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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2015 GS-10 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-10.
$46,691 GS-10 Step 1 base salary (2015)
$60,695 GS-10 Step 10 base salary (2015)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2015 GS-10 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-10 salary schedule for 2015, 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 $46,691 $1,795.81 $22.37 -
Step 2 $48,247 $1,855.65 $23.12 -
Step 3 $49,803 $1,915.50 $23.86 -
Step 4 $51,359 $1,975.35 $24.61 -
Step 5 $52,915 $2,035.19 $25.35 -
Step 6 $54,471 $2,095.04 $26.10 -
Step 7 $56,027 $2,154.88 $26.85 -
Step 8 $57,583 $2,214.73 $27.59 -
Step 9 $59,139 $2,274.58 $28.34 -
Step 10 $60,695 $2,334.42 $29.08 -
← GS-9 Calculate GS-10 pay GS-11 →

Who is a GS-10?

Typical role. Senior technician and supervisory positions, and full-performance roles in a handful of occupations such as Border Patrol and IT.

Minimum qualifications. One year of specialized experience at the GS-9 level, plus agency-specific requirements.

Career progression. Promoted to GS-11 after one year of creditable experience in grade.

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-10 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area

Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-10 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2015, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-10 Step 1 GS-10 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 35.15% $63,103 $82,029
New York-Newark 28.72% $60,101 $78,127
Houston-The Woodlands 28.71% $60,096 $78,121
Los Angeles-Long Beach 27.16% $59,372 $77,180
Hartford-East Hartford 25.82% $58,747 $76,366
Chicago-Naperville 25.10% $58,410 $75,929
Boston-Worcester-Providence 24.80% $58,270 $75,747
State of Alaska 24.69% $58,219 $75,681
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 24.22% $58,000 $75,395
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 24.19% $57,986 $75,377
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 24.09% $57,939 $75,316
Denver-Aurora 22.52% $57,206 $74,364
Sacramento-Roseville 22.20% $57,056 $74,169
Seattle-Tacoma 21.81% $56,874 $73,933
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 21.79% $56,865 $73,920
Minneapolis-St. Paul 20.96% $56,477 $73,417
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 20.79% $56,398 $73,313
Dallas-Fort Worth 20.67% $56,342 $73,241
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 20.35% $56,193 $73,046
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 19.29% $55,698 $72,403
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 18.68% $55,413 $72,033
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 18.55% $55,352 $71,954
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 18.10% $55,142 $71,681
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 17.64% $54,927 $71,402
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 17.16% $54,703 $71,110
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 16.98% $54,619 $71,001
Phoenix-Mesa 16.76% $54,516 $70,867
State of Hawaii 16.51% $54,400 $70,716
Richmond 16.47% $54,381 $70,691
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 16.37% $54,334 $70,631
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 16.24% $54,274 $70,552
Huntsville-Decatur 16.02% $54,171 $70,418
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 14.68% $53,545 $69,605
Rest of U.S. 14.16% $53,302 $69,289

Top and bottom GS-10 localities in 2015

Lowest-paying areas

About the GS-10 pay scale

GS-10 is part of the 2015 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Senior technician and supervisory positions, and full-performance roles in a handful of occupations such as Border Patrol and IT.

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 2015

GS-10 questions for 2015

  • What is the starting salary for GS-10 in 2015?
    The base starting salary for GS-10 in 2015 is $46,691 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2015 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 35.15%), GS-10 Step 1 can reach significantly more.
  • How long does it take to reach GS-10 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-10 to GS-11?
    Promotion from GS-10 to GS-11 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-10 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-11 vacancy. Open the GS-11 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries.
  • What is the military equivalent of GS-10?
    GS-10 is roughly equivalent to O-4 Major. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.