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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2019 GS-14 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-14.
$90,621 GS-14 Step 1 base salary (2019)
$117,810 GS-14 Step 10 base salary (2019)
O-6 Colonel Approximate military equivalent

2019 GS-14 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-14 salary schedule for 2019, 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 $90,621 $3,485.42 $43.42 -
Step 2 $93,642 $3,601.62 $44.87 -
Step 3 $96,663 $3,717.81 $46.32 -
Step 4 $99,684 $3,834.00 $47.76 -
Step 5 $102,705 $3,950.19 $49.21 -
Step 6 $105,726 $4,066.38 $50.66 -
Step 7 $108,747 $4,182.58 $52.11 -
Step 8 $111,768 $4,298.77 $53.55 -
Step 9 $114,789 $4,414.96 $55.00 -
Step 10 $117,810 $4,531.15 $56.45 -
← 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 2019, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-14 Step 1 GS-14 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 40.35% $127,187 $165,346
New York-Newark 33.06% $120,580 $156,758
Houston-The Woodlands 32.54% $120,109 $156,145
Los Angeles-Long Beach 31.47% $119,139 $154,885
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 29.32% $117,191 $152,352
State of Alaska 28.89% $116,801 $151,845
Hartford-East Hartford 28.87% $116,783 $151,822
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 28.80% $116,720 $151,739
Boston-Worcester-Providence 28.27% $116,240 $151,115
Chicago-Naperville 28.05% $116,040 $150,856
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 26.81% $114,916 $149,395
Denver-Aurora 26.30% $114,454 $148,794
Seattle-Tacoma 26.04% $114,219 $148,488
Sacramento-Roseville 25.59% $113,811 $147,958
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 25.30% $113,548 $147,616
Dallas-Fort Worth 24.21% $112,560 $146,332
Minneapolis-St. Paul 24.00% $112,370 $146,084
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 23.13% $111,582 $145,059
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 23.12% $111,573 $145,048
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 21.64% $110,231 $143,304
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 20.58% $109,271 $142,055
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 20.45% $109,153 $141,902
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 20.21% $108,936 $141,619
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 19.99% $108,736 $141,360
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 19.67% $108,446 $140,983
Phoenix-Mesa 19.60% $108,383 $140,901
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 19.47% $108,265 $140,748
Richmond 19.38% $108,183 $140,642
Huntsville-Decatur 19.18% $108,002 $140,406
State of Hawaii 18.98% $107,821 $140,170
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 18.86% $107,712 $140,029
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 18.61% $107,486 $139,734
Laredo 18.22% $107,132 $139,275
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 17.46% $106,443 $138,380
Albany-Schenectady 17.19% $106,199 $138,062
Colorado Springs 17.19% $106,199 $138,062
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 17.05% $106,072 $137,897
Las Vegas-Henderson 17.04% $106,063 $137,885
Charlotte-Concord 16.79% $105,836 $137,590
Tucson-Nogales 16.68% $105,737 $137,461
Harrisburg-Lebanon 16.65% $105,709 $137,425
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 16.60% $105,664 $137,366
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 16.57% $105,637 $137,331
Davenport-Moline 16.49% $105,564 $137,237
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 16.33% $105,419 $137,048
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 16.20% $105,302 $136,895
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 16.18% $105,283 $136,872
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 16.07% $105,184 $136,742
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 16.01% $105,129 $136,671
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 15.91% $105,039 $136,554
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 15.87% $105,003 $136,506
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 15.77% $104,912 $136,389
Rest of U.S. 15.67% $104,821 $136,271

Top and bottom GS-14 localities in 2019

About the GS-14 pay scale

GS-14 is part of the 2019 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 2019

GS-14 questions for 2019

  • What is the starting salary for GS-14 in 2019?
    The base starting salary for GS-14 in 2019 is $90,621 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2019 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 40.35%), 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.