Boston locality pay 2026: GS pay table
Six New England states share one Boston rate of 32.58 %. Pick your state and county to see whether your office is inside.
GS-12 step 1, Boston, 2026
$101,375
Base $76,463 plus 32.58 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $76,463 |
| Locality payment, Boston | $24,912 |
| Hourly rate | $48.57 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $3,885.60 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $100,371 (+$1,004) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$3,379 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · OPM table BOS and the 2026 locality definitions
The Boston-Worcester-Providence locality pay area adds 32.58 % to General Schedule base pay in 2026, the rate it already had in 2025, and stands 7th among the 58 areas. Its reach is unusual: 31 counties spread over 6 states, 10 in Massachusetts, 9 in New Hampshire, 5 in Rhode Island, 4 in Maine, 2 in Vermont and 1 in Connecticut. Every listed county of Maine and New Hampshire and Rhode Island is in this area. Pay at step 1 runs $46,137 for GS-5, $57,150 for GS-7, $69,905 for GS-9, $84,579 for GS-11, $101,375 for GS-12 and $120,548 for GS-13. At the top, GS-15 steps 7 to 10 stop at the $197,200 cap, 4 capped cells in all. The Hartford area next door is only 0.5 points lower, which makes a GS-12 step 1 just $383 apart between the two.
A state-by-state reading of the list
Massachusetts. The eastern and central counties are in: Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex, Plymouth, Bristol, Worcester, Barnstable and the islands of Dukes and Nantucket. The western part of the state is not. Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties belong to Hartford at 32.08 %, and Berkshire County to Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA at 20.77 %.
Rhode Island. All five counties, from Providence to Newport and Washington, use the Boston table.
New Hampshire and Maine. 9 New Hampshire counties are listed, including Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack, Grafton and Carroll. In Maine the area covers Androscoggin County, Cumberland County, Sagadahoc County, York County. Any other Maine county is Rest of U.S.
Vermont and Connecticut. Two Vermont counties, Orange County and Windsor County, are in Boston, while Chittenden and its neighbors form the Burlington area at 19.45 %. In Connecticut only Windham County belongs to Boston; Hartford and New London counties go to Hartford, and Fairfield and New Haven to New York at 37.95 %.
Check a New Hampshire or Maine duty station
Your locality pay area
Boston
| GS-11 step 1 here | $84,579 |
| GS-11 step 1, Rest of U.S. | $74,678 |
| Difference per year | +$9,901 |
Same name, two states
Bristol County exists in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and both are in this area. Washington County, Rhode Island, is also here, while the Washington counties of Texas, Maryland and Wisconsin belong to Houston, Washington DC and Milwaukee. Essex County, Massachusetts, is Boston; Essex County, New Jersey, is New York. Always pick the state before the county.
Boston or Hartford: a small gap
The two areas are close in percentage, so moving between them changes little. For a GS-13 step 5, Boston pays $136,622 and Hartford $136,107. Moving from Burlington, Vermont, to a Boston-area office is a different story: the same cell gains $13,530.
Teleworking from New Hampshire or Maine
Many people who work in Massachusetts offices live across a state line. The state does not matter for pay. Under 5 CFR 531.605, the official worksite is the office if you are scheduled to report there at least twice each biweekly pay period. For a fully remote employee, the home is the worksite: a home in Portland, Maine (Cumberland County) or in Manchester, New Hampshire (Hillsborough County) is still in the Boston area, while a home in Bangor is not.
The capped steps
Because the percentage is above 30 %, GS-15 crosses the $197,200 limit from step 7. GS-14 step 10 stays below at $185,193. See the pay cap page and GS-15 pay for what this means for a step increase.
2026 GS pay table for Boston
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $35,048 | $35,772 | $36,496 | $37,220 | $37,944 | $38,668 | $39,392 | $40,116 | $40,840 | $41,564 |
| GS-2 | $35,749 | $36,568 | $37,387 | $38,206 | $39,025 | $39,844 | $40,663 | $41,482 | $42,301 | $43,120 |
| GS-3 | $36,735 | $37,960 | $39,185 | $40,410 | $41,635 | $42,860 | $44,086 | $45,311 | $46,536 | $47,761 |
| GS-4 | $41,236 | $42,611 | $43,986 | $45,361 | $46,736 | $48,111 | $49,485 | $50,860 | $52,235 | $53,610 |
| GS-5 | $46,137 | $47,674 | $49,212 | $50,750 | $52,288 | $53,826 | $55,364 | $56,902 | $58,440 | $59,978 |
| GS-6 | $51,429 | $53,143 | $54,858 | $56,572 | $58,286 | $60,000 | $61,715 | $63,429 | $65,143 | $66,857 |
| GS-7 | $57,150 | $59,055 | $60,960 | $62,865 | $64,771 | $66,676 | $68,581 | $70,486 | $72,391 | $74,297 |
| GS-8 | $63,291 | $65,400 | $67,510 | $69,619 | $71,728 | $73,838 | $75,947 | $78,056 | $80,166 | $82,275 |
| GS-9 | $69,905 | $72,236 | $74,567 | $76,898 | $79,228 | $81,559 | $83,890 | $86,221 | $88,552 | $90,882 |
| GS-10 | $76,981 | $79,547 | $82,112 | $84,678 | $87,243 | $89,808 | $92,374 | $94,939 | $97,505 | $100,070 |
| GS-11 | $84,579 | $87,399 | $90,219 | $93,039 | $95,859 | $98,679 | $101,499 | $104,319 | $107,139 | $109,959 |
| GS-12 | $101,375 | $104,754 | $108,134 | $111,513 | $114,893 | $118,272 | $121,651 | $125,031 | $128,410 | $131,790 |
| GS-13 | $120,548 | $124,567 | $128,585 | $132,604 | $136,622 | $140,641 | $144,659 | $148,678 | $152,696 | $156,715 |
| GS-14 | $142,452 | $147,201 | $151,950 | $156,699 | $161,448 | $166,197 | $170,946 | $175,695 | $180,444 | $185,193 |
| GS-15 | $167,560 | $173,146 | $178,731 | $184,317 | $189,902 | $195,488 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
Counties and cities in this area
Connecticut: Windham County.
Massachusetts: Barnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Essex County, Middlesex County, Nantucket County, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Suffolk County, Worcester County.
Maine: Androscoggin County, Cumberland County, Sagadahoc County, York County.
New Hampshire: Belknap County, Carroll County, Cheshire County, Grafton County, Hillsborough County, Merrimack County, Rockingham County, Strafford County, Sullivan County.
Rhode Island: Bristol County, Kent County, Newport County, Providence County, Washington County.
Vermont: Orange County, Windsor County.