Houston locality pay 2026: GS pay table
Houston's 35 % beats Washington, Boston and San Diego. Pick a Texas county below to see if your office is in the area.
GS-12 step 1, Houston, 2026
$103,225
Base $76,463 plus 35 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $76,463 |
| Locality payment, Houston | $26,762 |
| Hourly rate | $49.46 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $3,956.80 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $102,203 (+$1,022) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$3,441 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · OPM table HOU and the 2026 locality definitions
The Houston-The Woodlands locality pay area adds 35 % to General Schedule base pay in 2026. That is the fourth highest percentage of 58, behind only San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and higher than Washington-Baltimore at 33.94 %. The percentage is the same as in 2025; the 1 % raise of January 2026 applied to the base table. A GS-5 step 1 earns $46,979, GS-7 $58,193, GS-9 $71,181, GS-11 $86,123, GS-12 $103,225 and GS-13 $122,749. The 19 counties of the area run from Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria and Galveston out to Walker, Grimes, Washington, Matagorda and Jackson. The pay cap of $197,200 holds 5 GS-15 steps. Inside Texas the contrast is strong: Dallas-Fort Worth is 27.26 %, $5,918 less for a GS-12 step 1, and Austin 20.35 %.
Why Houston outranks Washington
Many federal employees assume the capital pays the most. It does not. Locality percentages are set from Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys that compare federal salaries with non-federal salaries for comparable work in each area. The figure that results for Houston is higher than the one for Washington: the Houston table is 1.06 points higher. In dollars, a GS-13 step 1 earns $122,749 in Houston and $121,785 in Washington. Living costs do not enter the calculation.
The county named Austin is in Houston
Austin County, west of Houston, is listed in the Houston-The Woodlands area. It has nothing to do with the city of Austin, which lies mostly in Travis County (with parts in Williamson, Hays and Bastrop) and belongs to the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown area at 20.35 %. Washington County and Madison County are other names that also appear in other states with other areas. The calculator asks for the state first, then the county, so these traps resolve themselves.
Check a Texas county
Your locality pay area
Houston
| GS-11 step 1 here | $86,123 |
| GS-11 step 1, Rest of U.S. | $74,678 |
| Difference per year | +$11,445 |
Rural counties on the Houston table
The area is larger than the metro region most people picture. North, it takes Walker, Trinity, San Jacinto, Grimes and Madison counties. West, it includes Waller, Austin, Washington and Colorado. South and along the coast, Brazoria, Galveston, Matagorda, Wharton and Jackson. East, Liberty and Chambers. A federal worksite in Huntsville, Texas, in Bay City or in Brenham is paid exactly what one in downtown Houston is.
What the 2026 raise was worth in Houston
Because the percentage was frozen, every Houston rate rose by about the base-table raise. The mini calculator compares your 2025 and 2026 rates for any grade and step.
Your 2026 raise in Houston
Your 2026 raise, GS-11 step 5
+$972
| 2025 annual rate | $96,637 |
| 2026 annual rate | $97,609 |
| Per biweekly paycheck | +$37 |
| Locality percentage | 35 % both years |
Texas has 6 named areas
Besides Houston, Texas has Dallas-Fort Worth at 27.26 %, Austin at 20.35 % and several smaller areas, with the rest of the state in Rest of U.S. at 17.06 %. A reassignment from Houston to a Rest of U.S. county costs a GS-12 step 5 $15,547 a year. Teleworkers keep the Houston rate when they report to the Houston office at least twice each biweekly pay period (5 CFR 531.605); full remote work moves the worksite to the home county.
Capped GS-15 steps
From GS-15 step 6, the Houston rate would exceed $197,200, so those 5 steps all pay the cap. That is more capped cells than San Diego, whose percentage of 33.72 % is lower. The pay cap page has the details.
2026 GS pay table for Houston
| 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 | $43,137 |
| GS-3 | $37,406 | $38,653 | $39,901 | $41,148 | $42,395 | $43,643 | $44,890 | $46,138 | $47,385 | $48,632 |
| GS-4 | $41,989 | $43,389 | $44,789 | $46,189 | $47,589 | $48,989 | $50,389 | $51,789 | $53,189 | $54,589 |
| GS-5 | $46,979 | $48,545 | $50,111 | $51,677 | $53,243 | $54,809 | $56,375 | $57,941 | $59,507 | $61,073 |
| GS-6 | $52,368 | $54,113 | $55,859 | $57,605 | $59,350 | $61,096 | $62,841 | $64,587 | $66,332 | $68,078 |
| GS-7 | $58,193 | $60,133 | $62,073 | $64,013 | $65,953 | $67,893 | $69,833 | $71,773 | $73,713 | $75,653 |
| GS-8 | $64,446 | $66,594 | $68,742 | $70,890 | $73,038 | $75,186 | $77,333 | $79,481 | $81,629 | $83,777 |
| GS-9 | $71,181 | $73,555 | $75,928 | $78,301 | $80,675 | $83,048 | $85,421 | $87,795 | $90,168 | $92,541 |
| GS-10 | $78,386 | $80,999 | $83,611 | $86,223 | $88,835 | $91,448 | $94,060 | $96,672 | $99,284 | $101,897 |
| GS-11 | $86,123 | $88,995 | $91,866 | $94,738 | $97,609 | $100,481 | $103,352 | $106,223 | $109,095 | $111,966 |
| GS-12 | $103,225 | $106,666 | $110,107 | $113,549 | $116,990 | $120,431 | $123,872 | $127,313 | $130,754 | $134,195 |
| GS-13 | $122,749 | $126,841 | $130,932 | $135,024 | $139,116 | $143,208 | $147,300 | $151,392 | $155,484 | $159,575 |
| GS-14 | $145,052 | $149,888 | $154,724 | $159,559 | $164,395 | $169,231 | $174,066 | $178,902 | $183,738 | $188,573 |
| GS-15 | $170,618 | $176,306 | $181,994 | $187,681 | $193,369 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
Counties and cities in this area
Texas: Austin County, Brazoria County, Chambers County, Colorado County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, Grimes County, Harris County, Jackson County, Liberty County, Madison County, Matagorda County, Montgomery County, San Jacinto County, Trinity County, Walker County, Waller County, Washington County, Wharton County.