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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2015 GS-14 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-14.
$86,399 GS-14 Step 1 base salary (2015)
$112,319 GS-14 Step 10 base salary (2015)
O-6 Colonel Approximate military equivalent

2015 GS-14 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-14 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 $86,399 $3,323.04 $41.40 -
Step 2 $89,279 $3,433.81 $42.78 -
Step 3 $92,159 $3,544.58 $44.16 -
Step 4 $95,039 $3,655.35 $45.54 -
Step 5 $97,919 $3,766.12 $46.92 -
Step 6 $100,799 $3,876.88 $48.30 -
Step 7 $103,679 $3,987.65 $49.68 -
Step 8 $106,559 $4,098.42 $51.06 -
Step 9 $109,439 $4,209.19 $52.44 -
Step 10 $112,319 $4,319.96 $53.82 -
← GS-13 Calculate GS-14 pay GS-15 →

Who is a GS-14?

Typical role. Supervisory managers, senior program leads and senior technical experts. Many agency branch chiefs sit at GS-14.

Minimum qualifications. One year of specialized experience at the GS-13 level.

Career progression. Competitive promotion to GS-15 is selective; many GS-14 employees reach this grade as a career peak.

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-14 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area

Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-14 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2015, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-14 Step 1 GS-14 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 35.15% $116,768 $151,799
New York-Newark 28.72% $111,213 $144,577
Houston-The Woodlands 28.71% $111,204 $144,566
Los Angeles-Long Beach 27.16% $109,865 $142,825
Hartford-East Hartford 25.82% $108,707 $141,320
Chicago-Naperville 25.10% $108,085 $140,511
Boston-Worcester-Providence 24.80% $107,826 $140,174
State of Alaska 24.69% $107,731 $140,051
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 24.22% $107,325 $139,523
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 24.19% $107,299 $139,489
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 24.09% $107,213 $139,377
Denver-Aurora 22.52% $105,856 $137,613
Sacramento-Roseville 22.20% $105,580 $137,254
Seattle-Tacoma 21.81% $105,243 $136,816
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 21.79% $105,225 $136,793
Minneapolis-St. Paul 20.96% $104,508 $135,861
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 20.79% $104,361 $135,670
Dallas-Fort Worth 20.67% $104,258 $135,535
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 20.35% $103,981 $135,176
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 19.29% $103,065 $133,985
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 18.68% $102,538 $133,300
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 18.55% $102,426 $133,154
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 18.10% $102,037 $132,649
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 17.64% $101,640 $132,132
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 17.16% $101,225 $131,593
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 16.98% $101,070 $131,391
Phoenix-Mesa 16.76% $100,879 $131,144
State of Hawaii 16.51% $100,663 $130,863
Richmond 16.47% $100,629 $130,818
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 16.37% $100,543 $130,706
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 16.24% $100,430 $130,560
Huntsville-Decatur 16.02% $100,240 $130,313
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 14.68% $99,082 $128,807
Rest of U.S. 14.16% $98,633 $128,223

Top and bottom GS-14 localities in 2015

Lowest-paying areas

About the GS-14 pay scale

GS-14 is part of the 2015 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Supervisory managers, senior program leads and senior technical experts. Many agency branch chiefs sit at GS-14.

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-14 questions for 2015

  • What is the starting salary for GS-14 in 2015?
    The base starting salary for GS-14 in 2015 is $86,399 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2015 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 35.15%), GS-14 Step 1 can reach significantly more.
  • How long does it take to reach GS-14 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-14 to GS-15?
    Promotion from GS-14 to GS-15 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-14 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-15 vacancy. Open the GS-15 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries.
  • What is the military equivalent of GS-14?
    GS-14 is roughly equivalent to O-6 Colonel. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.