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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2017 GS-11 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-11.
$52,329 GS-11 Step 1 base salary (2017)
$68,025 GS-11 Step 10 base salary (2017)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2017 GS-11 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-11 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 $52,329 $2,012.65 $25.07 -
Step 2 $54,073 $2,079.73 $25.91 -
Step 3 $55,817 $2,146.81 $26.75 -
Step 4 $57,561 $2,213.88 $27.58 -
Step 5 $59,305 $2,280.96 $28.42 -
Step 6 $61,049 $2,348.04 $29.25 -
Step 7 $62,793 $2,415.12 $30.09 -
Step 8 $64,537 $2,482.19 $30.92 -
Step 9 $66,281 $2,549.27 $31.76 -
Step 10 $68,025 $2,616.35 $32.59 -
← GS-10 Calculate GS-11 pay GS-12 →

Who is a GS-11?

Typical role. Full performance for most professional careers: budget analysts, program managers, engineers, IT specialists and criminal investigators.

Minimum qualifications. A PhD or equivalent doctoral degree, or one year of specialized experience at the GS-9 level.

Career progression. Typical career ladder peak for entry-level hires; competitive promotion to GS-12 requires vacancy and supervisory selection.

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-11 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area

Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-11 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2017, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-11 Step 1 GS-11 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 38.17% $72,303 $93,990
New York-Newark 31.22% $68,666 $89,262
Houston-The Woodlands 30.97% $68,535 $89,092
Los Angeles-Long Beach 29.65% $67,845 $88,194
Hartford-East Hartford 27.57% $66,756 $86,779
State of Alaska 27.13% $66,526 $86,480
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 27.10% $66,510 $86,460
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 26.98% $66,447 $86,378
Chicago-Naperville 26.85% $66,379 $86,290
Boston-Worcester-Providence 26.73% $66,317 $86,208
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 25.68% $65,767 $85,494
Denver-Aurora 24.65% $65,228 $84,793
Seattle-Tacoma 24.24% $65,014 $84,514
Sacramento-Roseville 24.14% $64,961 $84,446
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 23.87% $64,820 $84,263
Minneapolis-St. Paul 22.72% $64,218 $83,480
Dallas-Fort Worth 22.61% $64,161 $83,405
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 22.13% $63,909 $83,079
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 21.95% $63,815 $82,956
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 20.70% $63,161 $82,106
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 19.71% $62,643 $81,433
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 19.61% $62,591 $81,365
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 19.52% $62,544 $81,303
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 19.02% $62,282 $80,963
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 18.66% $62,094 $80,718
Phoenix-Mesa 18.57% $62,046 $80,657
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 18.49% $62,005 $80,603
Richmond 18.19% $61,848 $80,399
State of Hawaii 17.92% $61,706 $80,215
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 17.86% $61,675 $80,174
Huntsville-Decatur 17.82% $61,654 $80,147
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 17.59% $61,534 $79,991
Laredo 16.68% $61,057 $79,372
Colorado Springs 15.99% $60,696 $78,902
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 15.97% $60,686 $78,889
Las Vegas-Henderson 15.93% $60,665 $78,861
Albany-Schenectady 15.85% $60,623 $78,807
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 15.85% $60,623 $78,807
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 15.83% $60,613 $78,793
Tucson-Nogales 15.66% $60,524 $78,678
Charlotte-Concord 15.65% $60,518 $78,671
Harrisburg-Lebanon 15.63% $60,508 $78,657
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 15.59% $60,487 $78,630
Davenport-Moline 15.56% $60,471 $78,610
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 15.48% $60,430 $78,555
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 15.36% $60,367 $78,474
Rest of U.S. 15.06% $60,210 $78,270

Top and bottom GS-11 localities in 2017

About the GS-11 pay scale

GS-11 is part of the 2017 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Full performance for most professional careers: budget analysts, program managers, engineers, IT specialists and criminal investigators.

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-11 questions for 2017

  • What is the starting salary for GS-11 in 2017?
    The base starting salary for GS-11 in 2017 is $52,329 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2017 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 38.17%), GS-11 Step 1 can reach significantly more.
  • How long does it take to reach GS-11 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-11 to GS-12?
    Promotion from GS-11 to GS-12 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-11 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-12 vacancy. Open the GS-12 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries.
  • What is the military equivalent of GS-11?
    GS-11 is roughly equivalent to O-4 Major. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.