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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2024 GS-11 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-11.
$62,107 GS-11 Step 1 base salary (2024)
$80,737 GS-11 Step 10 base salary (2024)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2024 GS-11 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-11 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 $62,107 $2,388.73 $29.76 -
Step 2 $64,177 $2,468.35 $30.75 -
Step 3 $66,247 $2,547.96 $31.74 -
Step 4 $68,317 $2,627.58 $32.73 -
Step 5 $70,387 $2,707.19 $33.73 -
Step 6 $72,457 $2,786.81 $34.72 -
Step 7 $74,527 $2,866.42 $35.71 -
Step 8 $76,597 $2,946.04 $36.70 -
Step 9 $78,667 $3,025.65 $37.69 -
Step 10 $80,737 $3,105.27 $38.69 -
← 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 2024, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-11 Step 1 GS-11 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 45.41% $90,310 $117,400
New York-Newark 37.24% $85,236 $110,803
Los Angeles-Long Beach 35.84% $84,366 $109,673
Houston-The Woodlands 34.72% $83,671 $108,769
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 33.26% $82,764 $107,590
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 33.05% $82,633 $107,421
Boston-Worcester-Providence 31.97% $81,963 $106,549
State of Alaska 31.96% $81,956 $106,541
Hartford-East Hartford 31.62% $81,745 $106,266
Seattle-Tacoma 30.81% $81,242 $105,612
Chicago-Naperville 30.41% $80,994 $105,289
Denver-Aurora 29.88% $80,665 $104,861
Sacramento-Roseville 29.16% $80,217 $104,280
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 28.82% $80,006 $104,005
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 28.55% $79,839 $103,787
Minneapolis-St. Paul 27.15% $78,969 $102,657
Dallas-Fort Worth 26.91% $78,820 $102,463
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 25.66% $78,044 $101,454
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 24.42% $77,274 $100,453
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 23.45% $76,671 $99,670
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 22.15% $75,864 $98,620
Phoenix-Mesa 22.02% $75,783 $98,515
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 22.01% $75,777 $98,507
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 21.99% $75,764 $98,491
Richmond 21.91% $75,715 $98,426
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 21.90% $75,708 $98,418
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 21.80% $75,646 $98,338
State of Hawaii 21.79% $75,640 $98,330
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 21.69% $75,578 $98,249
Huntsville-Decatur 21.48% $75,448 $98,079
Laredo 21.33% $75,354 $97,958
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 21.14% $75,236 $97,805
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 20.78% $75,013 $97,514
Albany-Schenectady 20.25% $74,684 $97,086
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 19.99% $74,522 $96,876
Colorado Springs 19.73% $74,361 $96,666
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 19.63% $74,299 $96,586
Charlotte-Concord 19.26% $74,069 $96,287
Las Vegas-Henderson 19.23% $74,050 $96,263
Harrisburg-Lebanon 19.10% $73,969 $96,158
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 18.97% $73,889 $96,053
Tucson-Nogales 18.92% $73,858 $96,012
Davenport-Moline 18.66% $73,696 $95,803
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 18.65% $73,690 $95,794
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 18.49% $73,591 $95,665
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 18.46% $73,572 $95,641
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 18.05% $73,317 $95,310
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 17.94% $73,249 $95,221
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 17.91% $73,230 $95,197
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 17.89% $73,218 $95,181
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines 17.68% $73,088 $95,011
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 17.60% $73,038 $94,947
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 17.40% $72,914 $94,785
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls 17.35% $72,883 $94,745
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene 17.18% $72,777 $94,608
Fresno-Madera-Hanford 17.15% $72,758 $94,583
Reno-Fernley 17.11% $72,734 $94,551
Rest of U.S. 16.82% $72,553 $94,317

Top and bottom GS-11 localities in 2024

Lowest-paying areas

About the GS-11 pay scale

GS-11 is part of the 2024 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 2024

GS-11 questions for 2024

  • What is the starting salary for GS-11 in 2024?
    The base starting salary for GS-11 in 2024 is $62,107 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2024 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 45.41%), 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.