GS pay scale 2026
Denver-Aurora, CO

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Denver, CO GS pay scale 2026: 30.52% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $113,107 with 30.52% locality pay, but prices above the national average cut what it buys to $106,925 at U.S. prices.

#12 on paper, #31 after prices

−19Places lost, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$106,925BEA price level 105.8, for Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO.

Ceiling watch

4 of 150cells held to $197,200, from GS-15 step 7.

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016: +7.59 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 71.19%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 63.04%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 33,657
Share of all jobs here: 1.61%
Largest county by federal jobs: Denver County, CO: 13,374

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

▲ marks the 4 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	29,477	30,465	31,445	32,421	33,399	33,972	34,942	35,918	35,958	36,869
GS-2	33,143	33,931	35,030	35,958	36,360	37,429	38,498	39,567	40,636	41,705
GS-3	36,164	37,370	38,576	39,782	40,989	42,195	43,401	44,607	45,813	47,019
GS-4	40,596	41,949	43,303	44,656	46,010	47,363	48,717	50,070	51,424	52,777
GS-5	45,420	46,934	48,448	49,962	51,476	52,990	54,504	56,018	57,532	59,046
GS-6	50,630	52,318	54,005	55,693	57,381	59,068	60,756	62,443	64,131	65,819
GS-7	56,262	58,138	60,013	61,889	63,764	65,640	67,515	69,391	71,267	73,142
GS-8	62,308	64,384	66,461	68,537	70,614	72,691	74,767	76,844	78,920	80,997
GS-9	68,819	71,114	73,408	75,703	77,997	80,292	82,587	84,881	87,176	89,470
GS-10	75,785	78,311	80,836	83,362	85,887	88,413	90,939	93,464	95,990	98,515
GS-11	83,265	86,041	88,818	91,594	94,370	97,146	99,922	102,698	105,475	108,251
GS-12	99,800	103,126	106,453	109,780	113,107	116,434	119,761	123,088	126,415	129,742
GS-13	118,675	122,631	126,587	130,543	134,500	138,456	142,412	146,368	150,324	154,280
GS-14	140,239	144,914	149,589	154,264	158,939	163,615	168,290	172,965	177,640	182,316
GS-15	164,956	170,455	175,954	181,453	186,952	192,450	197,200	197,200	197,200	197,200

Annual rate divided by 2,087 hours (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)), as in OPM’s hourly table.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	14.12	14.60	15.07	15.53	16.00	16.28	16.74	17.21	17.23	17.67
GS-2	15.88	16.26	16.78	17.23	17.42	17.93	18.45	18.96	19.47	19.98
GS-3	17.33	17.91	18.48	19.06	19.64	20.22	20.80	21.37	21.95	22.53
GS-4	19.45	20.10	20.75	21.40	22.05	22.69	23.34	23.99	24.64	25.29
GS-5	21.76	22.49	23.21	23.94	24.67	25.39	26.12	26.84	27.57	28.29
GS-6	24.26	25.07	25.88	26.69	27.49	28.30	29.11	29.92	30.73	31.54
GS-7	26.96	27.86	28.76	29.65	30.55	31.45	32.35	33.25	34.15	35.05
GS-8	29.86	30.85	31.85	32.84	33.84	34.83	35.83	36.82	37.82	38.81
GS-9	32.98	34.07	35.17	36.27	37.37	38.47	39.57	40.67	41.77	42.87
GS-10	36.31	37.52	38.73	39.94	41.15	42.36	43.57	44.78	45.99	47.20
GS-11	39.90	41.23	42.56	43.89	45.22	46.55	47.88	49.21	50.54	51.87
GS-12	47.82	49.41	51.01	52.60	54.20	55.79	57.38	58.98	60.57	62.17
GS-13	56.86	58.76	60.66	62.55	64.45	66.34	68.24	70.13	72.03	73.92
GS-14	67.20	69.44	71.68	73.92	76.16	78.40	80.64	82.88	85.12	87.36
GS-15	79.04	81.67	84.31	86.94	89.58	92.21	94.49	94.49	94.49	94.49

