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

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Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC$105,932a year$4,060.80Every two weeks$50.76Per hour$51.02Overtime hour#25On paper#26After prices
  1. GS pay scale 2026
  2. Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Raleigh & Durham GS pay scale 2026: 22.24% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $105,932 with 22.24% locality pay; local prices are within 2% of the national average, so at U.S. prices it is worth close to that, $107,921.

#25 on paper, #26 after prices

−1Places lost, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$107,921BEA price level 98.2, for Raleigh-Cary, NC.

Ceiling watch

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

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016
+4.30 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate
44.54%
Rate the 1990 formula would set
37.66%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025
32,315
Share of all jobs here
2.07%
Largest county by federal jobs
Cumberland County, NC: 14,866
Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

▲ marks the one cell cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade12345678910
GS-127,60728,53229,45030,36431,28031,81732,72533,63933,67734,530
GS-231,04031,77932,80833,67734,05435,05536,05637,05738,05839,059
GS-333,87035,00036,12937,25938,38839,51840,64741,77742,90644,036
GS-438,02039,28840,55641,82343,09144,35845,62646,89448,16149,429
GS-542,53843,95645,37446,79248,21049,62851,04652,46453,88255,300
GS-647,41848,99950,57952,16053,74055,32156,90158,48260,06361,643
GS-752,69354,44956,20657,96359,71961,47663,23264,98966,74568,502
GS-858,35560,30062,24564,18966,13468,07970,02471,96973,91475,858
GS-964,45366,60268,75170,90073,04975,19877,34779,49681,64583,794
GS-1070,97773,34375,70878,07380,43982,80485,16987,53589,90092,266
GS-1177,98380,58383,18385,78388,38390,98393,58396,18398,783101,383
GS-1293,46896,58499,700102,816105,932109,048112,164115,280118,396121,511
GS-13111,147114,852118,557122,262125,967129,672133,377137,082140,787144,493
GS-14131,342135,721140,099144,478148,857153,235157,614161,992166,371170,750
GS-15154,492159,642164,792169,942175,092180,242185,392190,542195,692197,200
Annual rate divided by 2,087 hours (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)), as in OPM’s hourly table.
Grade12345678910
GS-113.2313.6714.1114.5514.9915.2515.6816.1216.1416.55
GS-214.8715.2315.7216.1416.3216.8017.2817.7618.2418.72
GS-316.2316.7717.3117.8518.3918.9419.4820.0220.5621.10
GS-418.2218.8319.4320.0420.6521.2521.8622.4723.0823.68
GS-520.3821.0621.7422.4223.1023.7824.4625.1425.8226.50
GS-622.7223.4824.2424.9925.7526.5127.2628.0228.7829.54
GS-725.2526.0926.9327.7728.6129.4630.3031.1431.9832.82
GS-827.9628.8929.8330.7631.6932.6233.5534.4835.4236.35
GS-930.8831.9132.9433.9735.0036.0337.0638.0939.1240.15
GS-1034.0135.1436.2837.4138.5439.6840.8141.9443.0844.21
GS-1137.3738.6139.8641.1042.3543.6044.8446.0947.3348.58
GS-1244.7946.2847.7749.2650.7652.2553.7455.2456.7358.22
GS-1353.2655.0356.8158.5860.3662.1363.9165.6867.4669.23
GS-1462.9365.0367.1369.2371.3373.4275.5277.6279.7281.82
GS-1574.0376.4978.9681.4383.9086.3688.8391.3093.7794.49
Hourly rate times 80 (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)).
Grade12345678910
GS-11,058.401,093.601,128.801,164.001,199.201,220.001,254.401,289.601,291.201,324.00
GS-21,189.601,218.401,257.601,291.201,305.601,344.001,382.401,420.801,459.201,497.60
GS-31,298.401,341.601,384.801,428.001,471.201,515.201,558.401,601.601,644.801,688.00
GS-41,457.601,506.401,554.401,603.201,652.001,700.001,748.801,797.601,846.401,894.40
GS-51,630.401,684.801,739.201,793.601,848.001,902.401,956.802,011.202,065.602,120.00
GS-61,817.601,878.401,939.201,999.202,060.002,120.802,180.802,241.602,302.402,363.20
GS-72,020.002,087.202,154.402,221.602,288.802,356.802,424.002,491.202,558.402,625.60
GS-82,236.802,311.202,386.402,460.802,535.202,609.602,684.002,758.402,833.602,908.00
GS-92,470.402,552.802,635.202,717.602,800.002,882.402,964.803,047.203,129.603,212.00
GS-102,720.802,811.202,902.402,992.803,083.203,174.403,264.803,355.203,446.403,536.80
GS-112,989.603,088.803,188.803,288.003,388.003,488.003,587.203,687.203,786.403,886.40
GS-123,583.203,702.403,821.603,940.804,060.804,180.004,299.204,419.204,538.404,657.60
GS-134,260.804,402.404,544.804,686.404,828.804,970.405,112.805,254.405,396.805,538.40
GS-145,034.405,202.405,370.405,538.405,706.405,873.606,041.606,209.606,377.606,545.60
GS-155,922.406,119.206,316.806,514.406,712.006,908.807,106.407,304.007,501.607,559.20
Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-RA, 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
23Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD$111,781102.6$108,997
24San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX$102,93494.7$108,676
25Richmond, VA$105,96797.9$108,286
26Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC$105,93298.2$107,921
27Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM$102,54495.5$107,324
28Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL$107,275100.1$107,213
29Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN$102,38895.7$106,993

