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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2014 GS-9 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-9.
$41,979 GS-9 Step 1 base salary (2014)
$54,570 GS-9 Step 10 base salary (2014)
O-3 Captain Approximate military equivalent

2014 GS-9 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-9 salary schedule for 2014, before any locality adjustment. It shows annual salary, biweekly pay and hourly rate for every step.

Step Annual salary Biweekly pay Hourly rate Notes
Step 1 $41,979 $1,614.58 $20.11 -
Step 2 $43,378 $1,668.38 $20.78 -
Step 3 $44,777 $1,722.19 $21.46 -
Step 4 $46,176 $1,776.00 $22.13 -
Step 5 $47,575 $1,829.81 $22.80 -
Step 6 $48,974 $1,883.62 $23.47 -
Step 7 $50,373 $1,937.42 $24.14 -
Step 8 $51,772 $1,991.23 $24.81 -
Step 9 $53,171 $2,045.04 $25.48 -
Step 10 $54,570 $2,098.85 $26.15 -
← GS-8 Calculate GS-9 pay GS-10 →

Who is a GS-9?

Typical role. Full performance for many professional and administrative careers, including management analysts, contract specialists, social workers and IT specialists.

Minimum qualifications. A master's degree or equivalent graduate education, or one year of specialized experience at the GS-7 level.

Career progression. Career-ladder promotion to GS-11 after one year of specialized GS-9 experience.

Step-increase waiting periods

Within-grade step increases happen automatically as long as your performance is acceptable.

  • Step 1 → Step 2 52 weeks
  • Step 2 → Step 3 52 weeks
  • Step 3 → Step 4 52 weeks
  • Step 4 → Step 5 104 weeks
  • Step 5 → Step 6 104 weeks
  • Step 6 → Step 7 104 weeks
  • Step 7 → Step 8 156 weeks
  • Step 8 → Step 9 156 weeks
  • Step 9 → Step 10 156 weeks

GS-9 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area

Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-9 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2014, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-9 Step 1 GS-9 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 35.15% $56,735 $73,751
New York-Newark 28.72% $54,035 $70,243
Houston-The Woodlands 28.71% $54,031 $70,237
Los Angeles-Long Beach 27.16% $53,380 $69,391
Hartford-East Hartford 25.82% $52,818 $68,660
Chicago-Naperville 25.10% $52,516 $68,267
Boston-Worcester-Providence 24.80% $52,390 $68,103
State of Alaska 24.69% $52,344 $68,043
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 24.22% $52,146 $67,787
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 24.19% $52,134 $67,770
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 24.09% $52,092 $67,716
Denver-Aurora 22.52% $51,433 $66,859
Sacramento-Roseville 22.20% $51,298 $66,685
Seattle-Tacoma 21.81% $51,135 $66,472
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 21.79% $51,126 $66,461
Minneapolis-St. Paul 20.96% $50,778 $66,008
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 20.79% $50,706 $65,915
Dallas-Fort Worth 20.67% $50,656 $65,850
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 20.35% $50,522 $65,675
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 19.29% $50,077 $65,097
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 18.68% $49,821 $64,764
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 18.55% $49,766 $64,693
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 18.10% $49,577 $64,447
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 17.64% $49,384 $64,196
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 17.16% $49,183 $63,934
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 16.98% $49,107 $63,836
Phoenix-Mesa 16.76% $49,015 $63,716
State of Hawaii 16.51% $48,910 $63,580
Richmond 16.47% $48,893 $63,558
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 16.37% $48,851 $63,503
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 16.24% $48,796 $63,432
Huntsville-Decatur 16.02% $48,704 $63,312
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 14.68% $48,142 $62,581
Rest of U.S. 14.16% $47,923 $62,297

Top and bottom GS-9 localities in 2014

Lowest-paying areas

About the GS-9 pay scale

GS-9 is part of the 2014 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Full performance for many professional and administrative careers, including management analysts, contract specialists, social workers and IT specialists.

How step increases work

Within-grade step increases happen automatically as long as your performance is acceptable. You move from Step 1 to Step 4 one year at a time, from Step 4 to Step 7 every two years, and from Step 7 to Step 10 every three years. Managers can award a one-time quality step increase (QSI) to accelerate progression for employees whose performance is rated outstanding.

Browse other grades in 2014

GS-9 questions for 2014

  • What is the starting salary for GS-9 in 2014?
    The base starting salary for GS-9 in 2014 is $41,979 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2014 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 35.15%), GS-9 Step 1 can reach significantly more.
  • How long does it take to reach GS-9 Step 10?
    If you never get a quality step increase, it takes roughly 18 years to move from Step 1 to Step 10. Steps 1-4 take one year each, Steps 5-7 take two years each, and Steps 8-10 take three years each. A quality step increase can shorten that timeline by one year per QSI.
  • How do I get promoted from GS-9 to GS-10?
    Promotion from GS-9 to GS-10 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-9 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-10 vacancy. Open the GS-10 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries.
  • What is the military equivalent of GS-9?
    GS-9 is roughly equivalent to O-3 Captain. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.