GS pay scale 2026
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Philadelphia, PA GS pay scale 2026: 28.99% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $111,781 with 28.99% locality pay, but prices above the national average cut what it buys to $108,997 at U.S. prices.

#15 on paper, #23 after prices

−8Places lost, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$108,997BEA price level 102.6, for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.

Ceiling watch

3 of 150cells held to $197,200, from GS-15 step 8.

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016: +6.77 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 57.29%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 49.80%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 60,698
Share of all jobs here: 1.69%
Largest county by federal jobs: Philadelphia County, PA: 30,180

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

▲ marks the 3 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	29,131	30,108	31,076	32,041	33,007	33,574	34,532	35,497	35,537	36,437
GS-2	32,754	33,534	34,620	35,537	35,934	36,990	38,047	39,103	40,160	41,216
GS-3	35,741	36,932	38,124	39,316	40,508	41,700	42,892	44,084	45,275	46,467
GS-4	40,120	41,457	42,795	44,133	45,470	46,808	48,146	49,483	50,821	52,158
GS-5	44,887	46,384	47,880	49,376	50,872	52,369	53,865	55,361	56,858	58,354
GS-6	50,037	51,704	53,372	55,040	56,708	58,376	60,044	61,711	63,379	65,047
GS-7	55,602	57,456	59,310	61,163	63,017	64,870	66,724	68,578	70,431	72,285
GS-8	61,577	63,629	65,682	67,734	69,786	71,838	73,891	75,943	77,995	80,047
GS-9	68,013	70,280	72,548	74,815	77,083	79,351	81,618	83,886	86,154	88,421
GS-10	74,897	77,393	79,889	82,385	84,881	87,377	89,872	92,368	94,864	97,360
GS-11	82,289	85,033	87,776	90,520	93,264	96,007	98,751	101,494	104,238	106,982
GS-12	98,630	101,918	105,206	108,493	111,781	115,069	118,357	121,645	124,933	128,221
GS-13	117,284	121,194	125,104	129,013	132,923	136,833	140,742	144,652	148,562	152,471
GS-14	138,595	143,215	147,835	152,456	157,076	161,697	166,317	170,938	175,558	180,178
GS-15	163,023	168,457	173,891	179,326	184,760	190,194	195,629	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	13.96	14.43	14.89	15.35	15.82	16.09	16.55	17.01	17.03	17.46
GS-2	15.69	16.07	16.59	17.03	17.22	17.72	18.23	18.74	19.24	19.75
GS-3	17.13	17.70	18.27	18.84	19.41	19.98	20.55	21.12	21.69	22.26
GS-4	19.22	19.86	20.51	21.15	21.79	22.43	23.07	23.71	24.35	24.99
GS-5	21.51	22.23	22.94	23.66	24.38	25.09	25.81	26.53	27.24	27.96
GS-6	23.98	24.77	25.57	26.37	27.17	27.97	28.77	29.57	30.37	31.17
GS-7	26.64	27.53	28.42	29.31	30.20	31.08	31.97	32.86	33.75	34.64
GS-8	29.51	30.49	31.47	32.46	33.44	34.42	35.41	36.39	37.37	38.36
GS-9	32.59	33.68	34.76	35.85	36.93	38.02	39.11	40.19	41.28	42.37
GS-10	35.89	37.08	38.28	39.48	40.67	41.87	43.06	44.26	45.45	46.65
GS-11	39.43	40.74	42.06	43.37	44.69	46.00	47.32	48.63	49.95	51.26
GS-12	47.26	48.83	50.41	51.99	53.56	55.14	56.71	58.29	59.86	61.44
GS-13	56.20	58.07	59.94	61.82	63.69	65.56	67.44	69.31	71.18	73.06
GS-14	66.41	68.62	70.84	73.05	75.26	77.48	79.69	81.91	84.12	86.33
GS-15	78.11	80.72	83.32	85.93	88.53	91.13	93.74	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	1,116.80	1,154.40	1,191.20	1,228.00	1,265.60	1,287.20	1,324.00	1,360.80	1,362.40	1,396.80
GS-2	1,255.20	1,285.60	1,327.20	1,362.40	1,377.60	1,417.60	1,458.40	1,499.20	1,539.20	1,580.00
GS-3	1,370.40	1,416.00	1,461.60	1,507.20	1,552.80	1,598.40	1,644.00	1,689.60	1,735.20	1,780.80
GS-4	1,537.60	1,588.80	1,640.80	1,692.00	1,743.20	1,794.40	1,845.60	1,896.80	1,948.00	1,999.20
GS-5	1,720.80	1,778.40	1,835.20	1,892.80	1,950.40	2,007.20	2,064.80	2,122.40	2,179.20	2,236.80
GS-6	1,918.40	1,981.60	2,045.60	2,109.60	2,173.60	2,237.60	2,301.60	2,365.60	2,429.60	2,493.60
GS-7	2,131.20	2,202.40	2,273.60	2,344.80	2,416.00	2,486.40	2,557.60	2,628.80	2,700.00	2,771.20
GS-8	2,360.80	2,439.20	2,517.60	2,596.80	2,675.20	2,753.60	2,832.80	2,911.20	2,989.60	3,068.80
GS-9	2,607.20	2,694.40	2,780.80	2,868.00	2,954.40	3,041.60	3,128.80	3,215.20	3,302.40	3,389.60
GS-10	2,871.20	2,966.40	3,062.40	3,158.40	3,253.60	3,349.60	3,444.80	3,540.80	3,636.00	3,732.00
GS-11	3,154.40	3,259.20	3,364.80	3,469.60	3,575.20	3,680.00	3,785.60	3,890.40	3,996.00	4,100.80
GS-12	3,780.80	3,906.40	4,032.80	4,159.20	4,284.80	4,411.20	4,536.80	4,663.20	4,788.80	4,915.20
GS-13	4,496.00	4,645.60	4,795.20	4,945.60	5,095.20	5,244.80	5,395.20	5,544.80	5,694.40	5,844.80
GS-14	5,312.80	5,489.60	5,667.20	5,844.00	6,020.80	6,198.40	6,375.20	6,552.80	6,729.60	6,906.40
GS-15	6,248.80	6,457.60	6,665.60	6,874.40	7,082.40	7,290.40	7,499.20	7,559.20	7,559.20	7,559.20

Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-PHL, 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
20	Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI	$113,402	103.6	$109,467
21	Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI	$106,088	96.9	$109,440
22	St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL	$104,017	95.1	$109,390
23	Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$111,781	102.6	$108,997
24	San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX	$102,934	94.7	$108,676
25	Richmond, VA	$105,967	97.9	$108,286
26	Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC	$105,932	98.2	$107,921

Prices here are those of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, 102.6. The area’s name also takes in Reading: BEA puts the Reading, PA metro area at 97.1, and at that level GS-12 step 5 here would buy $115,167.

BEA price levels, 2024, for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spending	Here	U.S.	Rank of 57
Goods	96.8	99.6	#30 (tied)
Housing (rent)	113.1	100.6	#19
Utilities	114.4	98.4	#15
Other services	103.1	100.1	#8
All items	102.6	100.0	#18

Prices here have been rising faster than in the country as a whole: BLS consumer prices for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area rose 4.2% in the twelve months to August 2026, the latest month BLS has for it, against 3.4% for the U.S. city average over the same months; to September 2026 the U.S. figure is 3.7%.

Locality pay since 2016

22.22% in 2016, 28.99% in 2026, up 6.77 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
Philadelphia, PA	22.22	23.87	24.59	25.30	26.04	26.04	26.95	27.84	28.55	28.99	28.99
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

Formula 49.80%, paid 28.99%: 20.81 points apart (median 18.40); nine editions: table

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	57.29	49.80	28.99
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	61.87	54.16	28.99
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	61.09	53.42	28.55
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	61.41	53.72	27.84
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	61.76	54.06	26.95
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	62.16	54.44	26.04
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	64.70	56.86	26.04
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	65.37	57.50	25.30
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	65.47	57.59	24.59

Federal jobs

In this area’s 21 counties, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 8,021 federal jobs in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania 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	60,431	1.72	$95,340
2024	62,088	1.74	$98,585
2025	60,698	1.69	$101,725

Burlington County, New Jersey, counted here, includes the civilians at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, whom OPM pays at the New York rate.

Counties

21 counties paid at this rate

Delaware, 3 counties

Kent County
New Castle County
Sussex County (added 2024)

Maryland, 4 counties

Cecil County
Somerset County (added 2024)
Wicomico County (added 2024)
Worcester County (added 2024)

New Jersey, 7 counties

Atlantic County
Burlington County
Camden County
Cape May County
Cumberland County
Gloucester County
Salem County

Pennsylvania, 7 counties

Berks County
Bucks County
Chester County
Delaware County
Montgomery County
Philadelphia County
Schuylkill County (added 2024)

Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.

Its counties lie in four states, the third-most of any area, as many as New York, NY.

It is the only locality pay area in Delaware.