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Free FERS Tool · 2026
2026 GS Pay Scale — Boston
Locality-adjusted General Schedule pay for Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT, the OPM pay area covering Boston. Every grade and step below is base pay plus the 32.58% locality add-on, computed with OPM's own formula.
Data current as of January 11, 2026 · Sources: OPM · GSA
What Boston locality pay is worth
Boston carries a locality rate of 32.58%, which ranks #6 of 24 areas on this site. On a GS-13 Step 1 salary that is worth $14,111 a year more than the same grade and step in the Rest of U.S. area ($120,548 against $106,437).
Locality pay is not a bonus — it is part of basic pay. That matters for retirement: it counts toward your High-3 average salary, and therefore toward your FERS pension. A move between pay areas late in your career can move your High-3 in either direction.
2026 pay table — Boston (32.58%)
Annual locality-adjusted salary by grade and step. Figures are rounded to the dollar. Cells shown in amber are capped at the Executive Schedule Level IV limit of $197,200 — 4 of 150 cells in this area hit that ceiling.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $29,942 | $30,945 | $31,941 | $32,933 | $33,926 | $34,508 | $35,493 | $36,485 | $36,526 | $37,451 |
| GS-2 | $33,666 | $34,467 | $35,583 | $36,526 | $36,934 | $38,020 | $39,106 | $40,192 | $41,277 | $42,363 |
| GS-3 | $36,735 | $37,960 | $39,185 | $40,410 | $41,635 | $42,860 | $44,086 | $45,311 | $46,536 | $47,761 |
| GS-4 | $41,236 | $42,611 | $43,986 | $45,361 | $46,736 | $48,111 | $49,485 | $50,860 | $52,235 | $53,610 |
| GS-5 | $46,137 | $47,674 | $49,212 | $50,750 | $52,288 | $53,826 | $55,364 | $56,902 | $58,440 | $59,978 |
| GS-6 | $51,429 | $53,143 | $54,858 | $56,572 | $58,286 | $60,000 | $61,715 | $63,429 | $65,143 | $66,857 |
| GS-7 | $57,150 | $59,055 | $60,960 | $62,865 | $64,771 | $66,676 | $68,581 | $70,486 | $72,391 | $74,297 |
| GS-8 | $63,291 | $65,400 | $67,510 | $69,619 | $71,728 | $73,838 | $75,947 | $78,056 | $80,166 | $82,275 |
| GS-9 | $69,905 | $72,236 | $74,567 | $76,898 | $79,228 | $81,559 | $83,890 | $86,221 | $88,552 | $90,882 |
| GS-10 | $76,981 | $79,547 | $82,112 | $84,678 | $87,243 | $89,808 | $92,374 | $94,939 | $97,505 | $100,070 |
| GS-11 | $84,579 | $87,399 | $90,219 | $93,039 | $95,859 | $98,679 | $101,499 | $104,319 | $107,139 | $109,959 |
| GS-12 | $101,375 | $104,754 | $108,134 | $111,513 | $114,893 | $118,272 | $121,651 | $125,031 | $128,410 | $131,790 |
| GS-13 | $120,548 | $124,567 | $128,585 | $132,604 | $136,622 | $140,641 | $144,659 | $148,678 | $152,696 | $156,715 |
| GS-14 | $142,452 | $147,201 | $151,950 | $156,699 | $161,448 | $166,197 | $170,946 | $175,695 | $180,444 | $185,193 |
| GS-15 | $167,560 | $173,146 | $178,731 | $184,317 | $189,902 | $195,488 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
How this table is calculated
OPM publishes a base General Schedule table and a locality percentage for each pay area. The locality add-on is the base rate multiplied by the area percentage and rounded to the nearest dollar; the two are then summed and the result capped at Executive Schedule Level IV.
add-on = round(base × 0.3258)
total = min(base + add-on, $197,200)
5 U.S.C. § 5304 · 5 CFR § 531.214
Compare with other pay areas
Areas with a locality rate closest to Boston, plus the Rest of U.S. baseline.
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