United States · Federal pay 2026
GS pay scale 2026
The 2026 GS base pay runs from $22,584 a year (GS-1 step 1) to $164,301 (GS-15 step 10). Locality pay adds 17.06% to 46.34% on top, up to the $197,200 pay cap.
Pick a locality to see its own 2026 table, or work out your salary and take-home pay in the GS pay calculator.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $22,584 | $23,341 | $24,092 | $24,840 | $25,589 | $26,028 | $26,771 | $27,519 | $27,550 | $28,248 |
| GS-2 | $25,393 | $25,997 | $26,839 | $27,550 | $27,858 | $28,677 | $29,496 | $30,315 | $31,134 | $31,953 |
| GS-3 | $27,708 | $28,632 | $29,556 | $30,480 | $31,404 | $32,328 | $33,252 | $34,176 | $35,100 | $36,024 |
| GS-4 | $31,103 | $32,140 | $33,177 | $34,214 | $35,251 | $36,288 | $37,325 | $38,362 | $39,399 | $40,436 |
| GS-5 | $34,799 | $35,959 | $37,119 | $38,279 | $39,439 | $40,599 | $41,759 | $42,919 | $44,079 | $45,239 |
| GS-6 | $38,791 | $40,084 | $41,377 | $42,670 | $43,963 | $45,256 | $46,549 | $47,842 | $49,135 | $50,428 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 | $44,543 | $45,980 | $47,417 | $48,854 | $50,291 | $51,728 | $53,165 | $54,602 | $56,039 |
| GS-8 | $47,738 | $49,329 | $50,920 | $52,511 | $54,102 | $55,693 | $57,284 | $58,875 | $60,466 | $62,057 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 | $54,485 | $56,243 | $58,001 | $59,759 | $61,517 | $63,275 | $65,033 | $66,791 | $68,549 |
| GS-10 | $58,064 | $59,999 | $61,934 | $63,869 | $65,804 | $67,739 | $69,674 | $71,609 | $73,544 | $75,479 |
| GS-11 | $63,795 | $65,922 | $68,049 | $70,176 | $72,303 | $74,430 | $76,557 | $78,684 | $80,811 | $82,938 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 | $79,012 | $81,561 | $84,110 | $86,659 | $89,208 | $91,757 | $94,306 | $96,855 | $99,404 |
| GS-13 | $90,925 | $93,956 | $96,987 | $100,018 | $103,049 | $106,080 | $109,111 | $112,142 | $115,173 | $118,204 |
| GS-14 | $107,446 | $111,028 | $114,610 | $118,192 | $121,774 | $125,356 | $128,938 | $132,520 | $136,102 | $139,684 |
| GS-15 | $126,384 | $130,597 | $134,810 | $139,023 | $143,236 | $147,449 | $151,662 | $155,875 | $160,088 | $164,301 |
What is the locality pay in each area?
All 58 locality areas for 2026, highest first. Each page has the area’s full table.
| Locality | Locality pay | GS-7 step 1 | GS-12 step 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland | 46.34% | $63,081 | $111,896 |
| New York-Newark | 37.95% | $59,465 | $105,481 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach | 36.47% | $58,827 | $104,349 |
| Houston-The Woodlands | 35% | $58,193 | $103,225 |
| Washington-Baltimore-Arlington | 33.94% | $57,736 | $102,415 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 33.72% | $57,641 | $102,246 |
| Boston-Worcester-Providence | 32.58% | $57,150 | $101,375 |
| Alaska | 32.36% | $57,055 | $101,206 |
| Hartford-East Hartford | 32.08% | $56,934 | $100,992 |
| Seattle-Tacoma | 31.57% | $56,715 | $100,602 |
| Chicago-Naperville | 30.86% | $56,409 | $100,059 |
| Denver-Aurora | 30.52% | $56,262 | $99,800 |
| Sacramento-Roseville | 29.76% | $55,934 | $99,218 |
| Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor | 29.12% | $55,658 | $98,729 |
| Philadelphia-Reading-Camden | 28.99% | $55,602 | $98,630 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | 27.62% | $55,012 | $97,582 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 27.26% | $54,857 | $97,307 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Salem | 26.13% | $54,370 | $96,443 |
| Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale | 24.67% | $53,740 | $95,326 |
| Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs | 23.79% | $53,361 | $94,654 |
| Phoenix-Mesa | 22.45% | $52,783 | $93,629 |
| Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha | 22.42% | $52,770 | $93,606 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean | 22.41% | $52,766 | $93,598 |
| Richmond | 22.28% | $52,710 | $93,499 |
| Raleigh-Durham-Cary | 22.24% | $52,693 | $93,468 |
| Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 22.23% | $52,688 | $93,461 |
| Hawaii | 22.21% | $52,680 | $93,445 |
| Columbus-Marion-Zanesville | 22.15% | $52,654 | $93,400 |
| Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville | 21.93% | $52,559 | $93,231 |
| Huntsville-Decatur | 21.91% | $52,551 | $93,216 |
| Laredo | 21.59% | $52,413 | $92,971 |
| Dayton-Springfield-Kettering | 21.42% | $52,339 | $92,841 |
| Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton | 21.03% | $52,171 | $92,543 |
| Albany-Schenectady | 20.77% | $52,059 | $92,344 |
| Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown | 20.35% | $51,878 | $92,023 |
