San Diego locality pay 2026: GS pay table
A single county, a single rate: 33.72 % above the GS base table. Use the calculator for your grade and step in San Diego County.
GS-12 step 1, San Diego, 2026
$102,246
Base $76,463 plus 33.72 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $76,463 |
| Locality payment, San Diego | $25,783 |
| Hourly rate | $48.99 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $3,919.20 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $101,234 (+$1,012) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$3,409 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · OPM table SD and the 2026 locality definitions
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad is a one-county locality pay area. Every federal worksite in San Diego County uses the same 2026 table, with 33.72 % added to the General Schedule base rates, the percentage it already had in 2025. That is the sixth highest of 58 areas, just 0.22 points under Washington-Baltimore and 2.75 points under Los Angeles. At step 1, GS-5 pays $46,533, GS-7 $57,641, GS-9 $70,507, GS-11 $85,307, GS-12 $102,246 and GS-13 $121,585; by the hour, GS-9 step 1 is $33.78. GS-15 steps 7 through 10, 4 cells, are held at the $197,200 cap. The counties around San Diego are not in this area: Orange and Riverside to the north and Imperial to the east all belong to Los Angeles-Long Beach, so a worksite across the county line is paid $2,103 more at GS-12 step 1, not less.
Only one county, and its neighbors pay more
San Diego is one of 4 areas made of a single county. The boundary question is therefore simple inside the county and counterintuitive outside it. Each county that touches San Diego County, Orange, Riverside and Imperial, sits in the Los Angeles area at 36.47 %. A duty station in El Centro or Temecula earns more than one in downtown San Diego at the same grade and step. People moving north from San Diego often expect a lower rate and get a higher one.
Your 2026 rate in San Diego County
GS-11 step 3, San Diego, 2026
$90,995
| Base pay (GS table) | $68,049 |
| Locality payment, San Diego | $22,946 |
| Hourly rate | $43.60 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $3,488.00 |
San Diego, Los Angeles and the Bay Area compared
| Grade, step 5 | San Diego | Los Angeles | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-7 | $65,328 | $66,671 | $71,493 |
| GS-9 | $79,910 | $81,553 | $87,451 |
| GS-11 | $96,684 | $98,672 | $105,808 |
| GS-12 | $115,880 | $118,264 | $126,817 |
| GS-13 | $137,797 | $140,631 | $150,802 |
The order does not match what people pay for housing. Percentages are set by comparing federal salaries with non-federal salaries for the same kinds of work in each area, using pay surveys. Los Angeles and San Francisco come out higher on that measure.
Hourly pay and overtime
Divide the annual rate by 2,087 hours and you get the hourly rate. A GS-5 step 1 in San Diego earns $22.30 an hour, a GS-7 step 1 $27.62 and a GS-11 step 1 $40.88. For a full biweekly pay period of 80 hours, a GS-9 step 1 receives $2,702.40 gross. Overtime for FLSA-exempt employees above GS-10 step 1 is limited to one and a half times the area's GS-10 step 1 hourly rate, so a GS-12 step 1 gets $55.80 an hour of overtime instead of $73.49. The hourly pay page covers the rule.
The capped top of the table
At GS-15, the uncapped rate would pass $197,200 from step 7, so steps 7 to 10 pay that amount. GS-14 is not affected: step 10 is $186,785. A GS-15 at step 7 sees no pay change from later step increases until the cap is raised.
Remote work and the border
For a teleworker, the official worksite rule of 5 CFR 531.605 applies: report to the San Diego office at least twice each biweekly pay period and you keep this table; otherwise the home address sets the area. A home in Riverside County moves you to Los Angeles rates. A home in a Rest of U.S. county elsewhere would pay $12,738 less than San Diego at GS-12 step 1.
2026 GS pay table for San Diego
| 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 | $37,051 | $38,287 | $39,522 | $40,758 | $41,993 | $43,229 | $44,465 | $45,700 | $46,936 | $48,171 |
| GS-4 | $41,591 | $42,978 | $44,364 | $45,751 | $47,138 | $48,524 | $49,911 | $51,298 | $52,684 | $54,071 |
| GS-5 | $46,533 | $48,084 | $49,636 | $51,187 | $52,738 | $54,289 | $55,840 | $57,391 | $58,942 | $60,494 |
| GS-6 | $51,871 | $53,600 | $55,329 | $57,058 | $58,787 | $60,516 | $62,245 | $63,974 | $65,703 | $67,432 |
| GS-7 | $57,641 | $59,563 | $61,484 | $63,406 | $65,328 | $67,249 | $69,171 | $71,092 | $73,014 | $74,935 |
| GS-8 | $63,835 | $65,963 | $68,090 | $70,218 | $72,345 | $74,473 | $76,600 | $78,728 | $80,855 | $82,983 |
| GS-9 | $70,507 | $72,857 | $75,208 | $77,559 | $79,910 | $82,261 | $84,611 | $86,962 | $89,313 | $91,664 |
| GS-10 | $77,643 | $80,231 | $82,818 | $85,406 | $87,993 | $90,581 | $93,168 | $95,756 | $98,343 | $100,931 |
| GS-11 | $85,307 | $88,151 | $90,995 | $93,839 | $96,684 | $99,528 | $102,372 | $105,216 | $108,060 | $110,905 |
| GS-12 | $102,246 | $105,655 | $109,063 | $112,472 | $115,880 | $119,289 | $122,697 | $126,106 | $129,515 | $132,923 |
| GS-13 | $121,585 | $125,638 | $129,691 | $133,744 | $137,797 | $141,850 | $145,903 | $149,956 | $154,009 | $158,062 |
| GS-14 | $143,677 | $148,467 | $153,256 | $158,046 | $162,836 | $167,626 | $172,416 | $177,206 | $181,996 | $186,785 |
| GS-15 | $169,001 | $174,634 | $180,268 | $185,902 | $191,535 | $197,169 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
Counties and cities in this area
California: San Diego County.