United States order of precedence


The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order, or relative preeminence, for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic, ceremonial, and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy, and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents, vice presidents, first ladies, second ladies, and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
The order is established by the president, through the Office of the Chief of Staff, and is maintained by the State Department's Office of the Chief of Protocol. It is only used to indicate ceremonial protocol and has no legal standing; it does not reflect the presidential line of succession or the co-equal status of the branches of government under the Constitution. The Office of the Chief of Protocol published an updated order of precedence in February 2022.

List

Except as otherwise noted, positions in the list are from the following source. Details are accurate as of 2025.
  1. President of the United States
  2. Vice President of the United States
  3. Governor of a state – when in own state
  4. Speaker of the House of Representatives
  5. Chief Justice of the United States
  6. Former presidents of the United States or their widows/widowers in italics; if necessary :
  7. # Bill Clinton
  8. # George W. Bush
  9. # Barack Obama
  10. # Joe Biden
  11. Former vice presidents of the United States or their widows/widowers in italics; if necessary :
  12. # Dan Quayle
  13. # Al Gore
  14. # Lynne Cheney
  15. # Mike Pence
  16. # Kamala Harris
  17. American ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary to foreign governments – when at post
  18. American ambassadors, permanent representatives or representatives to international organizations who hold chief of mission authority – when at post
  19. American chargé d'affaires ad interim – when at post
  20. Secretary of State
  21. President, United Nations General Assembly – when in session
  22. Secretary-General of the United Nations – when at the United Nations
  23. President, United Nations General Assembly – when not in session
  24. Ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary of foreign diplomatic missions to the United States
  25. Associate justices of the Supreme Court :
  26. # Clarence Thomas
  27. # Samuel Alito
  28. # Sonia Sotomayor
  29. # Elena Kagan
  30. # Neil Gorsuch
  31. # Brett Kavanaugh
  32. # Amy Coney Barrett
  33. # Ketanji Brown Jackson
  34. Retired chief justices of the United States
  35. Retired associate justices of the Supreme Court, unless they resigned :
  36. # Anthony Kennedy
  37. # Stephen Breyer
  38. The Cabinet, ranked according to the date of establishment of the department, as added by the president, as follows:
  39. # Secretary of the Treasury
  40. # Secretary of Defense
  41. # Attorney General
  42. # Secretary of the Interior
  43. # Secretary of Agriculture
  44. # Secretary of Commerce
  45. # Secretary of Labor
  46. # Secretary of Health and Human Services
  47. # Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  48. # Secretary of Transportation
  49. # Secretary of Energy
  50. # Secretary of Education
  51. # Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  52. # Secretary of Homeland Security
  53. # White House chief of staff
  54. # Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
  55. # Director, Office of Management and Budget
  56. # United States trade representative
  57. # Ambassador to the United Nations
  58. # Administrator, Small Business Administration
  59. # Director of National Intelligence
  60. # Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
  61. President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate
  62. Senate majority leader
  63. Senate minority leader
  64. Senate majority whip
  65. Senate minority whip
  66. Senators
  67. Governors of states – when outside their own states
  68. # Governor of Delaware
  69. # Governor of Pennsylvania
  70. # Governor of New Jersey
  71. # Governor of Georgia
  72. # Governor of Connecticut
  73. # Governor of Massachusetts
  74. # Governor of Maryland
  75. # Governor of South Carolina
  76. # Governor of New Hampshire
  77. # Governor of Virginia
  78. # Governor of New York
  79. # Governor of North Carolina
  80. # Governor of Rhode Island
  81. # Governor of Vermont
  82. # Governor of Kentucky
  83. # Governor of Tennessee
  84. # Governor of Ohio
  85. # Governor of Louisiana
  86. # Governor of Indiana
  87. # Governor of Mississippi
  88. # Governor of Illinois
  89. # Governor of Alabama
  90. # Governor of Maine
  91. # Governor of Missouri
  92. # Governor of Arkansas
  93. # Governor of Michigan
  94. # Governor of Florida
  95. # Governor of Texas
  96. # Governor of Iowa
  97. # Governor of Wisconsin
  98. # Governor of California
  99. # Governor of Minnesota
  100. # Governor of Oregon
  101. # Governor of Kansas
  102. # Governor of West Virginia
  103. # Governor of Nevada
  104. # Governor of Nebraska
  105. # Governor of Colorado
  106. # Governor of North Dakota
  107. # Governor of South Dakota
  108. # Governor of Montana
  109. # Governor of Washington
  110. # Governor of Idaho
  111. # Governor of Wyoming
  112. # Governor of Utah
  113. # Governor of Oklahoma
  114. # Governor of New Mexico
  115. # Governor of Arizona
  116. # Governor of Alaska
  117. # Governor of Hawaii
  118. House majority leader
  119. House minority leader
  120. House majority whip
  121. House minority whip
  122. Members of the House of Representatives
  123. Delegates or resident commissioners to the House of Representatives from Territory of American Samoa, District of Columbia, Territory of Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Virgin Islands of the United States
  124. # Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia
  125. # Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa
  126. # Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands
  127. # James Moylan of Guam
  128. # Pablo Hernández Rivera of Puerto Rico
