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GS-5 pay scale 2026

$34,799base pay, step 1

Up to $45,239 at step 10, before locality pay.

Rest of U.S.
$40,736
Washington DC
$46,610

GS pay calculator 2026

Yearly pay
$40,736
Monthly
$3,395
Every two weeks
$1,561.60
Hourly
$19.52

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

GS-5 base pay by step

Step 1Step 2Step 3Step 4Step 5Step 6Step 7Step 8Step 9Step 10
$34,799$35,959$37,119$38,279$39,439$40,599$41,759$42,919$44,079$45,239

GS-5 pay in every locality

LocalityLocality payStep 1Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland46.34%$50,925$66,203
New York-Newark37.95%$48,005$62,407
Los Angeles-Long Beach36.47%$47,490$61,738
Houston-The Woodlands35%$46,979$61,073
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington33.94%$46,610$60,593
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad33.72%$46,533$60,494
Boston-Worcester-Providence32.58%$46,137$59,978
State of Alaska32.36%$46,060$59,878
Hartford-East Hartford32.08%$45,963$59,752
Seattle-Tacoma31.57%$45,785$59,521
Chicago-Naperville30.86%$45,538$59,200
Denver-Aurora30.52%$45,420$59,046
Sacramento-Roseville29.76%$45,155$58,702
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor29.12%$44,932$58,413
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden28.99%$44,887$58,354
Minneapolis-St. Paul27.62%$44,410$57,734
Dallas-Fort Worth27.26%$44,285$57,571
Portland-Vancouver-Salem26.13%$43,892$57,060
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale24.67%$43,384$56,399
Atlanta23.79%$43,078$56,001
Phoenix-Mesa22.45%$42,611$55,395
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha22.42%$42,601$55,382
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean22.41%$42,597$55,377
Richmond22.28%$42,552$55,318
Raleigh-Durham-Cary22.24%$42,538$55,300
Cleveland-Akron-Canton22.23%$42,535$55,296
State of Hawaii22.21%$42,528$55,287
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville22.15%$42,507$55,259
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville21.93%$42,430$55,160
Huntsville-Decatur21.91%$42,423$55,151
Laredo21.59%$42,312$55,006
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering21.42%$42,253$54,929
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton21.03%$42,117$54,753
Albany-Schenectady20.77%$42,027$54,635
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown20.35%$41,881$54,445
Colorado Springs20.15%$41,811$54,355
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington20.03%$41,769$54,300
Charlotte-Concord19.67%$41,644$54,138
Las Vegas-Henderson19.57%$41,609$54,092
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre19.45%$41,567$54,038
Harrisburg-Lebanon19.43%$41,560$54,029
Tucson-Nogales19.28%$41,508$53,961
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City18.97%$41,400$53,821
Davenport-Moline18.93%$41,386$53,803
Virginia Beach-Norfolk18.8%$41,341$53,744
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall18.78%$41,334$53,735
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas18.33%$41,178$53,531
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega18.24%$41,146$53,491
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont18.23%$41,143$53,486
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie18.15%$41,115$53,450
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines18.01%$41,066$53,387
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville17.93%$41,038$53,350
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls17.88%$41,021$53,328
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene17.67%$40,948$53,233
Fresno-Madera-Hanford17.65%$40,941$53,224
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice17.63%$40,934$53,215
Reno-Fernley17.52%$40,896$53,165
Rest of U.S.17.06%$40,736$52,957

Frequently asked questions

How much does a GS-5 make in 2026?

GS-5 base pay is $34,799 to $45,239 a year. With locality pay it is $40,736 to $52,957 in the Rest of U.S. area and $46,610 to $60,593 in Washington DC.

How much is GS-5 an hour?

$16.67 at step 1 and $21.68 at step 10 before locality pay.

Where does a GS-5 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.