58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22
GS-5 pay scale and salary 2026
A GS-5 earns $34,799 to $45,239 in base pay in 2026; with locality pay, from $40,736 at step 1 in Rest of U.S. to $66,203 at step 10 in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA.
Who is on GS-5
| Employees on GS-5 | 53,653 employees, 4.2% of the 1,279,389 on the General Schedule (95 GS records carry no grade) |
|---|---|
| At GS-5 or higher | 98.6% of them |
| Median full-time pay, locality included | $50,988, the median of the 32,777 full-time GS-5 employees whose pay OPM publishes, 70.6% of the grade’s 46,434 full-time employees |
| Median wage, all U.S. occupations | $50,980 a year, $24.51 an hour |
| Supervisors or managers | 0% |
| At step 10 | 12% |
| Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act | 3% |
| Law enforcement officers | GL-5 step 1 is $42,919, 23.3% more than GS-5 step 1, with the same locality percentage on top (the GL pay scale) |
At GS-5 the largest occupations are Nursing Assistant (0621), Miscellaneous Clerk and Assistant (0303) and Medical Support Assistance (0679), and the Department of Veterans Affairs employs the most of them, 23,141.
Every step of GS-5 is paid less an hour than GS-10 step 1, so an overtime hour is paid at time and a half at every step of the grade, in all 58 areas.
98.6% of GS employees are at GS-5 or higher
The median full-time pay OPM publishes for GS-5, $50,988, matches the national median wage for all occupations, $50,980, to within $8; 53,653 of the 1,279,389 General Schedule employees in May 2026 are on GS-5.
Where GS-5 passes the U.S. median hourly wage
$16.67 to $21.68 an hour in base pay, from step 1 to step 10, and in Rest of U.S. it passes the national median of $24.51 an hour at step 9, $24.72.
Military equivalent of GS-5: E-5 and E-6
Enlisted grades E-5 and E-6, non-commissioned officers in category II, are the ranks DoD treats as equivalent to GS-5 on Geneva Conventions identification cards.
| Military grade | E-5 and E-6 |
|---|---|
| Geneva Conventions category | II, non-commissioned officer |
| Other GS grades in the same row | none |
GS-5 base pay, step by step
| Step | Base rate | Hourly | Increase | Wait (weeks) | Total (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | $34,799 | $16.67 | — | — | 0 |
| Step 2 | $35,959 | $17.23 | +$1,160 | 52 | 1 |
| Step 3 | $37,119 | $17.79 | +$1,160 | 52 | 2 |
| Step 4 | $38,279 | $18.34 | +$1,160 | 52 | 3 |
| Step 5 | $39,439 | $18.90 | +$1,160 | 104 | 5 |
| Step 6 | $40,599 | $19.45 | +$1,160 | 104 | 7 |
| Step 7 | $41,759 | $20.01 | +$1,160 | 104 | 9 |
| Step 8 | $42,919 | $20.56 | +$1,160 | 156 | 12 |
| Step 9 | $44,079 | $21.12 | +$1,160 | 156 | 15 |
| Step 10 | $45,239 | $21.68 | +$1,160 | 156 | 18 |
Who qualifies at GS-5
Under OPM’s qualification standard for administrative and management positions, GS-5 takes a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree; or, instead of education, 3 years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4. Equivalent combinations of education and experience also qualify.
Each occupation has its own standard, and the qualifications section of a vacancy announcement is what decides. Source: OPM, General Schedule Qualification Standards, administrative and management positions.
GS-5 step 5 in every locality pay area
What a GS-5 earns where you are
GS-5, step 5 in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PAWashington, DC
$52,825
Promotion from GS-5 to GS-6
| At GS-5 | Lands on GS-6 | Base increase |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Step 1 | +$3,992 |
| Step 2 | Step 1 | +$2,832 |
| Step 3 | Step 2 | +$2,965 |
| Step 4 | Step 3 | +$3,098 |
| Step 5 | Step 4 | +$3,231 |
| Step 6 | Step 5 | +$3,364 |
| Step 7 | Step 6 | +$3,497 |
| Step 8 | Step 6 | +$2,337 |
| Step 9 | Step 7 | +$2,470 |
| Step 10 | Step 8 | +$2,603 |
Until 18 January 2027 a promotion to GS-6 needs 52 weeks at GS-5 in a line of work that moves one grade at a time (5 CFR 300.604; OPM’s final rule, 91 FR 65887, removes it from 19 January 2027; qualification standards still apply, and OPM says it is reviewing separately the one-year service period they have historically included). Where the work moves two grades at a time, as GS-5, 7, 9 and 11 professional ladders do, 52 weeks at GS-5 opens GS-7 directly: by the same rule a GS-5 step 5 lands on GS-7 step 1, $3,667 more in base pay.