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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2024 GS-10 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-10.
$56,528 GS-10 Step 1 base salary (2024)
$73,484 GS-10 Step 10 base salary (2024)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2024 GS-10 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-10 salary schedule for 2024, 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 $56,528 $2,174.15 $27.09 -
Step 2 $58,412 $2,246.62 $27.99 -
Step 3 $60,296 $2,319.08 $28.89 -
Step 4 $62,180 $2,391.54 $29.79 -
Step 5 $64,064 $2,464.00 $30.70 -
Step 6 $65,948 $2,536.46 $31.60 -
Step 7 $67,832 $2,608.92 $32.50 -
Step 8 $69,716 $2,681.38 $33.40 -
Step 9 $71,600 $2,753.85 $34.31 -
Step 10 $73,484 $2,826.31 $35.21 -
← 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 2024, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-10 Step 1 GS-10 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 45.41% $82,197 $106,853
New York-Newark 37.24% $77,579 $100,849
Los Angeles-Long Beach 35.84% $76,788 $99,821
Houston-The Woodlands 34.72% $76,155 $98,998
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 33.26% $75,329 $97,925
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 33.05% $75,211 $97,770
Boston-Worcester-Providence 31.97% $74,600 $96,977
State of Alaska 31.96% $74,594 $96,969
Hartford-East Hartford 31.62% $74,402 $96,720
Seattle-Tacoma 30.81% $73,944 $96,124
Chicago-Naperville 30.41% $73,718 $95,830
Denver-Aurora 29.88% $73,419 $95,441
Sacramento-Roseville 29.16% $73,012 $94,912
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 28.82% $72,819 $94,662
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 28.55% $72,667 $94,464
Minneapolis-St. Paul 27.15% $71,875 $93,435
Dallas-Fort Worth 26.91% $71,740 $93,259
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 25.66% $71,033 $92,340
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 24.42% $70,332 $91,429
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 23.45% $69,784 $90,716
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 22.15% $69,049 $89,761
Phoenix-Mesa 22.02% $68,975 $89,665
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 22.01% $68,970 $89,658
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 21.99% $68,959 $89,643
Richmond 21.91% $68,913 $89,584
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 21.90% $68,908 $89,577
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 21.80% $68,851 $89,504
State of Hawaii 21.79% $68,845 $89,496
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 21.69% $68,789 $89,423
Huntsville-Decatur 21.48% $68,670 $89,268
Laredo 21.33% $68,585 $89,158
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 21.14% $68,478 $89,019
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 20.78% $68,275 $88,754
Albany-Schenectady 20.25% $67,975 $88,365
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 19.99% $67,828 $88,173
Colorado Springs 19.73% $67,681 $87,982
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 19.63% $67,624 $87,909
Charlotte-Concord 19.26% $67,415 $87,637
Las Vegas-Henderson 19.23% $67,398 $87,615
Harrisburg-Lebanon 19.10% $67,325 $87,519
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 18.97% $67,251 $87,424
Tucson-Nogales 18.92% $67,223 $87,387
Davenport-Moline 18.66% $67,076 $87,196
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 18.65% $67,070 $87,189
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 18.49% $66,980 $87,071
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 18.46% $66,963 $87,049
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 18.05% $66,731 $86,748
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 17.94% $66,669 $86,667
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 17.91% $66,652 $86,645
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 17.89% $66,641 $86,630
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines 17.68% $66,522 $86,476
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 17.60% $66,477 $86,417
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 17.40% $66,364 $86,270
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls 17.35% $66,336 $86,233
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene 17.18% $66,240 $86,109
Fresno-Madera-Hanford 17.15% $66,223 $86,087
Reno-Fernley 17.11% $66,200 $86,057
Rest of U.S. 16.82% $66,036 $85,844

Top and bottom GS-10 localities in 2024

Lowest-paying areas

About the GS-10 pay scale

GS-10 is part of the 2024 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 2024

GS-10 questions for 2024

  • What is the starting salary for GS-10 in 2024?
    The base starting salary for GS-10 in 2024 is $56,528 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2024 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 45.41%), 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.