| Colorado Springs | 20.15% | $51,792 | $91,870 |
| St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington | 20.03% | $51,740 | $91,779 |
| Charlotte-Concord | 19.67% | $51,585 | $91,503 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson | 19.57% | $51,542 | $91,427 |
| Burlington-South Burlington-Barre | 19.45% | $51,490 | $91,335 |
| Harrisburg-Lebanon | 19.43% | $51,481 | $91,320 |
| Tucson-Nogales | 19.28% | $51,417 | $91,205 |
| Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City | 18.97% | $51,283 | $90,968 |
| Davenport-Moline | 18.93% | $51,266 | $90,937 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk | 18.8% | $51,210 | $90,838 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall | 18.78% | $51,201 | $90,823 |
| Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas | 18.33% | $51,007 | $90,479 |
| Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega | 18.24% | $50,969 | $90,410 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont | 18.23% | $50,964 | $90,402 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie | 18.15% | $50,930 | $90,341 |
| Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines | 18.01% | $50,869 | $90,234 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | 17.93% | $50,835 | $90,173 |
| Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls | 17.88% | $50,813 | $90,135 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene | 17.67% | $50,723 | $89,974 |
| Fresno-Madera-Hanford | 17.65% | $50,714 | $89,959 |
| Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice | 17.63% | $50,706 | $89,943 |
| Reno-Fernley | 17.52% | $50,658 | $89,859 |
| Rest of U.S. | 17.06% | $50,460 | $89,508 |
How does GS pay work?
Your grade (GS-1 to GS-15) depends on the job; your step (1 to 10) rises with time in the grade. The base table above is the same everywhere. On top of it you get locality pay for the area where you work, a percentage set for each of 58 areas. OPM publishes a table for each area, and no cell can go above $197,200.
Some civilian law enforcement staff could get up to 3.8% in total for 2026 under Executive Order 14368. Their special-rate tables are separate and are not shown here.
Will GS pay go up in 2027?
Proposed, not final: a pay freeze (0%). The President’s plan (House Document 119-189) says: “I have determined that for 2027, base pay and locality pay for civilian Federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates.”
It becomes final only when the year-end executive order is signed (late December 2026), unless Congress sets a raise in law. Locality percentages would stay at their 2026 levels.
What does this leave out?
- Special rates for some jobs (such as law enforcement officers), the Senior Executive Service and other pay plans.
- Hourly and overtime rates: these tables are yearly pay.
- Which counties fall in each locality: OPM defines them, and this page does not map a ZIP code to a locality.
- Tax and deductions: see the GS pay calculator for take-home pay.
What else can I work out?
- GS pay calculator Salary and take-home pay for a GS grade, step and locality.
- GS pay explained Grades, steps, locality pay and the cap, in plain words.
- Military pay chart 2026 Monthly basic pay for every grade, E-1 to O-10, at every length of service.
- Military and federal pay Every military and federal pay calculator and chart in one place.
Questions about the GS pay scale
What is the GS pay raise for 2026?
A 1% raise in base pay from the first pay period of 2026 (Executive Order 14368). Locality percentages stayed at their 2025 levels, so pay rose 1% in every area.
What does a GS-12 step 1 make in 2026?
$76,463 a year on the base table, before locality pay. With locality pay it is $89,508 in the Rest of U.S. area and $102,415 in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington.
Which locality has the highest GS pay?
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, with 46.34% locality pay. The lowest is Rest of U.S., at 17.06%, the rate for places outside the named areas.
What is the GS pay cap in 2026?
$197,200 a year, level IV of the Executive Schedule. Where base pay plus locality pay would go above it, OPM holds the cell at $197,200.
Will GS pay go up in 2027?
Not decided yet. The President’s plan proposes a pay freeze: “I have determined that for 2027, base pay and locality pay for civilian Federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates.” That is a proposal, not final: it becomes final in the year-end executive order (late December 2026) unless Congress sets a raise.