2025 GS-3 Pay in San Francisco
GS-3 employees with a duty station in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA earn 46.34% on top of the base GS-3 pay scale. That means a GS-3 Step 1 salary jumps from $27,434 on the base table to $40,147 in San Francisco.
2025 GS-3 Pay in San Francisco
Locality-adjusted GS-3 rates for San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.
| Step | Annual salary | Biweekly pay | Hourly rate | Locality add-on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | $40,147 | $1,544.12 | $19.24 | +$12,713 |
| Step 2 | $41,484 | $1,595.54 | $19.88 | +$13,136 |
| Step 3 | $42,822 | $1,647.00 | $20.52 | +$13,560 |
| Step 4 | $44,160 | $1,698.46 | $21.16 | +$13,984 |
| Step 5 | $45,497 | $1,749.88 | $21.80 | +$14,407 |
| Step 6 | $46,835 | $1,801.35 | $22.44 | +$14,831 |
| Step 7 | $48,172 | $1,852.77 | $23.08 | +$15,254 |
| Step 8 | $49,510 | $1,904.23 | $23.72 | +$15,678 |
| Step 9 | $50,847 | $1,955.65 | $24.36 | +$16,101 |
| Step 10 | $52,185 | $2,007.12 | $25.00 | +$16,525 |
2025 GS-3 pay table for San Francisco
Each step below already includes the 46.34% locality adjustment. The "Locality add-on" column shows how much locality pay is adding compared with the base GS-3 table.
| Step | Annual salary | Biweekly pay | Hourly rate | Locality add-on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | $40,147 | $1,544.12 | $19.24 | +$12,713 |
| Step 2 | $41,484 | $1,595.54 | $19.88 | +$13,136 |
| Step 3 | $42,822 | $1,647.00 | $20.52 | +$13,560 |
| Step 4 | $44,160 | $1,698.46 | $21.16 | +$13,984 |
| Step 5 | $45,497 | $1,749.88 | $21.80 | +$14,407 |
| Step 6 | $46,835 | $1,801.35 | $22.44 | +$14,831 |
| Step 7 | $48,172 | $1,852.77 | $23.08 | +$15,254 |
| Step 8 | $49,510 | $1,904.23 | $23.72 | +$15,678 |
| Step 9 | $50,847 | $1,955.65 | $24.36 | +$16,101 |
| Step 10 | $52,185 | $2,007.12 | $25.00 | +$16,525 |
Base vs. locality comparison
How much more San Francisco pays
Step-increase waiting periods
GS-3 in San Francisco: what to expect
Routine clerical, office assistant and technician-support roles. Common entry grade for recent high school graduates.
For 2025, the San Francisco pay area adds a 46.34% locality adjustment on top of the nationwide base GS schedule. Every GS-3 employee assigned to this area benefits from that same percentage, regardless of step or series.
Qualifications and career path
Minimum qualifications. One year of general experience or one year of post-secondary education.
Promotion path. Non-competitive promotion to GS-4 after one year of satisfactory performance.
The rough military equivalent for GS-3 is E-4 Specialist, useful for comparing GS roles against enlisted and officer ranks when looking at pay or authority level.
Biweekly take-home for GS-3 in San Francisco
Before taxes and deductions, a GS-3 Step 1 employee in San Francisco earns roughly $1,544 per biweekly pay period. At Step 10 that rises to $2,007. Actual take-home will be lower after federal tax, state tax, TSP contributions, retirement and health insurance deductions.
Note. This is the archived 2025 table. For current pay, open the latest GS-3 San Francisco page.
Other grades in San Francisco
GS-3 in San Francisco questions
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How much does a GS-3 make in San Francisco?
In 2025, a GS-3 Step 1 employee in San Francisco earns $40,147 per year. At Step 10 the salary reaches $52,185. This is 46.34% higher than the base GS-3 salary. -
What is the locality adjustment for GS-3 in San Francisco?
The locality adjustment is the same for every grade and step within a pay area. For San Francisco in 2025, it is 46.34%. On a GS-3 Step 1 salary that translates to an extra $12,713 per year. -
What is the biweekly pay for GS-3 in San Francisco?
Biweekly pay is annual salary divided by 26. A GS-3 Step 1 employee in San Francisco earns roughly $1,544 per pay period before tax and retirement deductions.