Staff Sergeant Promotions See Biggest Jump Since 2001

Enlisted Airmen this year saw a massive surge in promotions to staff sergeant, marking the biggest year-over-year increase in promotions to E-5 since the start of the Global War on Terror.  

The 2025 promotion cycle for E-5 saw 15,894 senior airmen selected, out of 47,007 eligible, for a rate of 33.81 percent. The full list of those chosen will be released Aug. 7, the Air Force Personnel Center announced.

In comparison, the service last year picked 12,827 E-4s to advance out of a pool of 56,124 senior airmen—a 22.85 percent promotion rate. 

That nearly 11 percentage-point jump is the rank’s steepest increase in promotions the 2000-2001 period. 

It’s also the largest total number of new staff sergeants in nearly a decade. The last time the Air Force promoted that many new staff sergeants was in 2016. As recently as 2023, the service selected only 9,000 senior airmen for promotion. 

While the E-5 promotion rate has nearly doubled from the low of 17.4 percent in 2023, it’s still below all but a year or two from 2000-2020. As recently as 2018, more than half of those eligible were selected. 

Still, the recent gains mark another sign that the Air Force is coming out of a multiyear dip in noncommissioned officer promotions. Back in 2022, officials announced that they would keep troops in midlevel enlisted ranks longer due to concerns that Airmen lacked necessary experience as they climbed the career ladder. The goal was to reach a healthier grade distribution by 2025. 

At the same time, retention has also returned to normal levels after reaching historic highs during the COVID-19 pandemic—shrinking the pool of those eligible for promotion. 

Promotion rates for staff sergeants, technical sergeants, master sergeants, and senior master sergeants have all increased in 2025. 

Staff Sergeant Promotions