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F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- --
The Department of Defense has increased the Basic Allowance for Housing rates for 2024, raising them by an average of 5.4 percent. This is to support active-duty service members and ensure they are able to meet their living requirements in an increasingly competitive market, as well as to account for inflation. This raise is also adjusted to account for differences in geographic market conditions.
“BAH is a valuable component of the overall pay package and is designed to help offset the rental housing expenses service members may face when living off base in local communities. BAH rates are aligned with the housing costs of civilians with comparable incomes to each pay grade (with and without dependents) to ensure the military community can afford to rent adequate, suitable and available homes in safe neighborhoods, wherever and whenever they may be assigned," said Kevin Scott, a housing economist within DOD's Military Compensation Policy Directorate.
The F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming housing area is one of about 300 in the United States provided different BAH rates for service members by the DoD. Average rents and utilities, including electricity, heat, and water/sewer, go into that BAH calculation for each military housing area. Total housing costs are determined for six housing profiles, based on home type and size as well as each pay grade, with and without dependents. It is also based on the housing choices of civilians with similar incomes to each service member's pay grade grouping.
For active-duty military stationed on F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, this means Airmen can expect a raise up to $200 monthly. Junior enlisted ranks, airman basic to senior airman, with dependents will see the highest increase from $1,164 to $1,371 and those without dependents will still see an increase from $873 to $1,029. Staff sergeants will experience an increase from $1,314 to $1,551 with dependents and $987 to $1,164 without. Technical sergeants with dependents will jump from $1,887 to $1,905, and $1,416 to $1,428 without. Master sergeants will see a raise from $1,923 to $1,953 with dependents, and $1,443 to $1,464 without. The increase for senior master sergeants will be from $1,959 to $2,007 with dependents, and $1,470 to 1,626 without. Finally, chief master sergeants with dependents will gain an increase from $2,049 to $2,109, or from $1,602 to $1,725 without dependents. The average monthly rent in Cheyenne is $1,012, meaning that the new BAH will allow local housing to be affordable for all Airmen.
“When reviewing quality of life factors for our Airmen and their families, housing is at the top of the list. It’s important that Airmen are provided adequate resources, and the ability to secure affordable, stable, safe and quality housing are vital resources,” said Chief Master Sgt. Ru Hlongwane, 90th Missile Wing command chief. “I’m proud of the deep dive conducted by the team here at F.E. Warren and the Department of Defense to secure this increase. When Airmen feel supported and see big wins such as these, it provides relief knowing a foundational need is met and allows them to focus more on their responsibilities to the mission.”
Data on these housing areas is collected from a variety of sources to ensure quality and accuracy. These sources include survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, and rental listing websites, among many others. The data is kept current, in order to provide active duty service members with what they need to sustain their living effectively.
"Considering the large footprint and wide-ranging impact of BAH on the well-being of military families, the department is committed to ensuring BAH data collection and housing estimation processes are driven by industry-leading data sources, innovative methodologies and proven quality assurance techniques," Scott said.
For more information on the Basic Allowance for Housing, including the 2024 Basic Allowance for Housing rates and 2024 Basic Allowance for Housing rate component breakdown, visit https://www.travel.dod.mil/Allowances/Basic-Allowance-for-Housing/. Service members can calculate their BAH payment by using the Basic Allowance for Housing calculator at: https://www.travel.dod.mil/Allowances/Basic-Allowance-for-Housing/BAH-Rate-Lookup/
The information in this article was referenced from the following articles:
Defense.gov: DOD Releases 2024 Basic Allowance for Housing Rates
AFGSC.mil: DOD Releases 2024 Basic Allowance for Housing Rates
| Date Taken: | 01.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.29.2024 12:24 |
| Story ID: | 462530 |
| Location: | F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, WY, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, BAH Increase Helps Local Airmen, by Amn Andrew Poynter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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