GS-15 pay scale 2026 by step and locality
The top grade of the General Schedule, where locality pay runs into the Executive Schedule ceiling. Choose your county to see whether your step is capped.
GS-15 step 1, Washington DC, 2026
$169,279
Base $126,384 plus 33.94 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $126,384 |
| Locality payment, Washington DC | $42,895 |
| Hourly rate | $81.11 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $6,488.80 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $167,603 (+$1,676) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$5,643 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · 2026 OPM tables, rebuilt cell by cell
GS-15 is the highest General Schedule grade, held by senior managers, division directors and top technical experts. In 2026 the base rate runs from $126,384 at step 1 to $164,301 at step 10, and locality pay brings step 1 to $147,945 in Rest of U.S., $169,279 in the Washington area and $184,950 in San Francisco. Step 10 in Rest of U.S. pays $192,331. No GS rate can exceed the rate of Executive Schedule level IV, $197,200 in 2026, and at GS-15 that cap is real: it holds down at least one step in 37 of the 58 locality areas. In San Francisco, 8 of the 10 steps are paid exactly $197,200; in New York, 6; in Washington, 5. Only 21 areas, Rest of U.S. among them, pay every GS-15 step in full. The result is pay compression: in those capped cells, step increases, promotions into the grade and the annual raise stop adding money.
Capped cells, area by area
The cap is set by law as the rate of level IV of the Executive Schedule. It does not touch the base table; it trims the locality rate. Here are the areas where GS-15 runs into it in 2026, ranked by the number of steps paid at $197,200.
| Locality area | Locality % | Steps at the cap | First capped step |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 46.34 % | 8 | Step 3 |
| New York | 37.95 % | 6 | Step 5 |
| Houston | 35 % | 5 | Step 6 |
| Los Angeles | 36.47 % | 5 | Step 6 |
| Washington DC | 33.94 % | 5 | Step 6 |
| Alaska | 32.36 % | 4 | Step 7 |
| Boston | 32.58 % | 4 | Step 7 |
| Chicago | 30.86 % | 4 | Step 7 |
| Denver | 30.52 % | 4 | Step 7 |
| Hartford | 32.08 % | 4 | Step 7 |
| San Diego | 33.72 % | 4 | Step 7 |
| Seattle | 31.57 % | 4 | Step 7 |
In San Francisco the uncapped step 10 rate would be $240,438, or $43,238 above what you are paid. Every area with a locality percentage close to that level stops several steps short of step 10. The pay cap page lists every capped cell at every grade.
Check your GS-15 step against the cap
GS-15 step 10 in New York
$197,200
| Base rate | $164,301 |
| Uncapped locality rate | $226,653 |
| Pay cap (EX-IV) | $197,200 |
| Cells capped in this area | 6 |
What compression does to a career
Once you are at the cap, three things you would normally count on are worth nothing in pay. A within-grade increase moves you to a higher step at the same $197,200. An across-the-board raise lifts the base table, but the locality rate stays at the cap unless the Executive Schedule rate itself rises. And a promotion can be empty: a GS-14 step 9 in San Francisco is already paid $197,200, and promotion to GS-15 step 3 pays $197,200, a raise of $0. In Washington, where fewer steps are capped, the same move from GS-14 step 6 still pays $12,663 more, landing at GS-15 step 3.
Compression also flattens differences between people: a new GS-15 and a 20-year GS-15 can show the same salary on their leave and earnings statements.
Retiring from GS-15
A capped salary also caps the high-3, since FERS uses basic pay with locality. An employee born in 1966 who retires at 62 with 28 years and three years at $197,200 receives 1.1 % per year of service: about $60,738 a year, $5,061 a month, before any survivor election. The high-3 guide shows how a capped final year compares with earlier ones.
Above GS-15
The General Schedule ends here. The next level for a manager is the Senior Executive Service, and for some scientists and experts the senior-level and scientific or professional systems. Those are separate pay systems with their own rules and are not covered on this site. The time-in-grade rule for a GS-14 moving to GS-15, 52 weeks, applies until January 18, 2027; OPM's final rule removes it from January 19, 2027.
