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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2025 GS-14 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-14.
$106,382 GS-14 Step 1 base salary (2025)
$138,296 GS-14 Step 10 base salary (2025)
O-6 Colonel Approximate military equivalent

2025 GS-14 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-14 salary schedule for 2025, 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 $106,382 $4,091.62 $50.97 -
Step 2 $109,928 $4,228.00 $52.67 -
Step 3 $113,474 $4,364.38 $54.37 -
Step 4 $117,020 $4,500.77 $56.07 -
Step 5 $120,566 $4,637.15 $57.77 -
Step 6 $124,112 $4,773.54 $59.47 -
Step 7 $127,658 $4,909.92 $61.17 -
Step 8 $131,204 $5,046.31 $62.87 -
Step 9 $134,750 $5,182.69 $64.57 -
Step 10 $138,296 $5,319.08 $66.27 -
← GS-13 Calculate GS-14 pay GS-15 →

Who is a GS-14?

Typical role. Supervisory managers, senior program leads and senior technical experts. Many agency branch chiefs sit at GS-14.

Minimum qualifications. One year of specialized experience at the GS-13 level.

Career progression. Competitive promotion to GS-15 is selective; many GS-14 employees reach this grade as a career peak.

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-14 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area

Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-14 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2025, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-14 Step 1 GS-14 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 46.34% $155,679 $195,200
New York-Newark 37.95% $146,754 $190,779
Los Angeles-Long Beach 36.47% $145,180 $188,733
Houston-The Woodlands 35.00% $143,616 $186,700
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 33.94% $142,488 $185,234
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 33.72% $142,254 $184,929
Boston-Worcester-Providence 32.58% $141,041 $183,353
State of Alaska 32.36% $140,807 $183,049
Hartford-East Hartford 32.08% $140,509 $182,661
Seattle-Tacoma 31.57% $139,967 $181,956
Chicago-Naperville 30.86% $139,211 $180,974
Denver-Aurora 30.52% $138,850 $180,504
Sacramento-Roseville 29.76% $138,041 $179,453
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 29.12% $137,360 $178,568
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 28.99% $137,222 $178,388
Minneapolis-St. Paul 27.62% $135,765 $176,493
Dallas-Fort Worth 27.26% $135,382 $175,995
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 26.13% $134,180 $174,433
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 24.67% $132,626 $172,414
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 23.79% $131,690 $171,197
Phoenix-Mesa 22.45% $130,265 $169,343
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 22.42% $130,233 $169,302
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 22.41% $130,222 $169,288
Richmond 22.28% $130,084 $169,108
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 22.24% $130,041 $169,053
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 22.23% $130,031 $169,039
State of Hawaii 22.21% $130,009 $169,012
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 22.15% $129,946 $168,929
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 21.93% $129,712 $168,624
Huntsville-Decatur 21.91% $129,690 $168,597
Laredo 21.59% $129,350 $168,154
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 21.42% $129,169 $167,919
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 21.03% $128,754 $167,380
Albany-Schenectady 20.77% $128,478 $167,020
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 20.35% $128,031 $166,439
Colorado Springs 20.15% $127,818 $166,163
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 20.03% $127,690 $165,997
Charlotte-Concord 19.67% $127,307 $165,499
Las Vegas-Henderson 19.57% $127,201 $165,361
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 19.45% $127,073 $165,195
Harrisburg-Lebanon 19.43% $127,052 $165,167
Tucson-Nogales 19.28% $126,892 $164,959
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 18.97% $126,563 $164,531
Davenport-Moline 18.93% $126,520 $164,475
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 18.80% $126,382 $164,296
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 18.78% $126,361 $164,268
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 18.33% $125,882 $163,646
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 18.24% $125,786 $163,521
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 18.23% $125,775 $163,507
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 18.15% $125,690 $163,397
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines 18.01% $125,541 $163,203
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 17.93% $125,456 $163,092
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls 17.88% $125,403 $163,023
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene 17.67% $125,180 $162,733
Fresno-Madera-Hanford 17.65% $125,158 $162,705
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 17.63% $125,137 $162,678
Reno-Fernley 17.52% $125,020 $162,525
Rest of U.S. 17.06% $124,531 $161,889

Top and bottom GS-14 localities in 2025

Lowest-paying areas

About the GS-14 pay scale

GS-14 is part of the 2025 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Supervisory managers, senior program leads and senior technical experts. Many agency branch chiefs sit at GS-14.

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 2025

GS-14 questions for 2025

  • What is the starting salary for GS-14 in 2025?
    The base starting salary for GS-14 in 2025 is $106,382 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2025 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 46.34%), GS-14 Step 1 can reach significantly more.
  • How long does it take to reach GS-14 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-14 to GS-15?
    Promotion from GS-14 to GS-15 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-14 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-15 vacancy. Open the GS-15 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries.
  • What is the military equivalent of GS-14?
    GS-14 is roughly equivalent to O-6 Colonel. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.