Dallas-Fort Worth locality pay 2026: GS pay table
North Texas and three Oklahoma counties share a 27.26 % rate. Choose your county to see whether your duty station is on this table.
GS-12 step 1, Dallas-Fort Worth, 2026
$97,307
Base $76,463 plus 27.26 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $76,463 |
| Locality payment, Dallas-Fort Worth | $20,844 |
| Hourly rate | $46.63 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $3,730.40 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $96,343 (+$964) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$3,244 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · OPM table DFW and the 2026 locality definitions
Federal workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth locality pay area earn 27.26 % above the General Schedule base table in 2026, the same percentage as in 2025. That ranks the area 17th of 58, in the upper third but well below Houston at 35 %. Annual step 1 rates are $44,285 for GS-5, $54,857 for GS-7, $67,100 for GS-9, $81,186 for GS-11, $97,307 for GS-12, $115,711 for GS-13 and $136,736 for GS-14. The area holds 29 counties: 26 in Texas, from Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton out to Grayson, Henderson, Navarro and Palo Pinto, and 3 across the Red River in Oklahoma (Bryan County, Carter County, Love County). The $197,200 cap affects 3 GS-15 steps, starting at step 8. Comparing the two big Texas tables, a GS-12 step 1 earns $5,918 more in Houston than in Dallas-Fort Worth, so a move between the two cities changes pay more than most promotions within a grade.
The Oklahoma counties
Only 3 Oklahoma counties appear anywhere in the 2026 locality definitions, and all of them are in this area: Bryan County, Carter County, Love County. That gives worksites in Durant and Ardmore a higher table than Oklahoma City or Tulsa, which are Rest of U.S. at 17.06 %. For a GS-11 step 1 the difference is $6,508 a year in favor of the smaller towns near the Texas line.
Is your Oklahoma or Texas county in Dallas-Fort Worth?
Your locality pay area
Dallas-Fort Worth
| GS-11 step 1 here | $81,186 |
| GS-11 step 1, Rest of U.S. | $74,678 |
| Difference per year | +$6,508 |
A wide circle around the Metroplex
Beyond the core of Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Kaufman, Ellis, Johnson and Parker, the Texas list covers a ring that people outside the region rarely picture as Dallas. To the north: Cooke, Grayson, Fannin and Montague. To the east: Hunt, Rains, Van Zandt, Hopkins, Delta and Henderson. To the south and west: Navarro, Hill, Hood, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Jack and Wise. All 26 counties use one table.
Houston, Austin and Dallas side by side
| Grade, step 1 | Dallas-Fort Worth | Houston | Austin | Rest of U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-7 | $54,857 | $58,193 | $51,878 | $50,460 |
| GS-9 | $67,100 | $71,181 | $63,457 | $61,722 |
| GS-11 | $81,186 | $86,123 | $76,777 | $74,678 |
| GS-12 | $97,307 | $103,225 | $92,023 | $89,508 |
| GS-13 | $115,711 | $122,749 | $109,428 | $106,437 |
The order surprises newcomers: Houston pays more than Dallas, and Dallas pays more than Austin. These figures come from comparisons with private and other non-federal salaries, area by area, not from prices or rents.
Moving within Texas
A reassignment from Fort Worth to Houston at the same grade and step raises pay by the gap in the table. At GS-12 step 5 it is $6,708 a year. The reverse move to Austin lowers the same cell by $5,988. If the move comes with a promotion, the promotion calculator applies the two-step rule first and the new area afterward.
Teleworkers in North Texas
The pay area is the one of the official worksite. Under 5 CFR 531.605, an employee who reports to a Dallas or Fort Worth office at least twice each biweekly pay period keeps that office as the worksite, even if home is in a Rest of U.S. county such as one near Waco or Wichita Falls. On full remote work, the home county decides.
At the top of the scale
GS-15 steps 8 to 10 are capped at $197,200; GS-14 step 10 pays $177,762. With 3 capped steps, Dallas has fewer flat cells than Houston, where the higher percentage reaches the cap sooner.
2026 GS pay table for Dallas-Fort Worth
| 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 | $36,464 | $37,388 | $38,312 | $39,236 | $40,160 | $41,141 | $42,316 | $43,492 | $44,668 | $45,844 |
| GS-4 | $39,582 | $40,901 | $42,221 | $43,541 | $44,860 | $46,180 | $47,500 | $48,819 | $50,139 | $51,459 |
| GS-5 | $44,285 | $45,761 | $47,238 | $48,714 | $50,190 | $51,666 | $53,143 | $54,619 | $56,095 | $57,571 |
| GS-6 | $49,365 | $51,011 | $52,656 | $54,302 | $55,947 | $57,593 | $59,238 | $60,884 | $62,529 | $64,175 |
| GS-7 | $54,857 | $56,685 | $58,514 | $60,343 | $62,172 | $64,000 | $65,829 | $67,658 | $69,487 | $71,315 |
| GS-8 | $60,751 | $62,776 | $64,801 | $66,825 | $68,850 | $70,875 | $72,900 | $74,924 | $76,949 | $78,974 |
| GS-9 | $67,100 | $69,338 | $71,575 | $73,812 | $76,049 | $78,287 | $80,524 | $82,761 | $84,998 | $87,235 |
| GS-10 | $73,892 | $76,355 | $78,817 | $81,280 | $83,742 | $86,205 | $88,667 | $91,130 | $93,592 | $96,055 |
| GS-11 | $81,186 | $83,892 | $86,599 | $89,306 | $92,013 | $94,720 | $97,426 | $100,133 | $102,840 | $105,547 |
| GS-12 | $97,307 | $100,551 | $103,795 | $107,038 | $110,282 | $113,526 | $116,770 | $120,014 | $123,258 | $126,502 |
| GS-13 | $115,711 | $119,568 | $123,426 | $127,283 | $131,140 | $134,997 | $138,855 | $142,712 | $146,569 | $150,426 |
| GS-14 | $136,736 | $141,294 | $145,853 | $150,411 | $154,970 | $159,528 | $164,086 | $168,645 | $173,203 | $177,762 |
| GS-15 | $160,836 | $166,198 | $171,559 | $176,921 | $182,282 | $187,644 | $193,005 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
Counties and cities in this area
Oklahoma: Bryan County, Carter County, Love County.
Texas: Collin County, Cooke County, Dallas County, Delta County, Denton County, Ellis County, Fannin County, Grayson County, Henderson County, Hill County, Hood County, Hopkins County, Hunt County, Jack County, Johnson County, Kaufman County, Montague County, Navarro County, Palo Pinto County, Parker County, Rains County, Rockwall County, Somervell County, Tarrant County, Van Zandt County, Wise County.