Washington DC GS Pay Scale 2026
Locality pay area Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA — 33.94% locality payment, ranked #5 of 58. Rates below include the 2026 1% general increase and locality adjustment.
Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-DCB · 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 | 30,249 | 31,263 | 32,269 | 33,271 | 34,274 | 34,862 | 35,857 | 36,859 | 36,900 | 37,835 |
| GS-2 | 34,011 | 34,820 | 35,948 | 36,900 | 37,313 | 38,410 | 39,507 | 40,604 | 41,701 | 42,798 |
| GS-3 | 37,112 | 38,350 | 39,587 | 40,825 | 42,063 | 43,300 | 44,538 | 45,775 | 47,013 | 48,251 |
| GS-4 | 41,659 | 43,048 | 44,437 | 45,826 | 47,215 | 48,604 | 49,993 | 51,382 | 52,771 | 54,160 |
| GS-5 | 46,610 | 48,163 | 49,717 | 51,271 | 52,825 | 54,378 | 55,932 | 57,486 | 59,039 | 60,593 |
| GS-6 | 51,957 | 53,689 | 55,420 | 57,152 | 58,884 | 60,616 | 62,348 | 64,080 | 65,811 | 67,543 |
| GS-7 | 57,736 | 59,661 | 61,586 | 63,510 | 65,435 | 67,360 | 69,284 | 71,209 | 73,134 | 75,059 |
| GS-8 | 63,940 | 66,071 | 68,202 | 70,333 | 72,464 | 74,595 | 76,726 | 78,857 | 80,988 | 83,119 |
| GS-9 | 70,623 | 72,977 | 75,332 | 77,687 | 80,041 | 82,396 | 84,751 | 87,105 | 89,460 | 91,815 |
| GS-10 | 77,771 | 80,363 | 82,954 | 85,546 | 88,138 | 90,730 | 93,321 | 95,913 | 98,505 | 101,097 |
| GS-11 | 85,447 | 88,296 | 91,145 | 93,994 | 96,843 | 99,692 | 102,540 | 105,389 | 108,238 | 111,087 |
| GS-12 | 102,415 | 105,829 | 109,243 | 112,657 | 116,071 | 119,485 | 122,899 | 126,313 | 129,728 | 133,142 |
| GS-13 | 121,785 | 125,845 | 129,904 | 133,964 | 138,024 | 142,084 | 146,143 | 150,203 | 154,263 | 158,322 |
| GS-14 | 143,913 | 148,711 | 153,509 | 158,306 | 163,104 | 167,902 | 172,700 | 177,497 | 182,295 | 187,093 |
| GS-15 | 169,279 | 174,922 | 180,565 | 186,207 | 191,850 | 197,200* | 197,200* | 197,200* | 197,200* | 197,200* |
Hourly rates (step 1 / step 10)
GS-1
$14.49 – $18.13/hr
GS-2
$16.30 – $20.51/hr
GS-3
$17.78 – $23.12/hr
GS-4
$19.96 – $25.95/hr
GS-5
$22.33 – $29.03/hr
GS-6
$24.90 – $32.36/hr
GS-7
$27.66 – $35.97/hr
GS-8
$30.64 – $39.83/hr
GS-9
$33.84 – $43.99/hr
GS-10
$37.26 – $48.44/hr
GS-11
$40.94 – $53.23/hr
GS-12
$49.07 – $63.80/hr
GS-13
$58.35 – $75.86/hr
GS-14
$68.96 – $89.65/hr
GS-15
$81.11 – $94.49/hr
Private-sector pay in this area
BLS metro wage data for the same region:
Other locality areas
San Francisco Bay Area 46.34%New York 37.95%Los Angeles 36.47%Houston 35%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%Columbus 22.15%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%