Hourly rate times 80 (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)).
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	1,129.60	1,168.00	1,205.60	1,242.40	1,280.00	1,302.40	1,339.20	1,376.80	1,378.40	1,413.60
GS-2	1,270.40	1,300.80	1,342.40	1,378.40	1,393.60	1,434.40	1,476.00	1,516.80	1,557.60	1,598.40
GS-3	1,386.40	1,432.80	1,478.40	1,524.80	1,571.20	1,617.60	1,664.00	1,709.60	1,756.00	1,802.40
GS-4	1,556.00	1,608.00	1,660.00	1,712.00	1,764.00	1,815.20	1,867.20	1,919.20	1,971.20	2,023.20
GS-5	1,740.80	1,799.20	1,856.80	1,915.20	1,973.60	2,031.20	2,089.60	2,147.20	2,205.60	2,263.20
GS-6	1,940.80	2,005.60	2,070.40	2,135.20	2,199.20	2,264.00	2,328.80	2,393.60	2,458.40	2,523.20
GS-7	2,156.80	2,228.80	2,300.80	2,372.00	2,444.00	2,516.00	2,588.00	2,660.00	2,732.00	2,804.00
GS-8	2,388.80	2,468.00	2,548.00	2,627.20	2,707.20	2,786.40	2,866.40	2,945.60	3,025.60	3,104.80
GS-9	2,638.40	2,725.60	2,813.60	2,901.60	2,989.60	3,077.60	3,165.60	3,253.60	3,341.60	3,429.60
GS-10	2,904.80	3,001.60	3,098.40	3,195.20	3,292.00	3,388.80	3,485.60	3,582.40	3,679.20	3,776.00
GS-11	3,192.00	3,298.40	3,404.80	3,511.20	3,617.60	3,724.00	3,830.40	3,936.80	4,043.20	4,149.60
GS-12	3,825.60	3,952.80	4,080.80	4,208.00	4,336.00	4,463.20	4,590.40	4,718.40	4,845.60	4,973.60
GS-13	4,548.80	4,700.80	4,852.80	5,004.00	5,156.00	5,307.20	5,459.20	5,610.40	5,762.40	5,913.60
GS-14	5,376.00	5,555.20	5,734.40	5,913.60	6,092.80	6,272.00	6,451.20	6,630.40	6,809.60	6,988.80
GS-15	6,323.20	6,533.60	6,744.80	6,955.20	7,166.40	7,376.80	7,559.20	7,559.20	7,559.20	7,559.20

Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-DEN, matched cell by cell; compare with Rest of U.S..

After local prices

Its neighbors by what it buys (how; all 57).
#	Locality	On paper	Price level	What it buys
28	Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL	$107,275	100.1	$107,213
29	Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN	$102,388	95.7	$106,993
30	Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK	$110,282	103.1	$106,976
31	Denver-Aurora, CO	$113,107	105.8	$106,925
32	Tucson-Nogales, AZ	$103,367	96.9	$106,678
33	Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA	$116,071	108.9	$106,601
34	Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC	$103,705	97.3	$106,530

Within Colorado, rent here is 26% higher than in Colorado Springs, CO, the other area whose principal city is in the state: BEA puts housing at 146.9 here and 116.2 there.

BEA price levels, 2024, for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spending	Here	U.S.	Rank of 57
Goods	101.0	99.6	#17
Housing (rent)	146.9	100.6	#9
Utilities	87.9	98.4	#44
Other services	99.4	100.1	#25 (tied)
All items	105.8	100.0	#11

Prices here have been rising faster than in the country as a whole: BLS consumer prices for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO area rose 4.0% in the twelve months to September 2026, against 3.7% for the U.S. city average over the same months.

Locality pay since 2016

22.93% in 2016, 30.52% in 2026, up 7.59 points; Rest of U.S. up 2.71: chart and table

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, %	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Denver, CO	22.93	24.65	25.47	26.30	27.13	27.13	28.10	29.05	29.88	30.52	30.52
Rest of U.S.	14.35	15.06	15.37	15.67	15.95	15.95	16.20	16.50	16.82	17.06	17.06

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 in	Data as of	Listed as	Pay gap, %	Formula rate, %	Rate paid that year, %
2026	March 2024	Locality pay area	71.19	63.04	30.52
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	75.15	66.81	30.52
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	66.92	58.97	29.88
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	64.57	56.73	29.05
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	64.67	56.83	28.10
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	65.94	58.04	27.13
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	69.81	61.72	27.13
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	71.81	63.63	26.30
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	71.23	63.08	25.47

Pay here is further from the 1990 pay law’s formula than in most areas: the formula would set 63.04%, 32.52 points above the 30.52% paid in 2026, against a median distance of 18.40 points across the 57 areas with a formula rate.

Federal jobs

33,657 federal civilian jobs in 2025, 994 fewer than in 2024, down 2.87%: table

In this area’s 14 counties, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 901 federal jobs in Colorado 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.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	33,873	1.62	$108,022
2024	34,651	1.65	$112,309
2025	33,657	1.61	$116,772

Counties

14 counties paid at this rate

Colorado, 14 counties

Adams County
Arapahoe County
Boulder County
Broomfield County
Clear Creek County
Denver County
Douglas County
Elbert County
Gilpin County
Jefferson County
Larimer County
Lincoln County (added 2024)
Park County
Weld County

Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.