Washington-Baltimore-Arlington GS pay scale 2026
Locality pay of 33.94% for the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA pay area. Annual pay from $30,249 (GS-1, step 1) to $197,200 (GS-15, step 10).
GS pay calculator 2026
- Yearly pay
- $70,623
- Monthly
- $5,885
- Every two weeks
- $2,707.20
- Hourly
- $33.84
Pay before taxes and deductions, from the official 2026 OPM tables. Washington-Baltimore-Arlington GS pay table 2026
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington annual pay by grade and step
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $30,249 | $31,263 | $32,269 | $33,271 | $34,274 | $34,862 | $35,857 | $36,859 | $36,900 | $37,835 |
| GS-2 | $34,011 | $34,820 | $35,948 | $36,900 | $37,313 | $38,410 | $39,507 | $40,604 | $41,701 | $42,798 |
| GS-3 | $37,112 | $38,350 | $39,587 | $40,825 | $42,063 | $43,300 | $44,538 | $45,775 | $47,013 | $48,251 |
| GS-4 | $41,659 | $43,048 | $44,437 | $45,826 | $47,215 | $48,604 | $49,993 | $51,382 | $52,771 | $54,160 |
| GS-5 | $46,610 | $48,163 | $49,717 | $51,271 | $52,825 | $54,378 | $55,932 | $57,486 | $59,039 | $60,593 |
| GS-6 | $51,957 | $53,689 | $55,420 | $57,152 | $58,884 | $60,616 | $62,348 | $64,080 | $65,811 | $67,543 |
| GS-7 | $57,736 | $59,661 | $61,586 | $63,510 | $65,435 | $67,360 | $69,284 | $71,209 | $73,134 | $75,059 |
| GS-8 | $63,940 | $66,071 | $68,202 | $70,333 | $72,464 | $74,595 | $76,726 | $78,857 | $80,988 | $83,119 |
| GS-9 | $70,623 | $72,977 | $75,332 | $77,687 | $80,041 | $82,396 | $84,751 | $87,105 | $89,460 | $91,815 |
| GS-10 | $77,771 | $80,363 | $82,954 | $85,546 | $88,138 | $90,730 | $93,321 | $95,913 | $98,505 | $101,097 |
| GS-11 | $85,447 | $88,296 | $91,145 | $93,994 | $96,843 | $99,692 | $102,540 | $105,389 | $108,238 | $111,087 |
| GS-12 | $102,415 | $105,829 | $109,243 | $112,657 | $116,071 | $119,485 | $122,899 | $126,313 | $129,728 | $133,142 |
| GS-13 | $121,785 | $125,845 | $129,904 | $133,964 | $138,024 | $142,084 | $146,143 | $150,203 | $154,263 | $158,322 |
| GS-14 | $143,913 | $148,711 | $153,509 | $158,306 | $163,104 | $167,902 | $172,700 | $177,497 | $182,295 | $187,093 |
| GS-15 | $169,279 | $174,922 | $180,565 | $186,207 | $191,850 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
Hourly pay
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 5 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $14.49 | $16.42 | $18.13 |
| GS-2 | $16.30 | $17.88 | $20.51 |
| GS-3 | $17.78 | $20.15 | $23.12 |
| GS-4 | $19.96 | $22.62 | $25.95 |
| GS-5 | $22.33 | $25.31 | $29.03 |
| GS-6 | $24.90 | $28.21 | $32.36 |
| GS-7 | $27.66 | $31.35 | $35.97 |
| GS-8 | $30.64 | $34.72 | $39.83 |
| GS-9 | $33.84 | $38.35 | $43.99 |
| GS-10 | $37.26 | $42.23 | $48.44 |
| GS-11 | $40.94 | $46.40 | $53.23 |
| GS-12 | $49.07 | $55.62 | $63.80 |
| GS-13 | $58.35 | $66.14 | $75.86 |
| GS-14 | $68.96 | $78.15 | $89.65 |
| GS-15 | $81.11 | $91.93 | $94.49 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the locality pay for Washington-Baltimore-Arlington in 2026?
33.94% on top of base pay.
How much does a GS-9 make in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington?
From $70,623 at step 1 to $91,815 at step 10 a year in 2026.
How much does a GS-12 make in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington?
From $102,415 at step 1 to $133,142 at step 10 a year in 2026.
How much does a GS-13 make in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington?
From $121,785 at step 1 to $158,322 at step 10 a year in 2026.
What is the highest GS salary in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington?
$197,200 a year for GS-15, step 10, limited by the pay cap for General Schedule employees.
How much does a GS-7 law enforcement officer make in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington?
$65,435 a year at step 1 in 2026, against $57,736 for other GS-7 employees, because law enforcement officers at GS-3 to GS-10 are paid special base rates.
Other locality pay areas
- Albany-Schenectady20.77%
- Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas18.33%
- Atlanta23.79%
- Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown20.35%
- Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega18.24%
- Boston-Worcester-Providence32.58%
- Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean22.41%
- Burlington-South Burlington-Barre19.45%
- Charlotte-Concord19.67%
- Chicago-Naperville30.86%
- Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville21.93%
- Cleveland-Akron-Canton22.23%
- Colorado Springs20.15%
- Columbus-Marion-Zanesville22.15%
- Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice17.63%
- Dallas-Fort Worth27.26%
- Davenport-Moline18.93%
- Dayton-Springfield-Kettering21.42%
- Denver-Aurora30.52%
- Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines18.01%
- Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor29.12%
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford17.65%
- Harrisburg-Lebanon19.43%
- Hartford-East Hartford32.08%
- Houston-The Woodlands35%
- Huntsville-Decatur21.91%
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie18.15%
- Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City18.97%
- Laredo21.59%
- Las Vegas-Henderson19.57%
- Los Angeles-Long Beach36.47%
- Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale24.67%
- Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha22.42%
- Minneapolis-St. Paul27.62%
- New York-Newark37.95%
- Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont18.23%
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville17.93%
- Philadelphia-Reading-Camden28.99%
- Phoenix-Mesa22.45%
- Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton21.03%
- Portland-Vancouver-Salem26.13%
- Raleigh-Durham-Cary22.24%
- Reno-Fernley17.52%
- Rest of U.S.17.06%
- Richmond22.28%
- Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls17.88%
- Sacramento-Roseville29.76%
- San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall18.78%
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad33.72%
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland46.34%
- Seattle-Tacoma31.57%
- Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene17.67%
- St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington20.03%
- State of Alaska32.36%
- State of Hawaii22.21%
- Tucson-Nogales19.28%
- Virginia Beach-Norfolk18.8%
- Washington-Baltimore-Arlington33.94%
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.