Prices here are those of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, 98.2. The area’s name also takes in Durham: BEA puts the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area at 97.6, and at that level GS-12 step 5 here would buy $108,568.

BEA price levels, 2024, for the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spendingHereU.S.Rank of 57
Goods96.699.6#33 (tied)
Housing (rent)103.5100.6#27
Utilities89.098.4#41 (tied)
Other services98.2100.1#39 (tied)
All items98.2100.0#32

Locality pay since 2016

17.94% in 2016, 22.24% in 2026, up 4.30 points; Rest of U.S. up 2.71: chart and table
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
Raleigh, NC17.9419.0219.5219.9920.4920.4920.9421.3721.9022.2422.24
Rest of U.S.14.3515.0615.3715.6715.9515.9516.2016.5016.8217.0617.06

The 1990 pay law’s formula

Formula 37.66%, paid 22.24%: 15.42 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 inData as ofListed asPay gap, %Formula rate, %Rate paid that year, %
2026March 2024Locality pay area44.5437.6622.24
2025March 2023Locality pay area48.6041.5222.24
2024March 2022Locality pay area44.8837.9821.90
2023March 2021Locality pay area40.6933.9921.37
2022March 2020Locality pay area40.9634.2520.94
2021March 2019Locality pay area45.2638.3420.49
2020March 2018Locality pay area48.1441.0920.49
2019March 2017Locality pay area48.2841.2219.99
2018March 2016Locality pay area49.3642.2519.52

Federal jobs

32,315 federal civilian jobs in 2025, 844 fewer than in 2024, down 2.55%: table
In this area’s 24 counties, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 6,810 federal jobs in North Carolina 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
202332,4612.14$88,817
202433,1592.15$93,245
202532,3152.07$95,825

Counties

24 counties paid at this rate

North Carolina, 24 counties

  • Caswell County (added 2024)
  • Chatham County
  • Cumberland County
  • Durham County
  • Edgecombe County (added 2024)
  • Franklin County
  • Granville County
  • Halifax County (added 2024)
  • Harnett County
  • Hoke County
  • Johnston County
  • Lee County
  • Moore County (added 2024)
  • Nash County (added 2024)
  • Northampton County (added 2024)
  • Orange County
  • Person County
  • Robeson County
  • Scotland County
  • Vance County
  • Wake County
  • Warren County (added 2024)
  • Wayne County
  • Wilson County (added 2024)
Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.