INDEPENDENTREFERENCEGSGS Pay TablesWhat the federal pay tables mean 2026 edition
Effective January 2026

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Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN$105,663a year$4,050.40Every two weeks$50.63Per hour$50.88Overtime hour#29On paper#16After prices
  1. GS pay scale 2026
  2. Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Cincinnati, OH GS pay scale 2026: 21.93% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $105,663 with 21.93% locality pay, and prices below the national average stretch it to what $110,793 buys elsewhere.

#29 on paper, #16 after prices

+13Places gained, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$110,793BEA price level 95.4, for Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.

Ceiling watch

1 of 150GS-15 step 10 is held to $197,200.

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016
+3.17 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate
40.08%
Rate the 1990 formula would set
33.41%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025
15,073
Share of all jobs here
1.29%
Largest county by federal jobs
Hamilton County, OH: 8,403
Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

▲ marks the one cell cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade12345678910
GS-127,53728,46029,37530,28731,20131,73632,64233,55433,59234,443
GS-230,96231,69832,72533,59233,96734,96635,96436,96337,96238,960
GS-333,78434,91136,03837,16438,29139,41840,54441,67142,79743,924
GS-437,92439,18840,45341,71742,98244,24645,51046,77548,03949,304
GS-542,43043,84545,25946,67448,08849,50250,91752,33153,74655,160
GS-647,29848,87450,45152,02853,60455,18156,75758,33459,91061,487
GS-752,55954,31156,06357,81659,56861,32063,07264,82466,57668,328
GS-858,20760,14762,08764,02765,96767,90669,84671,78673,72675,666
GS-964,29066,43468,57770,72172,86475,00877,15179,29581,43883,582
GS-1070,79773,15775,51677,87580,23582,59484,95487,31389,67292,032
GS-1177,78580,37982,97285,56688,15990,75293,34695,93998,533101,126
GS-1293,23196,33999,447102,555105,663108,771111,879114,987118,095121,203
GS-13110,865114,561118,256121,952125,648129,343133,039136,735140,430144,126
GS-14131,009135,376139,744144,112148,479152,847157,214161,582165,949170,317
GS-15154,100159,237164,374169,511174,648179,785184,921190,058195,195197,200
Annual rate divided by 2,087 hours (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)), as in OPM’s hourly table.
Grade12345678910
GS-113.1913.6414.0814.5114.9515.2115.6416.0816.1016.50
GS-214.8415.1915.6816.1016.2816.7517.2317.7118.1918.67
GS-316.1916.7317.2717.8118.3518.8919.4319.9720.5121.05
GS-418.1718.7819.3819.9920.6021.2021.8122.4123.0223.62
GS-520.3321.0121.6922.3623.0423.7224.4025.0725.7526.43
GS-622.6623.4224.1724.9325.6826.4427.2027.9528.7129.46
GS-725.1826.0226.8627.7028.5429.3830.2231.0631.9032.74
GS-827.8928.8229.7530.6831.6132.5433.4734.4035.3336.26
GS-930.8031.8332.8633.8934.9135.9436.9737.9939.0240.05
GS-1033.9235.0536.1837.3138.4539.5840.7141.8442.9744.10
GS-1137.2738.5139.7641.0042.2443.4844.7345.9747.2148.46
GS-1244.6746.1647.6549.1450.6352.1253.6155.1056.5958.08
GS-1353.1254.8956.6658.4360.2161.9863.7565.5267.2969.06
GS-1462.7764.8766.9669.0571.1473.2475.3377.4279.5281.61
GS-1573.8476.3078.7681.2283.6886.1588.6191.0793.5394.49
Hourly rate times 80 (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)).
Grade12345678910
GS-11,055.201,091.201,126.401,160.801,196.001,216.801,251.201,286.401,288.001,320.00
GS-21,187.201,215.201,254.401,288.001,302.401,340.001,378.401,416.801,455.201,493.60
GS-31,295.201,338.401,381.601,424.801,468.001,511.201,554.401,597.601,640.801,684.00
GS-41,453.601,502.401,550.401,599.201,648.001,696.001,744.801,792.801,841.601,889.60
GS-51,626.401,680.801,735.201,788.801,843.201,897.601,952.002,005.602,060.002,114.40
GS-61,812.801,873.601,933.601,994.402,054.402,115.202,176.002,236.002,296.802,356.80
GS-72,014.402,081.602,148.802,216.002,283.202,350.402,417.602,484.802,552.002,619.20
GS-82,231.202,305.602,380.002,454.402,528.802,603.202,677.602,752.002,826.402,900.80
GS-92,464.002,546.402,628.802,711.202,792.802,875.202,957.603,039.203,121.603,204.00
GS-102,713.602,804.002,894.402,984.803,076.003,166.403,256.803,347.203,437.603,528.00
GS-112,981.603,080.803,180.803,280.003,379.203,478.403,578.403,677.603,776.803,876.80
GS-123,573.603,692.803,812.003,931.204,050.404,169.604,288.804,408.004,527.204,646.40
GS-134,249.604,391.204,532.804,674.404,816.804,958.405,100.005,241.605,383.205,524.80
GS-145,021.605,189.605,356.805,524.005,691.205,859.206,026.406,193.606,361.606,528.80
GS-155,907.206,104.006,300.806,497.606,694.406,892.007,088.807,285.607,482.407,559.20
Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-CIN, matched cell by cell; compare with Rest of U.S..

