How Are 2026 GS Pay Scales with Locality Calculated?

Will the GS Pay Scales Increase in 2026?

On August 28, 2025, the Trump Administration submitted an alternative plan for pay adjustments for Civilian Federal Employees. This proposal includes a 1.0% across the board pay increase, as well as a higher pay raise of 3.8% for certain Federal law enforcement personnel. This aligns with the White House’s proposed 2026 Federal military budget.  

According to the president’s letter, locality pay will not increase next year, unlike 2025. However, some locality areas may still change as recommended, so some Federal employees may be reclassified into a higher-paying locality. 

This proposed plan comes as a surprise to Federal employees, as the original 2026 Federal budget did not initially include any pay raise for Federal employees. Feds received a 2.0% overall increase in 2025. 

President Trump’s proposal will not be finalized until later this year, with Congress having the ability to pass alternative legislation (though this remains unlikely). 

Changes to the GS Pay Scales in 2026 

For 2026, the Federal Salary Council recommended establishing 11 new locality pay areas: 

• Alexandria, LA 
• Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC 
• Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN/VA 
• Kennewick-Richland-Walla Walla, WA 
• Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville, TN 
• Rapid City-Spearfish, SD 
• Roanoke, VA 
• Syracuse-Auburn, NY 
• Waco, TX 
• Watertown-Fort Drum, NY 
• Wichita-Winfield, KS 

How Are GS Pay Scales Calculated?

The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) uses three factors to calculate GS pay scales. This system applies to most Civilian Feds under the General Schedule, excluding those covered by Executive and Senior Level Pay Tables. 

Factor 1: GS Pay Grade

The GS Pay Grade system includes 15 categories of pay ranges. GS-1 is the lowest, and GS-15 is the highest. Jobs are assigned a grade based on the level of responsibility, qualifications, and experience. For example, a position that requires a high school diploma but no experience in that field may be a GS-2 position. A position that requires a master’s degree is usually a GS-9. 

Factor 2: GS Pay Step System 

The GS Pay Step system divides each pay grade into 10 steps. Each step is worth about 3% of the employee’s salary, so the higher the step, the higher the salary. Promotions and seniority-based milestones lead to higher steps. In general, it takes 18 years to move from the lowest to the highest step within a single grade.  

Factor 3: Locality 

Locality relates to the region where the employee works. This factor adjusts the base rate of pay for the cost of living in a geographic area. While each position is assigned to a specific grade, and each employee is assigned to a step within that grade, the pay rate will vary by location. This ensures fair compensation in high-cost areas like California or major metropolitan areas. 

While the system may seem complicated, these three factors help address the most fundamental questions involved in compensating a workforce: 

• The differences between positions in terms of responsibilities, difficulties, requirements, etc.
• The need to compensate long-term workers for their service. 
• The cost-of-living differences when the workforce is located all over the country. 

How Is the Locality Adjustment Calculated? 

Of the three determining factors, locality adjustments can be the most complicated to predict. The amount of the adjustment is calculated as a percentage rate based on data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Annual National Compensation Survey. This tool gathers data on compensation from government and non-government sectors in locations all over the country. This information is then compared to the base pay of federal employees in similar positions to calculate the locality pay adjustment factor. 

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines 53 locality areas that OPM uses in setting locality adjustments for all 50 states and all United States territories and possessions. OMB uses defined Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Combined Statistical Areas for this purpose. Hawaii and Alaska have their own pay scales, and 51 other locality areas center on major metropolitan areas. Locations inside the continental United States that don’t fall into an established locality area are grouped as “Rest of United States.” 

Year over year, OPM recommends changes as needed. The President recommends wholesale adjustments to the pay scales, and they are then approved by Congress each year. Federal employees working abroad are not eligible for locality pay adjustments. 

How Can I Use the Locality Pay Adjustment Factor Information? 

Civilian Feds often earn more because of the locality pay adjustment factor. You can find the adjustment rate for your locality by visiting the locality area pay definitions published by OPM. This tool is also useful if you’re considering applying for a similar position in a different part of the country; you can estimate how much higher or lower the pay might be in a new location. 

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