2026 GS Locality Pay Areas

Every 2026 locality pay area

Sorted by adjustment, highest to lowest. Click any row to open the full 2026 pay table for that locality for every grade and every step with the locality percentage applied.

Locality pay areas by state

Every locality pay area is listed under each state it covers. Some large metro areas (like Boston-Worcester-Providence or New York-Newark) appear under multiple states because the pay area crosses state lines.

How locality pay works

Locality pay is expressed as a percentage added on top of the base General Schedule. For example, if the base GS-12 Step 1 salary is $76,463 and the San Francisco locality percentage is 46%, the adjusted salary is $76,463 × 1.46 = $111,636 (subject to the statutory pay cap for the highest grade-step combinations).

The lowest locality adjustment in 2026 is 17.06% in Rest of U.S., and the highest is 46.34% in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland. The average is 23.89%.

What counts as your duty station?

Locality pay is based on your official duty station, not your home address. If you telework from a different state than your duty station, you are still paid under the locality of your duty station.

Does everyone get locality pay?

Almost every civilian GS employee in the 50 states and D.C. receives locality pay, even if only at the default Rest of U.S. rate.

Locality pay questions

• What is a GS locality pay area?

  A locality pay area is a geographic region defined by OPM for paying federal employees a local market-based adjustment on top of the base General Schedule. Each area has its own annual percentage.
• How is the locality percentage calculated?

  The Federal Salary Council uses Bureau of Labor Statistics data to compare federal salaries with non-federal salaries in each locality. The President's Pay Agent then issues a final locality percentage each year.
• What if my duty station isn't in a named locality area?

  If your duty station is not inside a named GS locality area, your locality pay comes from the Rest of U.S. rate. This is the default for millions of federal employees.
• Does locality pay apply to overseas duty stations?

  No. Locality pay only applies to positions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories covered by specific pay areas. Overseas positions receive a post allowance instead.