What is the 2026 locality pay for Columbus?

Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH has a 22.15% locality payment in 2026, ranked 28 of 58 areas. A GS-13 step 1 earns $111,065; a GS-7 step 1 earns $52,654.

How much more is Columbus than Rest of U.S.?

22.15% vs 17.06% — a GS-12 step 1 makes $93,400 in Columbus versus $89,508 in Rest of U.S., a difference of $3,892.

Columbus GS Pay Scale 2026

Locality pay area Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH — 22.15% locality payment, ranked #28 of 58. Rates below include the 2026 1% general increase and locality adjustment.

Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-COL · area definition. Cells marked * are limited to EX-IV ($197,200).

Grade	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4	Step 5	Step 6	Step 7	Step 8	Step 9	Step 10
GS-1	27,586	28,511	29,428	30,342	31,257	31,793	32,701	33,614	33,652	34,505
GS-2	31,018	31,755	32,784	33,652	34,029	35,029	36,029	37,030	38,030	39,031
GS-3	33,845	34,974	36,103	37,231	38,360	39,489	40,617	41,746	42,875	44,003
GS-4	37,992	39,259	40,526	41,792	43,059	44,326	45,592	46,859	48,126	49,393
GS-5	42,507	43,924	45,341	46,758	48,175	49,592	51,009	52,426	53,842	55,259
GS-6	47,383	48,963	50,542	52,121	53,701	55,280	56,860	58,439	60,018	61,598
GS-7	52,654	54,409	56,165	57,920	59,675	61,430	63,186	64,941	66,696	68,452
GS-8	58,312	60,255	62,199	64,142	66,086	68,029	69,972	71,916	73,859	75,803
GS-9	64,406	66,553	68,701	70,848	72,996	75,143	77,290	79,438	81,585	83,733
GS-10	70,925	73,289	75,652	78,016	80,380	82,743	85,107	87,470	89,834	92,198
GS-11	77,926	80,524	83,122	85,720	88,318	90,916	93,514	96,113	98,711	101,309
GS-12	93,400	96,513	99,627	102,740	105,854	108,968	112,081	115,195	118,308	121,422
GS-13	111,065	114,767	118,470	122,172	125,874	129,577	133,279	136,981	140,684	144,386
GS-14	131,245	135,621	139,996	144,372	148,747	153,122	157,498	161,873	166,249	170,624
GS-15	154,378	159,524	164,670	169,817	174,963	180,109	185,255	190,401	195,547	197,200*

Hourly rates (step 1 / step 10)

GS-1

$13.22 – $16.53/hr

GS-2

$14.86 – $18.70/hr

GS-3

$16.22 – $21.08/hr

GS-4

$18.20 – $23.67/hr

GS-5

$20.37 – $26.48/hr

GS-6

$22.70 – $29.52/hr

GS-7

$25.23 – $32.80/hr

GS-8

$27.94 – $36.32/hr

GS-9

$30.86 – $40.12/hr

GS-10

$33.98 – $44.18/hr

GS-11

$37.34 – $48.54/hr

GS-12

$44.75 – $58.18/hr

GS-13

$53.22 – $69.18/hr

GS-14

$62.89 – $81.76/hr

GS-15

$73.97 – $94.49/hr

Private-sector pay in this area

BLS metro wage data for the same region:

Accountant · Columbus Registered nurse · Columbus

Other locality areas

San Francisco Bay Area 46.34%New York 37.95%Los Angeles 36.47%Houston 35%Washington DC 33.94%San Diego 33.72%Boston 32.58%Alaska 32.36%Hartford 32.08%Seattle 31.57%Chicago 30.86%Denver 30.52%Sacramento 29.76%Detroit 29.12%Philadelphia 28.99%Minneapolis 27.62%Dallas-Fort Worth 27.26%Portland 26.13%Miami 24.67%Atlanta 23.79%Phoenix 22.45%Milwaukee 22.42%Buffalo 22.41%Richmond 22.28%Raleigh 22.24%Cleveland 22.23%Hawaii 22.21%Cincinnati 21.93%Huntsville 21.91%Laredo 21.59%Dayton 21.42%Pittsburgh 21.03%Albany 20.77%Austin 20.35%Colorado Springs 20.15%St. Louis 20.03%Charlotte 19.67%Las Vegas 19.57%Burlington 19.45%Harrisburg 19.43%Tucson 19.28%Kansas City 18.97%Davenport 18.93%Virginia Beach 18.8%San Antonio 18.78%Albuquerque 18.33%Birmingham 18.24%Omaha 18.23%Indianapolis 18.15%Des Moines 18.01%Palm Bay 17.93%Rochester 17.88%Spokane 17.67%Fresno 17.65%Corpus Christi 17.63%Reno 17.52%Rest of U.S. 17.06%