How much does a major make in the army?

Military get paid by primarily two factors; Time and Rank. Job doesn't always factor into it. Please look at the link [ https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/military-pay-charts.html ] for the most resent pay chart.

This means sex, race or even job doesn't matter. One person my be a Specialist E4 working outside doing construction and they would be paid the same a another soldier who is an E4 with the same number of years in service that might be working in a warehouse or filing in an air conditioned office.

I worked for a Veteran Service Organization (VSO) for 20 years and found that understanding compensation was the consistently the biggest source of disillusionment and confusion for incoming service members. DFAS (Defense Finance and Accounting Service) is the governing authority for all military compensation but reading its pay charts and allowances can be a little like reading IRS tax code when what you need is TurboTax. I typically refer people to more user-friendly but reliable sites like www.goarmy.com (there is "go" site for each branch) as a starting point.

Bear in mind that military compensation is a combination of direct paychecks and allowances for things like housing expenses. The pay charts are the same for every service member holding the same rank based on number of years of service. Allowances and bonuses are based on the individual factors of service member's assignment: availability of on-post housing, local cost of living, access to medical care, special duty assignments, presence of dependents, CONUS or OCONUS,... Gender can be a mitigating factor in that there are still some specific assignments, primarily combat functions, that are not available to women.

Go Army pay chart summary: https://www.goarmy.com/benefits/money/basic-pay-active-duty-soldiers.html

Go Army allowance details: https://www.goarmy.com/benefits/money/allowances-covering-the-cost-of-living.html

There are also benefits available to veterans after active duty that you should take into account. Veterans get funding support for education, access to job opportunities, special lending rates, etc. Learn how VA health benefits work - they cover medical care and expenses for service-related injuries only, not 100% of every medical expense you will have the rest of your life. The civilian sector includes support for active duty service members and veterans, too. There are employers who actively seek out and prioritize veteran applicants. A number of nonprofit organizations have missions based on serving the unique needs of military families.

If you want to proceed based on your initial review of these compensation guides, then start talking to people who have personal experience. That should include but not be limited to recruiters. Recruiters are looking out for you but their job is to enlist service members. Talk to your guidance counselor or academic adviser; ask family members and friends who served; go to local community events for veterans and listen. Get curious!

Above all else, understand that the Department of Defense is not a corporation and that joining the military is not getting a job. You are committing yourself and your family to a life of service. Take the decision to join as seriously as you will take the commitment you make to the mission.