Houston GS Pay Table for 2026
The Houston-The Woodlands, TX pay area is one of 58 OPM locality pay areas. In 2026 it adds 35.00% on top of the nationwide base GS table, meaning federal employees in this area earn 35.00% more than the base schedule.
2026 Houston GS Pay Table
Locality-adjusted General Schedule pay for Houston-The Woodlands, TX.
Covered area: Austin County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Madison County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, and more.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $30,488 | $31,510 | $32,524 | $33,534 | $34,545 | $35,138 | $36,141 | $37,151 | $37,193 | $38,135 |
| GS-2 | $34,281 | $35,096 | $36,233 | $37,193 | $37,608 | $38,714 | $39,820 | $40,925 | $42,031 | $43,137 |
| GS-3 | $37,406 | $38,653 | $39,901 | $41,148 | $42,395 | $43,643 | $44,890 | $46,138 | $47,385 | $48,632 |
| GS-4 | $41,989 | $43,389 | $44,789 | $46,189 | $47,589 | $48,989 | $50,389 | $51,789 | $53,189 | $54,589 |
| GS-5 | $46,979 | $48,545 | $50,111 | $51,677 | $53,243 | $54,809 | $56,375 | $57,941 | $59,507 | $61,073 |
| GS-6 | $52,368 | $54,113 | $55,859 | $57,605 | $59,350 | $61,096 | $62,841 | $64,587 | $66,332 | $68,078 |
| GS-7 | $58,193 | $60,133 | $62,073 | $64,013 | $65,953 | $67,893 | $69,833 | $71,773 | $73,713 | $75,653 |
| GS-8 | $64,446 | $66,594 | $68,742 | $70,890 | $73,038 | $75,186 | $77,333 | $79,481 | $81,629 | $83,777 |
| GS-9 | $71,181 | $73,555 | $75,928 | $78,301 | $80,675 | $83,048 | $85,421 | $87,795 | $90,168 | $92,541 |
| GS-10 | $78,386 | $80,999 | $83,611 | $86,223 | $88,835 | $91,448 | $94,060 | $96,672 | $99,284 | $101,897 |
| GS-11 | $86,123 | $88,995 | $91,866 | $94,738 | $97,609 | $100,481 | $103,352 | $106,223 | $109,095 | $111,966 |
| GS-12 | $103,225 | $106,666 | $110,107 | $113,549 | $116,990 | $120,431 | $123,872 | $127,313 | $130,754 | $134,195 |
| GS-13 | $122,749 | $126,841 | $130,932 | $135,024 | $139,116 | $143,208 | $147,300 | $151,392 | $155,484 | $159,575 |
| GS-14 | $145,052 | $149,888 | $154,724 | $159,559 | $164,395 | $169,231 | $174,066 | $178,902 | $183,738 | $188,573 |
| GS-15 | $170,618 | $176,306 | $181,994 | $187,681 | $193,369 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
2026 Houston pay schedule
Every grade and step below already includes the 35.00% locality adjustment. Click any grade to open its dedicated single-grade pay scale page for Houston.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $30,488 | $31,510 | $32,524 | $33,534 | $34,545 | $35,138 | $36,141 | $37,151 | $37,193 | $38,135 |
| GS-2 | $34,281 | $35,096 | $36,233 | $37,193 | $37,608 | $38,714 | $39,820 | $40,925 | $42,031 | $43,137 |
| GS-3 | $37,406 | $38,653 | $39,901 | $41,148 | $42,395 | $43,643 | $44,890 | $46,138 | $47,385 | $48,632 |
| GS-4 | $41,989 | $43,389 | $44,789 | $46,189 | $47,589 | $48,989 | $50,389 | $51,789 | $53,189 | $54,589 |
| GS-5 | $46,979 | $48,545 | $50,111 | $51,677 | $53,243 | $54,809 | $56,375 | $57,941 | $59,507 | $61,073 |
| GS-6 | $52,368 | $54,113 | $55,859 | $57,605 | $59,350 | $61,096 | $62,841 | $64,587 | $66,332 | $68,078 |
| GS-7 | $58,193 | $60,133 | $62,073 | $64,013 | $65,953 | $67,893 | $69,833 | $71,773 | $73,713 | $75,653 |
| GS-8 | $64,446 | $66,594 | $68,742 | $70,890 | $73,038 | $75,186 | $77,333 | $79,481 | $81,629 | $83,777 |
| GS-9 | $71,181 | $73,555 | $75,928 | $78,301 | $80,675 | $83,048 | $85,421 | $87,795 | $90,168 | $92,541 |
| GS-10 | $78,386 | $80,999 | $83,611 | $86,223 | $88,835 | $91,448 | $94,060 | $96,672 | $99,284 | $101,897 |
| GS-11 | $86,123 | $88,995 | $91,866 | $94,738 | $97,609 | $100,481 | $103,352 | $106,223 | $109,095 | $111,966 |
| GS-12 | $103,225 | $106,666 | $110,107 | $113,549 | $116,990 | $120,431 | $123,872 | $127,313 | $130,754 | $134,195 |
| GS-13 | $122,749 | $126,841 | $130,932 | $135,024 | $139,116 | $143,208 | $147,300 | $151,392 | $155,484 | $159,575 |
| GS-14 | $145,052 | $149,888 | $154,724 | $159,559 | $164,395 | $169,231 | $174,066 | $178,902 | $183,738 | $188,573 |
| GS-15 | $170,618 | $176,306 | $181,994 | $187,681 | $193,369 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
Pay snapshot for popular grades
Grade-level salaries
Compare with other top localities
Open a specific grade in Houston
Every GS grade has a dedicated single-grade pay scale page for this locality area. Each page shows all 10 steps, annual, biweekly and hourly pay, and the locality add-on broken out.
About the Houston locality pay area
The Houston Locality Area is one of the official OPM General Schedule locality pay areas. It is defined by a set of counties and independent cities within Texas. Any federal employee whose duty station is inside this boundary is paid from this locality table rather than the nationwide base GS schedule.
For 2026, the locality adjustment is 35.00%. That means a GS-1 Step 1 employee in Houston earns $30,488, and a senior GS-15 Step 10 employee can earn up to $197,200, subject to the statutory Executive Schedule Level 4 pay cap for the highest grade-step combinations.
Which counties does this pay area cover?
This pay area covers 19 counties and independent cities across Texas. Some of the included jurisdictions include Austin County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Madison County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, and more.
Counties and independent cities in Houston
Houston pay questions
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What is the 2026 locality adjustment for Houston?
For 2026, the locality pay adjustment for Houston-The Woodlands, TX is 35.00%. That percentage is added on top of the nationwide base GS table. -
How much does a GS-12 earn in Houston?
In 2026, a GS-12 Step 1 employee in Houston earns $103,225, rising to $134,195 at Step 10. See the GS-12 Houston page for the full step breakdown. -
Who is covered by the Houston locality area?
This locality table applies to federal employees whose official duty station is located within the Houston-The Woodlands, TX boundary. It covers 19 counties and independent cities across Texas. Telework alone does not change your locality. It is based on the official duty station listed on your SF-50. -
How does this compare to other pay areas?
Houston is one of 58 GS locality pay areas nationwide. See the full directory to compare against other cities, or browse the base GS table for the nationwide schedule before locality is added.