GS pay scale 2026
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Los Angeles, CA GS pay scale 2026: 36.47% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $118,264 with 36.47% locality pay, but prices above the national average cut what it buys to $104,137 at U.S. prices.

#3 on paper, #44 after prices

−41Places lost, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$104,137BEA price level 113.6, for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.

Ceiling watch

5 of 150cells held to $197,200, from GS-15 step 6.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$16,821over $101,443 at GS-12 step 5, on paper.

Rest of U.S. buys as much at

97.4or lower prices, U.S. = 100, against 113.6 here; 22 of the 57 priced areas are that cheap (the two side by side).

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016: +8.82 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 79.92%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 71.35%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 103,156
Share of all jobs here: 1.15%
Largest county by federal jobs: Los Angeles County, CA: 46,528

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

▲ marks the 5 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	30,820	31,853	32,878	33,899	34,921	35,520	36,534	37,555	37,597	38,550
GS-2	34,654	35,478	36,627	37,597	38,018	39,136	40,253	41,371	42,489	43,606
GS-3	37,813	39,074	40,335	41,596	42,857	44,118	45,379	46,640	47,901	49,162
GS-4	42,446	43,861	45,277	46,692	48,107	49,522	50,937	52,353	53,768	55,183
GS-5	47,490	49,073	50,656	52,239	53,822	55,405	56,989	58,572	60,155	61,738
GS-6	52,938	54,703	56,467	58,232	59,996	61,761	63,525	65,290	67,055	68,819
GS-7	58,827	60,788	62,749	64,710	66,671	68,632	70,593	72,554	74,515	76,476
GS-8	65,148	67,319	69,491	71,662	73,833	76,004	78,175	80,347	82,518	84,689
GS-9	71,957	74,356	76,755	79,154	81,553	83,952	86,351	88,751	91,150	93,549
GS-10	79,240	81,881	84,521	87,162	89,803	92,443	95,084	97,725	100,365	103,006
GS-11	87,061	89,964	92,866	95,769	98,672	101,575	104,477	107,380	110,283	113,185
GS-12	104,349	107,828	111,306	114,785	118,264	121,742	125,221	128,699	132,178	135,657
GS-13	124,085	128,222	132,358	136,495	140,631	144,767	148,904	153,040	157,177	161,313
GS-14	146,632	151,520	156,408	161,297	166,185	171,073	175,962	180,850	185,738	190,627
GS-15	172,476	178,226	183,975	189,725	195,474	197,200	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	14.77	15.26	15.75	16.24	16.73	17.02	17.51	17.99	18.01	18.47
GS-2	16.60	17.00	17.55	18.01	18.22	18.75	19.29	19.82	20.36	20.89
GS-3	18.12	18.72	19.33	19.93	20.54	21.14	21.74	22.35	22.95	23.56
GS-4	20.34	21.02	21.69	22.37	23.05	23.73	24.41	25.09	25.76	26.44
GS-5	22.76	23.51	24.27	25.03	25.79	26.55	27.31	28.07	28.82	29.58
GS-6	25.37	26.21	27.06	27.90	28.75	29.59	30.44	31.28	32.13	32.98
GS-7	28.19	29.13	30.07	31.01	31.95	32.89	33.83	34.76	35.70	36.64
GS-8	31.22	32.26	33.30	34.34	35.38	36.42	37.46	38.50	39.54	40.58
GS-9	34.48	35.63	36.78	37.93	39.08	40.23	41.38	42.53	43.68	44.82
GS-10	37.97	39.23	40.50	41.76	43.03	44.29	45.56	46.83	48.09	49.36
GS-11	41.72	43.11	44.50	45.89	47.28	48.67	50.06	51.45	52.84	54.23
GS-12	50.00	51.67	53.33	55.00	56.67	58.33	60.00	61.67	63.33	65.00
GS-13	59.46	61.44	63.42	65.40	67.38	69.37	71.35	73.33	75.31	77.29
GS-14	70.26	72.60	74.94	77.29	79.63	81.97	84.31	86.66	89.00	91.34
GS-15	82.64	85.40	88.15	90.91	93.66	94.49	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	1,181.60	1,220.80	1,260.00	1,299.20	1,338.40	1,361.60	1,400.80	1,439.20	1,440.80	1,477.60
GS-2	1,328.00	1,360.00	1,404.00	1,440.80	1,457.60	1,500.00	1,543.20	1,585.60	1,628.80	1,671.20
GS-3	1,449.60	1,497.60	1,546.40	1,594.40	1,643.20	1,691.20	1,739.20	1,788.00	1,836.00	1,884.80
GS-4	1,627.20	1,681.60	1,735.20	1,789.60	1,844.00	1,898.40	1,952.80	2,007.20	2,060.80	2,115.20
GS-5	1,820.80	1,880.80	1,941.60	2,002.40	2,063.20	2,124.00	2,184.80	2,245.60	2,305.60	2,366.40
GS-6	2,029.60	2,096.80	2,164.80	2,232.00	2,300.00	2,367.20	2,435.20	2,502.40	2,570.40	2,638.40
GS-7	2,255.20	2,330.40	2,405.60	2,480.80	2,556.00	2,631.20	2,706.40	2,780.80	2,856.00	2,931.20
GS-8	2,497.60	2,580.80	2,664.00	2,747.20	2,830.40	2,913.60	2,996.80	3,080.00	3,163.20	3,246.40
GS-9	2,758.40	2,850.40	2,942.40	3,034.40	3,126.40	3,218.40	3,310.40	3,402.40	3,494.40	3,585.60
GS-10	3,037.60	3,138.40	3,240.00	3,340.80	3,442.40	3,543.20	3,644.80	3,746.40	3,847.20	3,948.80
GS-11	3,337.60	3,448.80	3,560.00	3,671.20	3,782.40	3,893.60	4,004.80	4,116.00	4,227.20	4,338.40
GS-12	4,000.00	4,133.60	4,266.40	4,400.00	4,533.60	4,666.40	4,800.00	4,933.60	5,066.40	5,200.00
GS-13	4,756.80	4,915.20	5,073.60	5,232.00	5,390.40	5,549.60	5,708.00	5,866.40	6,024.80	6,183.20
GS-14	5,620.80	5,808.00	5,995.20	6,183.20	6,370.40	6,557.60	6,744.80	6,932.80	7,120.00	7,307.20
GS-15	6,611.20	6,832.00	7,052.00	7,272.80	7,492.80	7,559.20	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-LA, 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
41	Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC	$102,951	97.9	$105,115
42	Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA	$104,658	99.6	$105,114
43	Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA	$103,497	98.7	$104,913
44	Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA	$118,264	113.6	$104,137
45	Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA	$109,303	105.4	$103,682
46	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$115,880	111.9	$103,569
47	Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ	$103,618	100.2	$103,396

