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GS-3 pay scale 2026

$27,708base pay, step 1

Up to $36,024 at step 10, before locality pay.

Rest of U.S.
$32,435
Washington DC
$37,112

GS pay calculator 2026

Yearly pay
$32,435
Monthly
$2,703
Every two weeks
$1,243.20
Hourly
$15.54

Pay before taxes and deductions, from the official 2026 OPM tables. Rest of U.S. GS pay table 2026

GS-3 base pay by step

Step 1Step 2Step 3Step 4Step 5Step 6Step 7Step 8Step 9Step 10
$27,708$28,632$29,556$30,480$31,404$32,328$33,252$34,176$35,100$36,024

GS-3 pay in every locality

LocalityLocality payStep 1Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland46.34%$40,548$52,718
New York-Newark37.95%$38,223$49,695
Los Angeles-Long Beach36.47%$37,813$49,162
Houston-The Woodlands35%$37,406$48,632
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington33.94%$37,112$48,251
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad33.72%$37,051$48,171
Boston-Worcester-Providence32.58%$36,735$47,761
State of Alaska32.36%$36,674$47,681
Hartford-East Hartford32.08%$36,597$47,580
Seattle-Tacoma31.57%$36,455$47,397
Chicago-Naperville30.86%$36,259$47,141
Denver-Aurora30.52%$36,164$47,019
Sacramento-Roseville29.76%$35,954$46,745
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor29.12%$35,777$46,514
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden28.99%$35,741$46,467
Minneapolis-St. Paul27.62%$35,361$45,974
Dallas-Fort Worth27.26%$35,261$45,844
Portland-Vancouver-Salem26.13%$34,948$45,437
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale24.67%$34,544$44,911
Atlanta23.79%$34,300$44,594
Phoenix-Mesa22.45%$33,928$44,111
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha22.42%$33,920$44,101
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean22.41%$33,917$44,097
Richmond22.28%$33,881$44,050
Raleigh-Durham-Cary22.24%$33,870$44,036
Cleveland-Akron-Canton22.23%$33,867$44,032
State of Hawaii22.21%$33,862$44,025
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville22.15%$33,845$44,003
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville21.93%$33,784$43,924
Huntsville-Decatur21.91%$33,779$43,917
Laredo21.59%$33,690$43,802
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering21.42%$33,643$43,740
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton21.03%$33,535$43,600
Albany-Schenectady20.77%$33,463$43,506
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown20.35%$33,347$43,355
Colorado Springs20.15%$33,291$43,283
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington20.03%$33,258$43,240
Charlotte-Concord19.67%$33,158$43,110
Las Vegas-Henderson19.57%$33,130$43,074
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre19.45%$33,097$43,031
Harrisburg-Lebanon19.43%$33,092$43,023
Tucson-Nogales19.28%$33,050$42,969
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City18.97%$32,964$42,858
Davenport-Moline18.93%$32,953$42,843
Virginia Beach-Norfolk18.8%$32,917$42,797
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall18.78%$32,912$42,789
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas18.33%$32,787$42,627
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega18.24%$32,762$42,595
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont18.23%$32,759$42,591
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie18.15%$32,737$42,562
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines18.01%$32,698$42,512
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville17.93%$32,676$42,483
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls17.88%$32,662$42,465
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene17.67%$32,604$42,389
Fresno-Madera-Hanford17.65%$32,598$42,382
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice17.63%$32,593$42,375
Reno-Fernley17.52%$32,562$42,335
Rest of U.S.17.06%$32,435$42,170

Frequently asked questions

How much does a GS-3 make in 2026?

GS-3 base pay is $27,708 to $36,024 a year. With locality pay it is $32,435 to $42,170 in the Rest of U.S. area and $37,112 to $48,251 in Washington DC.

How much is GS-3 an hour?

$13.28 at step 1 and $17.26 at step 10 before locality pay.

Where does a GS-3 make the most?

In San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, which has the highest locality pay.

Other grades

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), 2026 General Schedule salary tables, effective January 2026 (1% general increase to base pay; locality percentages unchanged from 2025). Annual base pay before taxes. Hourly rates are annual pay divided by 2,087 hours, as OPM does.