable to the average annual salary for teachers in the U.S., which was $55,350 for the 2009-2010 school year, according to the Digest of Education Statistics.

“Also note that military personnel may have more extensive benefits and on-base housing,” said Lori Taylor, a professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. “But they work year ‘round while teachers get 2 to 3 months off in the summer.”

Though Navy SEALs are usually more experienced service members, the typical graduate of SEAL qualification training is 19 to 23 years old, said Lt. Cmdr. Fred Kuebler of U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla.

I think they deserve a well earned raise.