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Free FERS Tool · 2026
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
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.
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
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