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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2024 GS-7 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-7.
$41,966 GS-7 Step 1 base salary (2024)
$54,557 GS-7 Step 10 base salary (2024)
O-2 First Lieutenant Approximate military equivalent

2024 GS-7 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-7 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 $41,966 $1,614.08 $20.11 -
Step 2 $43,365 $1,667.88 $20.78 -
Step 3 $44,764 $1,721.69 $21.45 -
Step 4 $46,163 $1,775.50 $22.12 -
Step 5 $47,562 $1,829.31 $22.79 -
Step 6 $48,961 $1,883.12 $23.46 -
Step 7 $50,360 $1,936.92 $24.13 -
Step 8 $51,759 $1,990.73 $24.80 -
Step 9 $53,158 $2,044.54 $25.47 -
Step 10 $54,557 $2,098.35 $26.14 -
← GS-6 Calculate GS-7 pay GS-8 →

Who is a GS-7?

Typical role. Entry-level professional roles for college graduates with superior academic achievement, plus more senior technician positions.

Minimum qualifications. Bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement, one year of graduate study, or one year of GS-5-equivalent experience.

Career progression. Usual career-ladder promotion to GS-9 after one year of specialized experience.

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-7 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area

Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-7 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2024, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-7 Step 1 GS-7 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 45.41% $61,023 $79,331
New York-Newark 37.24% $57,594 $74,874
Los Angeles-Long Beach 35.84% $57,007 $74,110
Houston-The Woodlands 34.72% $56,537 $73,499
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 33.26% $55,924 $72,703
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 33.05% $55,836 $72,588
Boston-Worcester-Providence 31.97% $55,383 $71,999
State of Alaska 31.96% $55,378 $71,993
Hartford-East Hartford 31.62% $55,236 $71,808
Seattle-Tacoma 30.81% $54,896 $71,366
Chicago-Naperville 30.41% $54,728 $71,148
Denver-Aurora 29.88% $54,505 $70,859
Sacramento-Roseville 29.16% $54,203 $70,466
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 28.82% $54,061 $70,280
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 28.55% $53,947 $70,133
Minneapolis-St. Paul 27.15% $53,360 $69,369
Dallas-Fort Worth 26.91% $53,259 $69,238
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 25.66% $52,734 $68,556
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 24.42% $52,214 $67,880
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 23.45% $51,807 $67,351
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 22.15% $51,261 $66,641
Phoenix-Mesa 22.02% $51,207 $66,570
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 22.01% $51,203 $66,565
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 21.99% $51,194 $66,554
Richmond 21.91% $51,161 $66,510
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 21.90% $51,157 $66,505
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 21.80% $51,115 $66,450
State of Hawaii 21.79% $51,110 $66,445
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 21.69% $51,068 $66,390
Huntsville-Decatur 21.48% $50,980 $66,276
Laredo 21.33% $50,917 $66,194
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 21.14% $50,838 $66,090
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 20.78% $50,687 $65,894
Albany-Schenectady 20.25% $50,464 $65,605
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 19.99% $50,355 $65,463
Colorado Springs 19.73% $50,246 $65,321
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 19.63% $50,204 $65,267
Charlotte-Concord 19.26% $50,049 $65,065
Las Vegas-Henderson 19.23% $50,036 $65,048
Harrisburg-Lebanon 19.10% $49,982 $64,977
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 18.97% $49,927 $64,906
Tucson-Nogales 18.92% $49,906 $64,879
Davenport-Moline 18.66% $49,797 $64,737
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 18.65% $49,793 $64,732
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 18.49% $49,726 $64,645
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 18.46% $49,713 $64,628
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 18.05% $49,541 $64,405
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 17.94% $49,495 $64,345
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 17.91% $49,482 $64,328
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 17.89% $49,474 $64,317
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines 17.68% $49,386 $64,203
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 17.60% $49,352 $64,159
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 17.40% $49,268 $64,050
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls 17.35% $49,247 $64,023
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene 17.18% $49,176 $63,930
Fresno-Madera-Hanford 17.15% $49,163 $63,914
Reno-Fernley 17.11% $49,146 $63,892
Rest of U.S. 16.82% $49,025 $63,733

Top and bottom GS-7 localities in 2024

Lowest-paying areas

About the GS-7 pay scale

GS-7 is part of the 2024 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Entry-level professional roles for college graduates with superior academic achievement, plus more senior technician positions.

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-7 questions for 2024

  • What is the starting salary for GS-7 in 2024?
    The base starting salary for GS-7 in 2024 is $41,966 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2024 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 45.41%), GS-7 Step 1 can reach significantly more.
  • How long does it take to reach GS-7 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-7 to GS-8?
    Promotion from GS-7 to GS-8 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-7 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-8 vacancy. Open the GS-8 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries.
  • What is the military equivalent of GS-7?
    GS-7 is roughly equivalent to O-2 First Lieutenant. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.