You wonder what they earn.
Here’s the exact answer.
Look up exact federal pay for any GS grade and location. Includes locality adjustment, full step tables, and base vs. take-home comparison. Free. No account required.
Why locality matters
The same job pays very differently by location.
A GS-12 Step 1 in Washington DC earns $93,506 per year — versus only $81,970 in the rest of the U.S. That’s a 16% difference.
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GS-13 in DC
$111,197 – $144,551
Step 1 to Step 10 · +33.26% locality
GS-12 in San Francisco
$101,147 – $131,492
Step 1 to Step 10 · +44.15% locality
GS-7 anywhere else
$46,526 – $60,478
Step 1 to Step 10 · +16.82% locality
GS-15 in New York
$158,048 – $205,460
Step 1 to Step 10 · +36.16% locality
GS-9 in Chicago
$62,869 – $81,734
Step 1 to Step 10 · +29.79% locality
GS-11 in Seattle
$76,564 – $99,532
Step 1 to Step 10 · +30.74% locality
What we show
Everything about a GS grade and location.
Step 1 Starting Pay
Exact salary for a new employee at the lowest step in that grade.
Step 10 Maximum Pay
Highest step pay after within-grade increases over time.
Locality Adjustment
The percentage added on top of base pay for your geographic area.
Locality Dollar Increase
How many extra dollars per year locality pay adds.
Full Step Table
All 10 steps with both base pay and locality-adjusted figures.
Base vs. With-Locality
Side-by-side comparison of raw base pay vs. what you actually take home.
40+ Locality Areas
Every OPM-defined pay locality from San Francisco to Rest of U.S.
GS-1 through GS-15
All 15 General Schedule grades covered.
Annual Data Source
Pay tables from OPM, updated each January when new rates take effect.
What does your grade pay in your city?
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