GS Locality Pay Areas and Rates for 2026

General Schedule employees are paid a locality payment on top of base pay that depends on the area of their official worksite. For 2026 there are 58 locality pay areas, ranging from 17.06% in Rest of U.S. to 46.34% in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland. Both the percentages and the area boundaries are unchanged from 2025.

What are the 2026 locality pay percentages?

Each of the 58 areas has its own percentage, set by Schedule 9 of Executive Order 14368. Twelve areas pay 30% or more and 21 pay less than 20%. The table lists every area with its percentage and the 2026 annual rate for GS-11 step 5 and GS-13 step 1, sorted from highest to lowest.

How much does the locality area change a GS salary?

The same grade and step can differ by more than $21,000 a year depending on the area. A GS-11 step 5 earns $84,638 in Rest of U.S., $96,843 in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington and $105,808 in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland. The gap grows with grade until the $197,200 pay cap stops it.

At the top of the scale the cap matters: in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 10 cells of the GS table are held at $197,200, against none in Rest of U.S. See every cell for any area on the GS pay scale page.

How does OPM define a locality pay area?

Locality pay areas are defined by county. Most areas are built around a large metropolitan area and take in nearby counties that meet the Pay Agent's criteria. The President's Pay Agent sets the definitions after hearing recommendations from the Federal Salary Council. A county that is not part of any named area belongs to Rest of U.S.

OPM publishes the county list for each area, with state and county codes, on its 2026 Locality Pay Area Definitions page. Our county lookup is built from that list. Alaska and Hawaii are statewide areas with their own tables, and the other non-foreign areas, such as Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are part of Rest of U.S.

Which area applies if I telework or work remotely?

Your locality area is set by your official worksite, the place recorded on your SF-50. If you telework but report to your agency worksite at least twice each biweekly pay period, that worksite stays official. If you report less often, or work fully remotely, your home or telework location usually becomes the official worksite.

This rule comes from 5 CFR 531.605. Agencies can make temporary exceptions — for example during recovery from an injury, an emergency that prevents commuting, or temporary duty travel — and the agency official decides each case. Changing where you work can therefore change your locality rate, up or down, from the effective date of the change.

Will locality pay change in 2027?

Not under the current proposal. The President's alternative pay plan of August 26, 2026 keeps 2027 locality pay at 2026 rates. The letter notes that the statutory formula would otherwise have raised locality payments by an average of 20.6%. The plan becomes final only with the December pay Executive Order.

Area boundaries for 2027 have not been announced as changed. If the Pay Agent adds or redraws areas, or the final Executive Order sets new percentages, we will update the table, the county lookup and the change log on the same day.

Who is not paid from these locality rates?

The percentages here apply to General Schedule employees and to some other pay systems that OPM extends locality pay to. Wage grade employees, Postal Service employees, the Senior Executive Service and employees overseas are paid differently, and some GS occupations receive higher special rates instead of the standard locality rate.

Law enforcement officers at grades GS-3 through GS-10 are paid from OPM's separate law enforcement tables, which are higher than the standard locality rates. If your SF-50 shows a special rate table number, the special rate applies wherever it is higher than the locality rate shown here.

Printed from https://knowyourpension.org/locality-pay-areas/ · Last updated October 29, 2026 · Independent reference. Not affiliated with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management or any federal agency. Estimates only — your official figures come from your agency, your SF-50 and OPM.