  129. # Kimberlyn King-Hinds of the Northern Mariana Islands
  130. Governors of Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Territory of Guam, Territory of American Samoa, United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands :
  131. # Governor of Puerto Rico
  132. # Governor of Guam
  133. # Governor of American Samoa
  134. # Governor of the US Virgin Islands
  135. # Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
  136. Assistants to the president:
  137. # National Security Advisor
  138. # Counselors to the president :
  139. ##Peter Navarro
  140. # White House deputy chiefs of staff :
  141. ##Dan Scavino
  142. ##Stephen Miller
  143. ##James Blair
  144. ##Taylor Budowich
  145. ##Nicholas Luna
  146. ##Beau Harrison
  147. # Chief of Staff to the spouse of the president
  148. # Chief of Staff to the vice president
  149. # Senior advisors to the president :
  150. ##Massad Boulos
  151. # Remaining assistants to the president or special presidential envoys who previously held Cabinet rank
  152. ##Steven Cheung
  153. ##Joshua Fisher
  154. ##Sergio Gor
  155. ##Vince Haley
  156. ##Kevin Hassett
  157. ##Karoline Leavitt
  158. ##Will Scharf
  159. ##David Warrington
  160. ##Steve Witkoff
  161. ##Ross Worthington
  162. Other counselors to the president :
  163. Other senior advisors to the president :
  164. Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
  165. Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality
  166. Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
  167. Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
  168. Chief of Protocol – when with the president or for a White House event
  169. Ambassadors from the United States to international organizations who do not hold Chief of Mission authority
  170. Chargés d'affaires to the United States
  171. Former secretaries of state :
  172. # James Baker
  173. # Condoleezza Rice
  174. # Hillary Clinton
  175. # John Kerry
  176. # Rex Tillerson
  177. # Mike Pompeo
  178. # Antony Blinken
  179. Former members of the U.S. Cabinet
  180. Former U.S. senators
  181. Former governors of the state or territory in which the event is held
  182. Former governors
  183. Former U.S. representatives
  184. Deputy secretaries of executive departments :
  185. # Deputy Secretary of State
  186. # Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
  187. # Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
  188. # Deputy Secretary of Defense
  189. # Deputy Attorney General
  190. # Deputy Secretary of the Interior
  191. # Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
  192. # Deputy Secretary of Commerce
  193. # Deputy Secretary of Labor
  194. # Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
  195. # Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  196. # Deputy Secretary of Transportation
  197. # Deputy Secretary of Energy
  198. # Deputy Secretary of Education
  199. # Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  200. # Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
  201. # Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
  202. # Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
  203. # Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
  204. # Deputy trade representatives:
  205. ## Joseph Barloon
  206. ## Bryan Switzer
  207. # Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations
  208. # Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration
  209. Secretaries of the military departments :
  210. # Secretary of the Army
  211. # Secretary of the Navy
  212. # Secretary of the Air Force
  213. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  214. Chairman of the Federal Reserve
  215. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
  216. Heads of independent federal agencies at Level II of the Executive Schedule
  217. # Director of the National Science Foundation
  218. # Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  219. # Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
  220. # Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States
  221. # Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  222. # Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management
  223. # Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
  224. # Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  225. # CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
  226. Vice-chair and governors of the Federal Reserve
  227. # Michelle Bowman
  228. # Christopher Waller
  229. # Lisa Cook
  230. # Philip Jefferson
  231. # Michael Barr
  232. # Stephen Miran
  233. Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
  234. Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
  235. Principal Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
  236. Director of the National Counterterrorism Center
  237. Deputy heads of independent federal agencies at Level II of the Executive Schedule
  238. Under secretaries of state and departmental positions of equivalent rank
  239. # Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  240. # Under Secretary of State for Management
  241. # Remaining under secretaries of state, ordered by date of appointment:
  242. ## Counselor of the United States Department of State
  243. ## Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
  244. ## Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
  245. ## Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
  246. ## Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
  247. Under secretaries of executive departments and departmental positions of equivalent rank, Treasurer of the United States, associate attorneys general, and Solicitor General
  248. Heads of federal departmental agencies. This includes the directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Customs and Border Protection
  249. Former chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  250. # Hugh Shelton
  251. # Richard Myers
  252. # Peter Pace
  253. # Michael Mullen
  254. # Martin Dempsey
  255. # Joseph Dunford
  256. # Mark Milley
  257. # Charles Q. Brown Jr.
