Phoenix locality pay 2026: GS pay table
Three Arizona counties, Gila County, Maricopa County and Pinal County, share the Phoenix-Mesa rate of 22.45 % in 2026.
GS-12 step 1, Phoenix, 2026
$93,629
Base $76,463 plus 22.45 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $76,463 |
| Locality payment, Phoenix | $17,166 |
| Hourly rate | $44.86 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $3,588.80 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $92,702 (+$927) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$3,121 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · OPM table PX and the 2026 locality definitions
Phoenix-Mesa is the locality pay area for federal worksites in Gila County, Maricopa County and Pinal County, Arizona. In 2026 it adds 22.45 % to the General Schedule base table, which ranks it 21st of the 58 areas and makes it the highest-paid of the three named areas with Arizona counties. The percentage is the same as in 2025, because Executive Order 14368 froze every locality and raised the base table 1 %. A GS-5 step 1 earns $42,611, a GS-7 $52,783, a GS-9 $64,564, a GS-11 $78,117, a GS-12 $93,629, a GS-13 $111,338 and a GS-14 $131,568. Tucson, to the south, pays 19.28 %, which is $2,424 less at GS-12 step 1. Arizona counties outside the three named areas, such as Yavapai, Coconino and Yuma, are in Rest of U.S. at 17.06 %.
Arizona on three tables, plus Rest of U.S.
OPM's 2026 definitions name 7 Arizona counties, split among three areas. Phoenix-Mesa takes Gila County, Maricopa County and Pinal County. Tucson takes Cochise County, Pima County and Santa Cruz County, at 19.28 %. Mohave County, in the northwest, belongs to the Las Vegas area at 19.57 %, an area centered in Nevada. Every other Arizona county is in Rest of U.S.: a worksite in Flagstaff, Prescott or Yuma is paid 17.06 %, $3,439 less than Phoenix at GS-11 step 1.
Pinal County, between the two largest Arizona cities, is on the Phoenix side of the line, so a duty station in Casa Grande or Florence uses this table, not the Tucson one. Gila County, to the east, is also part of Phoenix-Mesa.
What January 2026 changed in Phoenix
The 2026 executive order raised the base table by 1 % and left the Phoenix percentage at 22.45 %. The effect on each cell is close to 1 %, with rounding to the dollar. A GS-12 step 5 went from $105,065 in 2025 to $106,114 in 2026, a gain of $1,049 a year. Try your own grade and step below.
Your 2026 raise in the Phoenix table
Your 2026 raise, GS-12 step 5
+$1,049
| 2025 annual rate | $105,065 |
| 2026 annual rate | $106,114 |
| Per biweekly paycheck | +$40 |
| Locality percentage | 22.45 % both years |
Looking at 2027
No 2027 figure is official. The President's alternative pay plan of August 26, 2026 proposes no across-the-board raise and no change of locality percentages for January 2027. If that holds, the Phoenix table stays as printed on this page. A raise voted by Congress or set by a later executive order would change it; the 2027 page lets you test a scenario on your cell.
Compared with the West
Phoenix pays more than Tucson and Las Vegas, and much less than Los Angeles, at 36.47 %. A GS-13 step 1 who moves from Phoenix to Los Angeles gains $12,747 a year at the same grade and step. These gaps reflect surveys of non-federal pay in each labor market. They are not a measure of rent or prices.
Worksite and the cap
The table that applies is the one of the official worksite on your SF-50. A teleworker who reports to a Phoenix office at least twice each biweekly pay period keeps this rate under 5 CFR 531.605; a fully remote employee is paid the area of the approved home worksite. At the top, 1 GS-15 cell stops at the $197,200 cap.
2026 GS pay table for Phoenix
| 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 | $41,084 | $42,008 | $42,932 | $43,856 | $44,780 |
| GS-4 | $38,086 | $39,355 | $40,625 | $41,895 | $43,165 | $44,435 | $45,704 | $46,974 | $48,244 | $49,514 |
| GS-5 | $42,611 | $44,032 | $45,452 | $46,873 | $48,293 | $49,713 | $51,134 | $52,554 | $53,975 | $55,395 |
| GS-6 | $47,500 | $49,083 | $50,666 | $52,249 | $53,833 | $55,416 | $56,999 | $58,583 | $60,166 | $61,749 |
| GS-7 | $52,783 | $54,543 | $56,303 | $58,062 | $59,822 | $61,581 | $63,341 | $65,101 | $66,860 | $68,620 |
| GS-8 | $58,455 | $60,403 | $62,352 | $64,300 | $66,248 | $68,196 | $70,144 | $72,092 | $74,041 | $75,989 |
| GS-9 | $64,564 | $66,717 | $68,870 | $71,022 | $73,175 | $75,328 | $77,480 | $79,633 | $81,786 | $83,938 |
| GS-10 | $71,099 | $73,469 | $75,838 | $78,208 | $80,577 | $82,946 | $85,316 | $87,685 | $90,055 | $92,424 |
| GS-11 | $78,117 | $80,721 | $83,326 | $85,931 | $88,535 | $91,140 | $93,744 | $96,349 | $98,953 | $101,558 |
| GS-12 | $93,629 | $96,750 | $99,871 | $102,993 | $106,114 | $109,235 | $112,356 | $115,478 | $118,599 | $121,720 |
| GS-13 | $111,338 | $115,049 | $118,761 | $122,472 | $126,184 | $129,895 | $133,606 | $137,318 | $141,029 | $144,741 |
| GS-14 | $131,568 | $135,954 | $140,340 | $144,726 | $149,112 | $153,498 | $157,885 | $162,271 | $166,657 | $171,043 |
| GS-15 | $154,757 | $159,916 | $165,075 | $170,234 | $175,392 | $180,551 | $185,710 | $190,869 | $196,028 | $197,200 |
Counties and cities in this area
Arizona: Gila County, Maricopa County, Pinal County.