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 2023 GS-10 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-10.
$53,990 GS-10 Step 1 base salary (2023)
$70,190 GS-10 Step 10 base salary (2023)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2023 GS-10 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-10 salary schedule for 2023, 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 $53,990 $2,076.54 $25.87 -
Step 2 $55,790 $2,145.77 $26.73 -
Step 3 $57,590 $2,215.00 $27.59 -
Step 4 $59,390 $2,284.23 $28.46 -
Step 5 $61,190 $2,353.46 $29.32 -
Step 6 $62,990 $2,422.69 $30.18 -
Step 7 $64,790 $2,491.92 $31.04 -
Step 8 $66,590 $2,561.15 $31.91 -
Step 9 $68,390 $2,630.38 $32.77 -
Step 10 $70,190 $2,699.62 $33.63 -
← 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 2023, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-10 Step 1 GS-10 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 44.15% $77,827 $101,179
New York-Newark 36.16% $73,513 $95,571
Los Angeles-Long Beach 34.89% $72,827 $94,679
Houston-The Woodlands 34.47% $72,600 $94,384
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 32.49% $71,531 $92,995
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 32.01% $71,272 $92,658
State of Alaska 31.32% $70,900 $92,174
Boston-Worcester-Providence 31.05% $70,754 $91,984
Hartford-East Hartford 30.91% $70,678 $91,886
Chicago-Naperville 29.79% $70,074 $91,100
Seattle-Tacoma 29.57% $69,955 $90,945
Denver-Aurora 29.05% $69,674 $90,580
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 28.37% $69,307 $90,103
Sacramento-Roseville 28.30% $69,269 $90,054
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 27.84% $69,021 $89,731
Minneapolis-St. Paul 26.39% $68,238 $88,713
Dallas-Fort Worth 26.37% $68,227 $88,699
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 24.98% $67,477 $87,723
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 24.14% $67,023 $87,134
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 23.02% $66,418 $86,348
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 21.74% $65,727 $85,449
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 21.69% $65,700 $85,414
Phoenix-Mesa 21.44% $65,565 $85,239
Richmond 21.38% $65,533 $85,197
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 21.37% $65,528 $85,190
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 21.35% $65,517 $85,176
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 21.35% $65,517 $85,176
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 21.27% $65,474 $85,119
State of Hawaii 21.17% $65,420 $85,049
Huntsville-Decatur 20.96% $65,306 $84,902
Laredo 20.64% $65,134 $84,677
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 20.59% $65,107 $84,642
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 20.37% $64,988 $84,488
Albany-Schenectady 19.45% $64,491 $83,842
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 19.40% $64,464 $83,807
Colorado Springs 19.11% $64,307 $83,603
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 19.10% $64,302 $83,596
Las Vegas-Henderson 18.76% $64,119 $83,358
Charlotte-Concord 18.63% $64,048 $83,266
Harrisburg-Lebanon 18.59% $64,027 $83,238
Tucson-Nogales 18.40% $63,924 $83,105
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 18.31% $63,876 $83,042
Davenport-Moline 18.21% $63,822 $82,972
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 18.18% $63,805 $82,951
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 18.00% $63,708 $82,824
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 17.94% $63,676 $82,782
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 17.63% $63,508 $82,564
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 17.57% $63,476 $82,522
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 17.52% $63,449 $82,487
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 17.41% $63,390 $82,410
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 17.30% $63,330 $82,333
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines 17.13% $63,238 $82,214
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 17.10% $63,222 $82,192
Rest of U.S. 16.50% $62,898 $81,771

Top and bottom GS-10 localities in 2023

About the GS-10 pay scale

GS-10 is part of the 2023 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 2023

GS-10 questions for 2023

  • What is the starting salary for GS-10 in 2023?
    The base starting salary for GS-10 in 2023 is $53,990 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2023 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 44.15%), 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.