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Free FERS Tool · 2026
2026 GS Pay Scale — San Diego
Locality-adjusted General Schedule pay for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, the OPM pay area covering San Diego. Every grade and step below is base pay plus the 33.72% locality add-on, computed with OPM's own formula.
Data current as of January 11, 2026 · Sources: OPM · GSA
What San Diego locality pay is worth
San Diego carries a locality rate of 33.72%, which ranks #5 of 24 areas on this site. On a GS-13 Step 1 salary that is worth $15,148 a year more than the same grade and step in the Rest of U.S. area ($121,585 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 — San Diego (33.72%)
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 | $30,199 | $31,212 | $32,216 | $33,216 | $34,218 | $34,805 | $35,798 | $36,798 | $36,840 | $37,773 |
| GS-2 | $33,956 | $34,763 | $35,889 | $36,840 | $37,252 | $38,347 | $39,442 | $40,537 | $41,632 | $42,728 |
| GS-3 | $37,051 | $38,287 | $39,522 | $40,758 | $41,993 | $43,229 | $44,465 | $45,700 | $46,936 | $48,171 |
| GS-4 | $41,591 | $42,978 | $44,364 | $45,751 | $47,138 | $48,524 | $49,911 | $51,298 | $52,684 | $54,071 |
| GS-5 | $46,533 | $48,084 | $49,636 | $51,187 | $52,738 | $54,289 | $55,840 | $57,391 | $58,942 | $60,494 |
| GS-6 | $51,871 | $53,600 | $55,329 | $57,058 | $58,787 | $60,516 | $62,245 | $63,974 | $65,703 | $67,432 |
| GS-7 | $57,641 | $59,563 | $61,484 | $63,406 | $65,328 | $67,249 | $69,171 | $71,092 | $73,014 | $74,935 |
| GS-8 | $63,835 | $65,963 | $68,090 | $70,218 | $72,345 | $74,473 | $76,600 | $78,728 | $80,855 | $82,983 |
| GS-9 | $70,507 | $72,857 | $75,208 | $77,559 | $79,910 | $82,261 | $84,611 | $86,962 | $89,313 | $91,664 |
| GS-10 | $77,643 | $80,231 | $82,818 | $85,406 | $87,993 | $90,581 | $93,168 | $95,756 | $98,343 | $100,931 |
| GS-11 | $85,307 | $88,151 | $90,995 | $93,839 | $96,684 | $99,528 | $102,372 | $105,216 | $108,060 | $110,905 |
| GS-12 | $102,246 | $105,655 | $109,063 | $112,472 | $115,880 | $119,289 | $122,697 | $126,106 | $129,515 | $132,923 |
| GS-13 | $121,585 | $125,638 | $129,691 | $133,744 | $137,797 | $141,850 | $145,903 | $149,956 | $154,009 | $158,062 |
| GS-14 | $143,677 | $148,467 | $153,256 | $158,046 | $162,836 | $167,626 | $172,416 | $177,206 | $181,996 | $186,785 |
| GS-15 | $169,001 | $174,634 | $180,268 | $185,902 | $191,535 | $197,169 | $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 × 0.3372)
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 San Diego, plus the Rest of U.S. baseline.
All 24 pay areas
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