Civil awards and decorations of the United States are awards and decorations of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

which are bestowed by various agencies of the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

for acts of accomplishment benefiting the nation as a whole. U.S. civil awards and decorations are typically issued for sustained meritorious service or for eminence in a field of endeavour, though there are also awards and decorations for a specific heroic act. United States civil awards and decorations are issued by federal,

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, and local authorities with the most recognizable decorations issued on the federal level. Certain other civil decorations may be authorized for wear on U.S. military uniforms, upon approval of the military service departments. Each of the military branches also maintains their own series of civil decorations separate from military awards. The following is a listing of articles pertaining to United States civil awards and decorations.

Federal government

Awards and decorations of the United States government Awards and decorations of the United States government are Civil awards and decorations, civilian awards of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government which are typically issued for sustained meritorious service, in a civ ...

* Awards and decorations of the United States Merchant Marine

State government

Awards and decorations of the National Guard Awards and decorations of the National Guard are presented to members of the National Guard (United States) and sometimes to members of the state defense forces in addition to regular Awards and decorations of the United States military, United ...

Awards and decorations of the State Defense Forces Awards and decorations of the state defense forces are presented to members of the State Defense Forces, state defense forces in addition to regular Awards and decorations of the United States military, United States military decorations and state ...

Local government

* United States law enforcement decorations

Other organizations

* Awards and decorations of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps * Awards and decorations of the Civil Air Patrol * Cadet awards of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets *

Medals A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

and badges of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded in ...

Federal government

State government

Local government

Other organizations

See also