  258. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  259. Joint chiefs of staff :
  260. # Chief of Space Operations
  261. # Chief of Staff of the Army
  262. # Commandant of the Marine Corps
  263. # Chief of Naval Operations
  264. # Chief of Staff of the Air Force
  265. Chief of the National Guard Bureau
  266. Commandant of the Coast Guard
  267. Combatant commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands of four-star grade :
  268. # Strategic Command
  269. # Space Command
  270. # Northern Command
  271. # Indo-Pacific Command
  272. # Transportation Command
  273. # Southern Command
  274. # Cyber Command
  275. # European Command
  276. # Central Command
  277. # Africa Command
  278. # Special Operations Command
  279. Heads of independent federal agencies at Level III of the Executive Schedule
  280. Deputy heads of independent federal agencies at Level III of the Executive Schedule
  281. Postmaster General
  282. Lieutenant governor
  283. Mayor
  284. Heads of international organizations when not at post
  285. Ambassadors or permanent representatives of foreign governments accredited to international organizations headquartered in the United States
  286. Ambassadors from the United States to foreign governments
  287. Chief of Protocol
  288. Ambassadors from the United States to international organizations who hold Chief of Mission authority
  289. Ambassadors from the United States to international organizations who do not hold Chief of Mission authority
  290. Career ambassadors
  291. National Security Council Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary
  292. Chief of Staff to the Spouse of the Vice President
  293. Deputy Assistants to the President
  294. Executive Secretary of the National Space Council
  295. Chief judges and circuit judges of the United States Courts of Appeals
  296. Chief judges and district judges of the United States District Courts
  297. Chief Judge and judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  298. # Kevin A. Ohlson
  299. # John E. Sparks
  300. # Gregory E. Maggs
  301. # Liam P. Hardy
  302. # M. Tia Johnson
  303. Chief Judge and judges of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  304. # Margaret Bartley
  305. # Coral Wong Pietsch
  306. # William S. Greenberg
  307. # Michael P. Allen
  308. # Amanda Meredith
  309. # Joseph Toth
  310. # Joseph L. Falvey Jr.
