2026 GS Pay Scale — Rest of U.S.

Locality-adjusted General Schedule pay for Rest of U.S., the OPM pay area covering Rest of U.S.. Every grade and step below is base pay plus the 17.06% locality add-on, computed with OPM's own formula.

Data current as of January 11, 2026 · Sources: OPM · GSA

17.06%

Locality rate

$106,437

GS-13 Step 1

—

Baseline area

#24

Of 24 areas

What Rest of U.S. locality pay is worth

Rest of U.S. is the baseline pay area. It covers every location not assigned to one of OPM's named metropolitan areas, and it carries the lowest locality rate of any area — 17.06%. Every other locality on this site pays more than this table, so the difference between RUS and a named area is the clearest way to see what a duty station is actually worth.

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.

Locality pay counts toward your High-3. Because it is basic pay, the difference above compounds into your annuity — not just your paycheck. Calculate your High-3 →

2026 pay table — Rest of U.S. (17.06%)

Annual locality-adjusted salary by grade and step. Figures are rounded to the dollar.

Grade	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4	Step 5	Step 6	Step 7	Step 8	Step 9	Step 10
GS-1	$26,437	$27,323	$28,202	$29,078	$29,954	$30,468	$31,338	$32,214	$32,250	$33,067
GS-2	$29,725	$30,432	$31,418	$32,250	$32,611	$33,569	$34,528	$35,487	$36,445	$37,404
GS-3	$32,435	$33,517	$34,598	$35,680	$36,762	$37,843	$38,925	$40,006	$41,088	$42,170
GS-4	$36,409	$37,623	$38,837	$40,051	$41,265	$42,479	$43,693	$44,907	$46,120	$47,334
GS-5	$40,736	$42,094	$43,452	$44,809	$46,167	$47,525	$48,883	$50,241	$51,599	$52,957
GS-6	$45,409	$46,922	$48,436	$49,950	$51,463	$52,977	$54,490	$56,004	$57,517	$59,031
GS-7	$50,460	$52,142	$53,824	$55,506	$57,188	$58,871	$60,553	$62,235	$63,917	$65,599
GS-8	$55,882	$57,745	$59,607	$61,469	$63,332	$65,194	$67,057	$68,919	$70,781	$72,644
GS-9	$61,722	$63,780	$65,838	$67,896	$69,954	$72,012	$74,070	$76,128	$78,186	$80,243
GS-10	$67,970	$70,235	$72,500	$74,765	$77,030	$79,295	$81,560	$83,825	$86,091	$88,356
GS-11	$74,678	$77,168	$79,658	$82,148	$84,638	$87,128	$89,618	$92,107	$94,597	$97,087
GS-12	$89,508	$92,491	$95,475	$98,459	$101,443	$104,427	$107,411	$110,395	$113,378	$116,362
GS-13	$106,437	$109,985	$113,533	$117,081	$120,629	$124,177	$127,725	$131,273	$134,822	$138,370
GS-14	$125,776	$129,969	$134,162	$138,356	$142,549	$146,742	$150,935	$155,128	$159,321	$163,514
GS-15	$147,945	$152,877	$157,809	$162,740	$167,672	$172,604	$177,536	$182,467	$187,399	$192,331

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 × 0.1706)
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 Rest of U.S..

Indianapolis18.15%Kansas City18.97%Pittsburgh21.03%Dayton21.42%Huntsville21.91%

All 24 pay areas

Need a different grade, step, or a biweekly figure? Use the GS pay calculator → — it covers every area, shows the base/locality split, and flags the pay cap.

FH / Full Analysis

Your GS pay in Rest of U.S. is one input. Your full report combines pension, supplement, survivor election, and FEHB into one decision.

Get the Report — Free →

All math runs in your browser — the numbers you enter are never sent to us or stored on our servers.

These are planning estimates, not official OPM benefit determinations. Verify your eligibility, service history and benefit estimates against your agency's official records before making retirement decisions.

Related tools

More on this topic: Pay and service credit — articles and tools · All tools