GS-15 in all 58 locality areas
| Locality area | Step 1 | Step 5 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $184,950 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
| New York | $174,347 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
| Los Angeles | $172,476 | $195,474 | $197,200 |
| Houston | $170,618 | $193,369 | $197,200 |
| Washington DC | $169,279 | $191,850 | $197,200 |
| San Diego | $169,001 | $191,535 | $197,200 |
| Boston | $167,560 | $189,902 | $197,200 |
| Alaska | $167,282 | $189,587 | $197,200 |
| Hartford | $166,928 | $189,186 | $197,200 |
| Seattle | $166,283 | $188,456 | $197,200 |
| Chicago | $165,386 | $187,439 | $197,200 |
| Denver | $164,956 | $186,952 | $197,200 |
| Sacramento | $163,996 | $185,863 | $197,200 |
| Detroit | $163,187 | $184,946 | $197,200 |
| Philadelphia | $163,023 | $184,760 | $197,200 |
| Minneapolis | $161,291 | $182,798 | $197,200 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $160,836 | $182,282 | $197,200 |
| Portland | $159,408 | $180,664 | $197,200 |
| Miami | $157,563 | $178,572 | $197,200 |
| Atlanta | $156,451 | $177,312 | $197,200 |
| Phoenix | $154,757 | $175,392 | $197,200 |
| Milwaukee | $154,719 | $175,350 | $197,200 |
| Buffalo | $154,707 | $175,335 | $197,200 |
| Richmond | $154,542 | $175,149 | $197,200 |
| Raleigh | $154,492 | $175,092 | $197,200 |
| Cleveland | $154,479 | $175,077 | $197,200 |
| Hawaii | $154,454 | $175,049 | $197,200 |
| Columbus | $154,378 | $174,963 | $197,200 |
| Cincinnati | $154,100 | $174,648 | $197,200 |
| Huntsville | $154,075 | $174,619 | $197,200 |
| Laredo | $153,670 | $174,161 | $197,200 |
| Dayton | $153,455 | $173,917 | $197,200 |
| Pittsburgh | $152,963 | $173,359 | $197,200 |
| Albany | $152,634 | $172,986 | $197,200 |
| Austin | $152,103 | $172,385 | $197,200 |
| Colorado Springs | $151,850 | $172,098 | $197,200 |
| St. Louis | $151,699 | $171,926 | $197,200 |
| Charlotte | $151,244 | $171,411 | $196,619 |
| Las Vegas | $151,117 | $171,267 | $196,455 |
| Burlington | $150,966 | $171,095 | $196,258 |
| Harrisburg | $150,940 | $171,067 | $196,225 |
| Tucson | $150,751 | $170,852 | $195,978 |
| Kansas City | $150,359 | $170,408 | $195,469 |
| Davenport | $150,308 | $170,351 | $195,403 |
| Virginia Beach | $150,144 | $170,164 | $195,190 |
| San Antonio | $150,119 | $170,136 | $195,157 |
| Albuquerque | $149,550 | $169,491 | $194,417 |
| Birmingham | $149,436 | $169,362 | $194,270 |
| Omaha | $149,424 | $169,348 | $194,253 |
| Indianapolis | $149,323 | $169,233 | $194,122 |
| Des Moines | $149,146 | $169,033 | $193,892 |
| Palm Bay | $149,045 | $168,918 | $193,760 |
| Rochester | $148,981 | $168,847 | $193,678 |
| Spokane | $148,716 | $168,546 | $193,333 |
| Fresno | $148,691 | $168,517 | $193,300 |
| Corpus Christi | $148,665 | $168,489 | $193,267 |
| Reno | $148,526 | $168,331 | $193,087 |
| Rest of U.S. | $147,945 | $167,672 | $192,331 |