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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2017 GS-10 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-10.
$47,630 GS-10 Step 1 base salary (2017)
$61,922 GS-10 Step 10 base salary (2017)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2017 GS-10 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-10 salary schedule for 2017, 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 $47,630 $1,831.92 $22.82 -
Step 2 $49,218 $1,893.00 $23.58 -
Step 3 $50,806 $1,954.08 $24.34 -
Step 4 $52,394 $2,015.15 $25.10 -
Step 5 $53,982 $2,076.23 $25.87 -
Step 6 $55,570 $2,137.31 $26.63 -
Step 7 $57,158 $2,198.38 $27.39 -
Step 8 $58,746 $2,259.46 $28.15 -
Step 9 $60,334 $2,320.54 $28.91 -
Step 10 $61,922 $2,381.62 $29.67 -
← 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 2017, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-10 Step 1 GS-10 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 38.17% $65,810 $85,558
New York-Newark 31.22% $62,500 $81,254
Houston-The Woodlands 30.97% $62,381 $81,099
Los Angeles-Long Beach 29.65% $61,752 $80,282
Hartford-East Hartford 27.57% $60,762 $78,994
State of Alaska 27.13% $60,552 $78,721
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 27.10% $60,538 $78,703
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 26.98% $60,481 $78,629
Chicago-Naperville 26.85% $60,419 $78,548
Boston-Worcester-Providence 26.73% $60,361 $78,474
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 25.68% $59,861 $77,824
Denver-Aurora 24.65% $59,371 $77,186
Seattle-Tacoma 24.24% $59,176 $76,932
Sacramento-Roseville 24.14% $59,128 $76,870
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 23.87% $58,999 $76,703
Minneapolis-St. Paul 22.72% $58,452 $75,991
Dallas-Fort Worth 22.61% $58,399 $75,923
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 22.13% $58,171 $75,625
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 21.95% $58,085 $75,514
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 20.70% $57,489 $74,740
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 19.71% $57,018 $74,127
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 19.61% $56,970 $74,065
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 19.52% $56,927 $74,009
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 19.02% $56,689 $73,700
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 18.66% $56,518 $73,477
Phoenix-Mesa 18.57% $56,475 $73,421
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 18.49% $56,437 $73,371
Richmond 18.19% $56,294 $73,186
State of Hawaii 17.92% $56,165 $73,018
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 17.86% $56,137 $72,981
Huntsville-Decatur 17.82% $56,118 $72,957
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 17.59% $56,008 $72,814
Laredo 16.68% $55,575 $72,251
Colorado Springs 15.99% $55,246 $71,823
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 15.97% $55,237 $71,811
Las Vegas-Henderson 15.93% $55,217 $71,786
Albany-Schenectady 15.85% $55,179 $71,737
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 15.85% $55,179 $71,737
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 15.83% $55,170 $71,724
Tucson-Nogales 15.66% $55,089 $71,619
Charlotte-Concord 15.65% $55,084 $71,613
Harrisburg-Lebanon 15.63% $55,075 $71,600
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 15.59% $55,056 $71,576
Davenport-Moline 15.56% $55,041 $71,557
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 15.48% $55,003 $71,508
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 15.36% $54,946 $71,433
Rest of U.S. 15.06% $54,803 $71,247

Top and bottom GS-10 localities in 2017

About the GS-10 pay scale

GS-10 is part of the 2017 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 2017

GS-10 questions for 2017

  • What is the starting salary for GS-10 in 2017?
    The base starting salary for GS-10 in 2017 is $47,630 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2017 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 38.17%), 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.