It ranks #3 on paper and #44 once local prices are counted, a drop of 41 places, the biggest of the 57 areas.

BEA price levels, 2024, for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spending	Here	U.S.	Rank of 57
Goods	106.6	99.6	#5
Housing (rent)	170.4	100.6	#3
Utilities	158.6	98.4	#4
Other services	104.4	100.1	#4 (tied)
All items	113.6	100.0	#2

Prices here have been rising about as fast as in the country as a whole: BLS consumer prices for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area rose 3.7% in the twelve months to September 2026, against 3.7% for the U.S. city average over the same months.

Locality pay since 2016

27.65% in 2016, 36.47% in 2026, up 8.82 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
Los Angeles, CA	27.65	29.65	30.57	31.47	32.41	32.41	33.61	34.89	35.84	36.47	36.47
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	79.92	71.35	36.47
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	80.97	72.35	36.47
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	77.63	69.17	35.84
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	80.71	72.10	34.89
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	77.60	69.14	33.61
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	78.87	70.35	32.41
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	80.16	71.58	32.41
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	80.66	72.06	31.47
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	81.22	72.59	30.57

Across the nine editions checked here, the estimate for Los Angeles, CA has run from 77.60% (for pay in 2022) to 81.22% (for pay in 2018), the second-narrowest swing of the 56 areas with a gap in all of them.

Federal jobs

103,156 federal civilian jobs in 2025, 3,917 fewer than in 2024, down 3.66%: table

In this area’s 9 counties, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 9,710 federal jobs in California 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	105,548	1.19	$99,147
2024	107,073	1.19	$103,848
2025	103,156	1.15	$108,755

Counties

9 counties paid at this rate

California, 9 counties

Imperial County (added 2021)
Kern County
Los Angeles County
Orange County
Riverside County
San Bernardino County
San Luis Obispo County (added 2019)
Santa Barbara County
Ventura County

Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.