An independent federal pay resource. Not affiliated with OPM or any U.S. government agency.

Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2022 GS-10 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-10.
$51,864 GS-10 Step 1 base salary (2022)
$67,425 GS-10 Step 10 base salary (2022)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2022 GS-10 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-10 salary schedule for 2022, 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 $51,864 $1,994.77 $24.85 -
Step 2 $53,593 $2,061.27 $25.68 -
Step 3 $55,322 $2,127.77 $26.51 -
Step 4 $57,051 $2,194.27 $27.34 -
Step 5 $58,780 $2,260.77 $28.16 -
Step 6 $60,509 $2,327.27 $28.99 -
Step 7 $62,238 $2,393.77 $29.82 -
Step 8 $63,967 $2,460.27 $30.65 -
Step 9 $65,696 $2,526.77 $31.48 -
Step 10 $67,425 $2,593.27 $32.31 -
← 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 2022, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-10 Step 1 GS-10 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 42.74% $74,031 $96,242
New York-Newark 35.06% $70,048 $91,064
Houston-The Woodlands 33.96% $69,477 $90,323
Los Angeles-Long Beach 33.61% $69,295 $90,087
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 31.53% $68,217 $88,684
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 30.87% $67,874 $88,239
State of Alaska 30.42% $67,641 $87,936
Hartford-East Hartford 30.20% $67,527 $87,787
Boston-Worcester-Providence 30.09% $67,470 $87,713
Chicago-Naperville 29.18% $66,998 $87,100
Seattle-Tacoma 28.28% $66,531 $86,493
Denver-Aurora 28.10% $66,438 $86,371
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 27.86% $66,313 $86,210
Sacramento-Roseville 27.30% $66,023 $85,832
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 26.95% $65,841 $85,596
Dallas-Fort Worth 25.68% $65,183 $84,740
Minneapolis-St. Paul 25.49% $65,084 $84,612
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 24.34% $64,488 $83,836
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 23.80% $64,208 $83,472
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 22.63% $63,601 $82,683
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 21.32% $62,921 $81,800
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 21.25% $62,885 $81,753
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 20.94% $62,724 $81,544
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 20.94% $62,724 $81,544
Phoenix-Mesa 20.84% $62,672 $81,476
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 20.78% $62,641 $81,436
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 20.69% $62,595 $81,375
Richmond 20.64% $62,569 $81,342
Huntsville-Decatur 20.45% $62,470 $81,213
State of Hawaii 20.40% $62,444 $81,180
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 19.93% $62,200 $80,863
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 19.90% $62,185 $80,843
Laredo 19.85% $62,159 $80,809
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 18.80% $61,614 $80,101
Albany-Schenectady 18.68% $61,552 $80,020
Colorado Springs 18.42% $61,417 $79,845
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 18.35% $61,381 $79,797
Las Vegas-Henderson 18.25% $61,329 $79,730
Charlotte-Concord 18.06% $61,231 $79,602
Harrisburg-Lebanon 17.90% $61,148 $79,494
Tucson-Nogales 17.77% $61,080 $79,406
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 17.67% $61,028 $79,339
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 17.62% $61,002 $79,305
Davenport-Moline 17.58% $60,982 $79,278
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 17.39% $60,883 $79,150
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 17.26% $60,816 $79,063
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 17.18% $60,774 $79,009
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 17.14% $60,753 $78,982
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 17.01% $60,686 $78,894
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 16.93% $60,645 $78,840
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 16.82% $60,588 $78,766
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 16.81% $60,582 $78,759
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines 16.52% $60,432 $78,564
Rest of U.S. 16.20% $60,266 $78,348

Top and bottom GS-10 localities in 2022

About the GS-10 pay scale

GS-10 is part of the 2022 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 2022

GS-10 questions for 2022

  • What is the starting salary for GS-10 in 2022?
    The base starting salary for GS-10 in 2022 is $51,864 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2022 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 42.74%), 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.