2025 GS-9 Pay Scale
The GS-9 base salary range for 2025 is $52,205 at Step 1, rising to $67,865 at Step 10. Add the locality pay adjustment for your duty station on top. This page shows the base table first, then every locality-adjusted version of GS-9 for 2025.
2025 GS-9 Pay Scale
Nationwide base GS-9 rates for 2025.
| Step | Annual salary | Biweekly pay | Hourly rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | $52,205 | $2,007.88 | $25.01 | - |
| Step 2 | $53,945 | $2,074.81 | $25.85 | - |
| Step 3 | $55,685 | $2,141.73 | $26.68 | - |
| Step 4 | $57,425 | $2,208.65 | $27.52 | - |
| Step 5 | $59,165 | $2,275.58 | $28.35 | - |
| Step 6 | $60,905 | $2,342.50 | $29.18 | - |
| Step 7 | $62,645 | $2,409.42 | $30.02 | - |
| Step 8 | $64,385 | $2,476.35 | $30.85 | - |
| Step 9 | $66,125 | $2,543.27 | $31.68 | - |
| Step 10 | $67,865 | $2,610.19 | $32.52 | - |
2025 GS-9 base salary, all 10 steps
This is the nationwide base GS-9 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 | $52,205 | $2,007.88 | $25.01 | - |
| Step 2 | $53,945 | $2,074.81 | $25.85 | - |
| Step 3 | $55,685 | $2,141.73 | $26.68 | - |
| Step 4 | $57,425 | $2,208.65 | $27.52 | - |
| Step 5 | $59,165 | $2,275.58 | $28.35 | - |
| Step 6 | $60,905 | $2,342.50 | $29.18 | - |
| Step 7 | $62,645 | $2,409.42 | $30.02 | - |
| Step 8 | $64,385 | $2,476.35 | $30.85 | - |
| Step 9 | $66,125 | $2,543.27 | $31.68 | - |
| Step 10 | $67,865 | $2,610.19 | $32.52 | - |
Who is a GS-9?
Typical role. Full performance for many professional and administrative careers, including management analysts, contract specialists, social workers and IT specialists.
Minimum qualifications. A master's degree or equivalent graduate education, or one year of specialized experience at the GS-7 level.
Career progression. Career-ladder promotion to GS-11 after one year of specialized GS-9 experience.
Step-increase waiting periods
Within-grade step increases happen automatically as long as your performance is acceptable.
GS-9 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area
Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-9 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2025, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.
| Locality pay area | Adjustment | GS-9 Step 1 | GS-9 Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland | 46.34% | $76,397 | $99,314 |
| New York-Newark | 37.95% | $72,017 | $93,620 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach | 36.47% | $71,244 | $92,615 |
| Houston-The Woodlands | 35.00% | $70,477 | $91,618 |
| Washington-Baltimore-Arlington | 33.94% | $69,923 | $90,898 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 33.72% | $69,809 | $90,749 |
| Boston-Worcester-Providence | 32.58% | $69,213 | $89,975 |
| State of Alaska | 32.36% | $69,099 | $89,826 |
| Hartford-East Hartford | 32.08% | $68,952 | $89,636 |
| Seattle-Tacoma | 31.57% | $68,686 | $89,290 |
| Chicago-Naperville | 30.86% | $68,315 | $88,808 |
| Denver-Aurora | 30.52% | $68,138 | $88,577 |
| Sacramento-Roseville | 29.76% | $67,741 | $88,062 |
| Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor | 29.12% | $67,407 | $87,627 |
| Philadelphia-Reading-Camden | 28.99% | $67,339 | $87,539 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | 27.62% | $66,624 | $86,609 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 27.26% | $66,436 | $86,365 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Salem | 26.13% | $65,846 | $85,598 |
| Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale | 24.67% | $65,084 | $84,607 |
| Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs | 23.79% | $64,625 | $84,010 |
| Phoenix-Mesa | 22.45% | $63,925 | $83,101 |
| Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha | 22.42% | $63,909 | $83,080 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean | 22.41% | $63,904 | $83,074 |
| Richmond | 22.28% | $63,836 | $82,985 |
| Raleigh-Durham-Cary | 22.24% | $63,815 | $82,958 |
| Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 22.23% | $63,810 | $82,951 |
| State of Hawaii | 22.21% | $63,800 | $82,938 |
| Columbus-Marion-Zanesville | 22.15% | $63,768 | $82,897 |
| Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville | 21.93% | $63,654 | $82,748 |
| Huntsville-Decatur | 21.91% | $63,643 | $82,734 |
| Laredo | 21.59% | $63,476 | $82,517 |
| Dayton-Springfield-Kettering | 21.42% | $63,387 | $82,402 |
| Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton | 21.03% | $63,184 | $82,137 |
| Albany-Schenectady | 20.77% | $63,048 | $81,961 |
| Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown | 20.35% | $62,829 | $81,676 |
| Colorado Springs | 20.15% | $62,724 | $81,540 |
| St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington | 20.03% | $62,662 | $81,458 |
| Charlotte-Concord | 19.67% | $62,474 | $81,214 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson | 19.57% | $62,422 | $81,146 |
| Burlington-South Burlington-Barre | 19.45% | $62,359 | $81,065 |
| Harrisburg-Lebanon | 19.43% | $62,348 | $81,051 |
| Tucson-Nogales | 19.28% | $62,270 | $80,949 |
| Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City | 18.97% | $62,108 | $80,739 |
| Davenport-Moline | 18.93% | $62,087 | $80,712 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk | 18.80% | $62,020 | $80,624 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall | 18.78% | $62,009 | $80,610 |
| Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas | 18.33% | $61,774 | $80,305 |
| Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega | 18.24% | $61,727 | $80,244 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont | 18.23% | $61,722 | $80,237 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie | 18.15% | $61,680 | $80,182 |
| Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines | 18.01% | $61,607 | $80,087 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | 17.93% | $61,565 | $80,033 |
| Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls | 17.88% | $61,539 | $79,999 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene | 17.67% | $61,430 | $79,857 |
| Fresno-Madera-Hanford | 17.65% | $61,419 | $79,843 |
| Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice | 17.63% | $61,409 | $79,830 |
| Reno-Fernley | 17.52% | $61,351 | $79,755 |
| Rest of U.S. | 17.06% | $61,111 | $79,443 |
Top and bottom GS-9 localities in 2025
Highest-paying areas
Lowest-paying areas
About the GS-9 pay scale
GS-9 is part of the 2025 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Full performance for many professional and administrative careers, including management analysts, contract specialists, social workers and IT specialists.
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-9 questions for 2025
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What is the starting salary for GS-9 in 2025?
The base starting salary for GS-9 in 2025 is $52,205 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2025 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 46.34%), GS-9 Step 1 can reach significantly more. -
How long does it take to reach GS-9 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-9 to GS-10?
Promotion from GS-9 to GS-10 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-9 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-10 vacancy. Open the GS-10 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries. -
What is the military equivalent of GS-9?
GS-9 is roughly equivalent to O-3 Captain. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.