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Free FERS Tool · 2026
2026 GS Pay Scale — Houston
Locality-adjusted General Schedule pay for Houston-The Woodlands, TX, the OPM pay area covering Houston. Every grade and step below is base pay plus the 35.00% locality add-on, computed with OPM's own formula.
Data current as of January 11, 2026 · Sources: OPM · GSA
What Houston locality pay is worth
Houston carries a locality rate of 35.00%, which ranks #3 of 24 areas on this site. On a GS-13 Step 1 salary that is worth $16,312 a year more than the same grade and step in the Rest of U.S. area ($122,749 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 — Houston (35.00%)
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 — 5 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 | $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 | $57,604 | $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 | $113,548 | $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 |
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 × 0.3500)
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 Houston, plus the Rest of U.S. baseline.
All 24 pay areas
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