Philadelphia locality pay 2026: GS pay table
Squeezed between New York and Washington, Philadelphia pays 28.99 % across four states. Check your county before you assume.
GS-12 step 1, Philadelphia, 2026
$98,630
Base $76,463 plus 28.99 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $76,463 |
| Locality payment, Philadelphia | $22,167 |
| Hourly rate | $47.26 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $3,780.80 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $97,653 (+$977) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$3,288 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · OPM table PHL and the 2026 locality definitions
The Philadelphia-Reading-Camden locality pay area pays 28.99 % above the General Schedule base table in 2026, the rate set in 2025 and frozen for this year. It ranks 15th of 58 areas and sits between two higher neighbors: New York-Newark at 37.95 % and Washington-Baltimore at 33.94 %. The table gives $44,887 at GS-5 step 1, $55,602 at GS-7, $68,013 at GS-9, $82,289 at GS-11, $98,630 at GS-12, $117,284 at GS-13 and $138,595 at GS-14. The area has 21 counties in four states: 7 in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, its suburbs, Berks and Schuylkill), 7 in southern New Jersey, 3 in Delaware, which is the whole state, and 4 in Maryland (Cecil County, Somerset County, Wicomico County, Worcester County). GS-15 is capped at $197,200 from step 8, 3 steps in all. A worksite that falls on the New York side of the line in New Jersey pays a GS-12 step 1 $6,851 more; one on the Washington side in Maryland, $3,785 more.
Between two higher areas
Philadelphia's geography makes its boundaries matter more than most. North and east, the New York area takes Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. South and west, the Washington area takes York and Adams counties in Pennsylvania and most of Maryland. West, Lancaster, Lebanon and Dauphin belong to Harrisburg at 19.43 %. Whichever direction a duty station moves, the rate changes.
The Delmarva split, county by county
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is divided. Cecil County at the top and the three southern counties of Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset are in Philadelphia. The middle of the shore, Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Talbot, Queen Anne's counties, is in Washington-Baltimore. So a worksite in Salisbury (Wicomico) is on the 28.99 % table while one in Cambridge (Dorchester) is on the 33.94 % table. In Delaware there is no split: all three counties, New Castle, Kent and Sussex, belong to Philadelphia.
Check an Eastern Shore or Delaware worksite
Your locality pay area
Philadelphia
| GS-11 step 1 here | $82,289 |
| GS-11 step 1, Rest of U.S. | $74,678 |
| Difference per year | +$7,611 |
Southern New Jersey
The New Jersey part of the area is the seven southern counties: Atlantic County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Salem County. Burlington County is in Philadelphia, but OPM lists Fort Dix, McGuire Air Force Base and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst by name in the New York area. If your SF-50 names the joint base as the duty station, the New York table applies, $5,716 more for a GS-11 step 1.
What the neighbors pay
| Grade, step 1 | Philadelphia | New York | Washington | Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 | $68,013 | $72,737 | $70,623 | $62,972 |
| GS-11 | $82,289 | $88,005 | $85,447 | $76,190 |
| GS-12 | $98,630 | $105,481 | $102,415 | $91,320 |
| GS-13 | $117,284 | $125,431 | $121,785 | $108,592 |
Living in one state, reporting in another
This area has a lot of interstate commuting: Delaware to Pennsylvania, New Jersey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania into Maryland. None of it affects pay by itself. The rule in 5 CFR 531.605 looks only at the official worksite. If you are scheduled to report to your office at least twice in each biweekly pay period, that office's county sets the rate. If you work remotely, your home county does, and a home in a Rest of U.S. county, such as most of central Pennsylvania, means 17.06 %.
Cap and higher grades
GS-14 stays below the ceiling at every step, with step 10 at $180,178. GS-15 reaches $197,200 at step 8. Compared with Washington DC, the Philadelphia table has fewer capped steps, so step increases at GS-15 keep paying for longer.
2026 GS pay table for Philadelphia
| 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 | $39,316 | $40,508 | $41,700 | $42,892 | $44,084 | $45,275 | $46,467 |
| GS-4 | $40,120 | $41,457 | $42,795 | $44,133 | $45,470 | $46,808 | $48,146 | $49,483 | $50,821 | $52,158 |
| GS-5 | $44,887 | $46,384 | $47,880 | $49,376 | $50,872 | $52,369 | $53,865 | $55,361 | $56,858 | $58,354 |
| GS-6 | $50,037 | $51,704 | $53,372 | $55,040 | $56,708 | $58,376 | $60,044 | $61,711 | $63,379 | $65,047 |
| GS-7 | $55,602 | $57,456 | $59,310 | $61,163 | $63,017 | $64,870 | $66,724 | $68,578 | $70,431 | $72,285 |
| GS-8 | $61,577 | $63,629 | $65,682 | $67,734 | $69,786 | $71,838 | $73,891 | $75,943 | $77,995 | $80,047 |
| GS-9 | $68,013 | $70,280 | $72,548 | $74,815 | $77,083 | $79,351 | $81,618 | $83,886 | $86,154 | $88,421 |
| GS-10 | $74,897 | $77,393 | $79,889 | $82,385 | $84,881 | $87,377 | $89,872 | $92,368 | $94,864 | $97,360 |
| GS-11 | $82,289 | $85,033 | $87,776 | $90,520 | $93,264 | $96,007 | $98,751 | $101,494 | $104,238 | $106,982 |
| GS-12 | $98,630 | $101,918 | $105,206 | $108,493 | $111,781 | $115,069 | $118,357 | $121,645 | $124,933 | $128,221 |
| GS-13 | $117,284 | $121,194 | $125,104 | $129,013 | $132,923 | $136,833 | $140,742 | $144,652 | $148,562 | $152,471 |
| GS-14 | $138,595 | $143,215 | $147,835 | $152,456 | $157,076 | $161,697 | $166,317 | $170,938 | $175,558 | $180,178 |
| GS-15 | $163,023 | $168,457 | $173,891 | $179,326 | $184,760 | $190,194 | $195,629 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
Counties and cities in this area
Delaware: Kent County, New Castle County, Sussex County.
Maryland: Cecil County, Somerset County, Wicomico County, Worcester County.
New Jersey: Atlantic County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Salem County.
Pennsylvania: Berks County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, Schuylkill County.