After local prices

Its neighbors by what it buys (how; all 57).
#LocalityOn paperPrice levelWhat it buys
13Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS$103,09892.5$111,406
14Hartford-East Hartford, CT-MA$114,459102.7$111,400
15Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH$105,85495.5$110,878
16Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN$105,66395.4$110,793
17Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV$104,88394.7$110,787
18Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY$106,07995.8$110,679
19Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX$101,93792.7$109,999
BEA price levels, 2024, for the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spendingHereU.S.Rank of 57
Goods93.899.6#48 (tied)
Housing (rent)87.6100.6#43
Utilities91.098.4#32
Other services99.0100.1#28
All items95.4100.0#44

Locality pay since 2016

0%25%50%20162026
Dashed: the Rest of U.S. rate.
Percent, from OPM’s tables for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026. Sources and caveats; every area since 2016: ten years of locality pay.
Locality pay, %20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Cincinnati, OH18.7619.5219.8720.2120.5520.5520.9421.3521.6921.9321.93
Rest of U.S.14.3515.0615.3715.6715.9515.9516.2016.5016.8217.0617.06

From 2016 to 2026 its locality payment rose 3.17 percentage points, from 18.76% to 21.93%, the second-smallest rise of the 58 areas, shared with Reno, NV.

The 1990 pay law’s formula

The editions checked here, the memos for pay in 2018 to 2026. Sources: memo of January 10, 2025, Attachment 1, and the council’s earlier memos; the President’s Pay Agent on 2026; what these estimates are and are not; every area against the formula: how far pay is from the 1990 law.
Edition, for pay inData as ofListed asPay gap, %Formula rate, %Rate paid that year, %
2026March 2024Locality pay area40.0833.4121.93
2025March 2023Locality pay area42.5935.8021.93
2024March 2022Locality pay area40.1633.4921.69
2023March 2021Locality pay area39.9133.2521.35
2022March 2020Locality pay area39.2432.6120.94
2021March 2019Locality pay area41.5334.7920.55
2020March 2018Locality pay area41.5034.7620.55
2019March 2017Locality pay area42.2035.4320.21
2018March 2016Locality pay area42.4835.7019.87

Across the nine editions checked here, the estimate for Cincinnati, OH has run from 39.24% (for pay in 2022) to 42.59% (for pay in 2025), the narrowest swing of the 56 areas with a gap in all of them; just above it is Los Angeles, CA (3.62 points).

Federal jobs

15,073 federal civilian jobs in 2025, 629 fewer than in 2024, down 4.01%: table
In this area’s 27 counties, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 7,628 federal jobs in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio with no county; the states page counts them with the state, not with any area. Sources and caveats; every area: where the federal jobs are.
YearFederal civilian jobsShare of all jobs, %Average pay per job
202315,2171.31$86,912
202415,7021.35$89,160
202515,0731.29$93,618

Counties

27 counties paid at this rate

Indiana, 6 counties

  • Dearborn County
  • Franklin County
  • Ohio County
  • Ripley County (added 2024)
  • Switzerland County (added 2024)
  • Union County

Kentucky, 13 counties

  • Boone County
  • Bracken County
  • Campbell County
  • Carroll County (added 2024)
  • Fleming County (added 2024)
  • Gallatin County
  • Grant County
  • Kenton County
  • Lewis County (added 2024)
  • Mason County
  • Owen County (added 2024)
  • Pendleton County
  • Robertson County (added 2024)

Ohio, 8 counties

  • Adams County (added 2024)
  • Brown County
  • Butler County
  • Clermont County
  • Clinton County
  • Hamilton County
  • Highland County (added 2024)
  • Warren County
Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.