What is the difference between Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret?

Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret are the three levels the U.S. government uses to classify national security information. They are not arbitrary labels. Each level reflects how much damage to national security could reasonably be expected if the information were disclosed without authorization. The greater the potential harm, the higher the classification and the stricter the controls.

The Three Levels, by Expected Damage

The levels form a clear hierarchy based on the severity of harm that unauthorized disclosure could cause:

• Confidential applies to information whose disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause damage to national security. This is the lowest classification level.
• Secret applies to information whose disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to national security.
• Top Secret applies to information whose disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security. This is the highest level.

A government official with the proper authority (an original classification authority) assigns the level when the information is created, based on this damage standard.

What the Levels Affect in Practice

The classification level drives how information must be handled throughout its life:

• Access. A person must hold a security clearance at or above the information’s level and have a genuine “need to know.” A Secret clearance alone does not grant access to Top Secret material.
• Safeguarding. Higher levels require stronger storage, transmission, and marking controls.
• Review and declassification. Classified records are eventually reviewed for declassification so they can be released to the public when the harm no longer applies.

What These Levels Are Not

These three levels apply only to classified national security information. They are distinct from Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), which is sensitive but unclassified information requiring safeguarding under other rules. Markings such as “For Official Use Only” are not classification levels in this hierarchy.

Classification is meant to be temporary. Over time, information is reviewed and, where appropriate, declassified and made available to researchers and the public. To learn more about how classified records are reviewed and released, see the declassification topic hub.

Specific definitions, durations, and procedures are set by executive order and federal regulation and can change over time, so always confirm current requirements with authoritative government sources.