  311. # Scott J. Laurer
  312. # Grant C. Jaquith
  313. Chief Judge and judges of the United States Tax Court
  314. Chargés d'affaires from the United States
  315. Under secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
  316. # Under Secretary of the Air Force
  317. # Under Secretary of the Army
  318. # Under Secretary of the Navy
  319. Assistant secretaries
  320. Chiefs of staff to heads of executive departments
  321. Ambassadors-at-large
  322. Special envoys/representatives
  323. Assistant attorneys general
  324. White House Social Secretary
  325. Senior directors of the National Security Council
  326. Legal advisers of executive departments
  327. Special assistants to the president
  328. Heads of independent federal agencies at Level IV of the Executive Schedule
  329. # Director of the Selective Service System
  330. # Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
  331. # Chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
  332. # Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission
  333. # President of the Inter-American Foundation
  334. # Chairman of the Federal Election Commission
  335. # Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
  336. # Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel
  337. # Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency
  338. # Chairperson of the Chemical Safety Board
  339. # CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors and Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau
  340. # Chairman of the Election Assistance Commission
  341. Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
  342. Deputy heads of independent federal agencies at Level IV of the Executive Schedule
  343. Assistant administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency
  344. Assistant administrators of the United States Agency for International Development
  345. Assistant trade representatives
  346. Associate administrators of the Small Business Administration
  347. Comptroller General of the United States
  348. Members of the Council of Economic Advisers
  349. Members of the Council on Environmental Quality
  350. American ambassadors-designate
  351. Mayors of U.S. cities
  352. Mayor of the District of Columbia
  353. Mayors of U.S. territories
  354. Vice chiefs of staff :
  355. # Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
  356. # Vice Chief of Naval Operations
  357. # Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
  358. # Vice Chief of Space Operations
  359. # Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
  360. Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau
  361. Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
  362. Assistant secretaries and general counsels of the Department of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
  363. # Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
  364. # Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)
  365. # Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology
  366. # Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy and Environment)
  367. # Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller)
  368. # Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller)
  369. # Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
  370. # Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)
  371. # General Counsel of the Navy
  372. # General Counsel of the Air Force
  373. # General Counsel of the Army
  374. # Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Energy)
  375. # Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics)
  376. # Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration
  377. # Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition)
  378. # Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment)
  379. # Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
  380. Four-star military officers
  381. Executive Secretary of the National Security Council
  382. Officers of the U.S. Senate:
  383. # Chaplain
  384. # Secretary for the Majority
  385. # Secretary for the Minority
  386. # Secretary of the Senate
  387. # Sergeant at Arms
  388. # Parliamentarian
  389. Officers of the U.S. House of Representatives:
  390. # Chaplain
  391. # Chief Administrative Officer
  392. # Clerk of the House
  393. # Sergeant at Arms
  394. Three-star military officers
  395. State senators
  396. State representatives
  397. Former American ambassadors/chiefs of diplomatic missions
  398. Chairmen or heads of other federal boards, councils and commissions not previously listed
  399. Librarian of Congress
  400. Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
  401. Chairman of the American Red Cross
  402. Deputy chiefs of Protocol
  403. Minister-rank officials assigned to foreign bilateral diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C.
  404. Deputy under secretaries of executive departments
  405. Principal deputy assistant secretaries of executive departments
  406. Deputy counsels of executive departments
  407. Two-star military officers
  408. Deputy assistant secretaries of executive departments
  409. Deputy assistant secretaries and deputy general counsels of the Army, Navy and Air Force
  410. Directors of the National Security Council
  411. American consuls general to foreign governments
  412. American deputy chiefs of mission
  413. Deputy ambassadors or permanent representatives of foreign governments accredited to international organizations headquartered in the United States
  414. Assistant chiefs of protocol
  415. Minister-Counselor-rank officials assigned to foreign diplomatic missions
  416. Chief Judge and judges, United States Court of International Trade
  417. # Mark A. Barnett
  418. # Claire R. Kelly
  419. # Jennifer Choe-Groves
  420. # Gary Katzmann
  421. # Timothy M. Reif
  422. # M. Miller Baker
  423. # Lisa Wang
  424. # Joseph A. Laroski
  425. # 1 seat vacant
  426. Chief Judge and associate judges, United States Court of Federal Claims
  427. # Matthew H. Solomson
  428. # Elaine D. Kaplan
  429. # Richard Hertling
  430. # Ryan T. Holte
  431. # David A. Tapp
  432. # Eleni M. Roumel
  433. # Edward H. Meyers
  434. # Kathryn C. Davis
  435. # Zachary Somers
  436. # Thompson M. Dietz
  437. # Stephen S. Schwartz
  438. # Carolyn N. Lerner
  439. # Armando O. Bonilla
  440. # Molly Silfen
  441. # Philip Hadji
  442. # Robin M. Meriweather
  443. One-star military officers
  444. Directors of offices of executive departments
  445. Consuls general of foreign governments accredited to the United States
  446. Counselor-rank officials assigned to foreign bilateral diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C.
  447. Members of the Senior Executive Service not holding previously listed positions
  448. Members of other federal boards, councils, and commissions not previously listed
  449. Desk officers of executive departments
  450. First Secretary-rank officials assigned to foreign bilateral diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C.