Houston GS Pay Scale 2026
Locality pay area Houston-The Woodlands, TX — 35% locality payment, ranked #4 of 58. Rates below include the 2026 1% general increase and locality adjustment.
Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-HOU · 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 | 30,488 | 31,510 | 32,524 | 33,534 | 34,545 | 35,138 | 36,141 | 37,151 | 37,193 | 38,135 |
| GS-2 | 34,281 | 35,096 | 36,233 | 37,193 | 37,608 | 38,714 | 39,820 | 40,925 | 42,031 | 43,137 |
| GS-3 | 37,406 | 38,653 | 39,901 | 41,148 | 42,395 | 43,643 | 44,890 | 46,138 | 47,385 | 48,632 |
| GS-4 | 41,989 | 43,389 | 44,789 | 46,189 | 47,589 | 48,989 | 50,389 | 51,789 | 53,189 | 54,589 |
| GS-5 | 46,979 | 48,545 | 50,111 | 51,677 | 53,243 | 54,809 | 56,375 | 57,941 | 59,507 | 61,073 |
| GS-6 | 52,368 | 54,113 | 55,859 | 57,605 | 59,350 | 61,096 | 62,841 | 64,587 | 66,332 | 68,078 |
| GS-7 | 58,193 | 60,133 | 62,073 | 64,013 | 65,953 | 67,893 | 69,833 | 71,773 | 73,713 | 75,653 |
| GS-8 | 64,446 | 66,594 | 68,742 | 70,890 | 73,038 | 75,186 | 77,333 | 79,481 | 81,629 | 83,777 |
| GS-9 | 71,181 | 73,555 | 75,928 | 78,301 | 80,675 | 83,048 | 85,421 | 87,795 | 90,168 | 92,541 |
| GS-10 | 78,386 | 80,999 | 83,611 | 86,223 | 88,835 | 91,448 | 94,060 | 96,672 | 99,284 | 101,897 |
| GS-11 | 86,123 | 88,995 | 91,866 | 94,738 | 97,609 | 100,481 | 103,352 | 106,223 | 109,095 | 111,966 |
| GS-12 | 103,225 | 106,666 | 110,107 | 113,549 | 116,990 | 120,431 | 123,872 | 127,313 | 130,754 | 134,195 |
| GS-13 | 122,749 | 126,841 | 130,932 | 135,024 | 139,116 | 143,208 | 147,300 | 151,392 | 155,484 | 159,575 |
| GS-14 | 145,052 | 149,888 | 154,724 | 159,559 | 164,395 | 169,231 | 174,066 | 178,902 | 183,738 | 188,573 |
| GS-15 | 170,618 | 176,306 | 181,994 | 187,681 | 193,369 | 197,200* | 197,200* | 197,200* | 197,200* | 197,200* |
Hourly rates (step 1 / step 10)
GS-1
$14.61 – $18.27/hr
GS-2
$16.43 – $20.67/hr
GS-3
$17.92 – $23.30/hr
GS-4
$20.12 – $26.16/hr
GS-5
$22.51 – $29.26/hr
GS-6
$25.09 – $32.62/hr
GS-7
$27.88 – $36.25/hr
GS-8
$30.88 – $40.14/hr
GS-9
$34.11 – $44.34/hr
GS-10
$37.56 – $48.82/hr
GS-11
$41.27 – $53.65/hr
GS-12
$49.46 – $64.30/hr
GS-13
$58.82 – $76.46/hr
GS-14
$69.50 – $90.36/hr
GS-15
$81.75 – $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%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%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%