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

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Richmond, VA$105,967a year$4,061.60Every two weeks$50.77Per hour$51.03Overtime hour#24On paper#25After prices
  1. GS pay scale 2026
  2. Richmond, VA

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Richmond, VA GS pay scale 2026: 22.28% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $105,967 with 22.28% locality pay, and prices below the national average stretch it to what $108,286 buys elsewhere.

#24 on paper, #25 after prices

−1Places lost, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$108,286BEA price level 97.9, for Richmond, VA.

Ceiling watch

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

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016
+5.52 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate
48.72%
Rate the 1990 formula would set
41.64%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025
17,942
Share of all jobs here
2.57%
Largest county by federal jobs
Richmond City, VA: 6,751
Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

▲ marks the one cell cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade12345678910
GS-127,61628,54129,46030,37431,29031,82732,73633,65033,68834,542
GS-231,05131,78932,81933,68834,06535,06636,06837,06938,07139,072
GS-333,88135,01136,14137,27138,40139,53140,66141,79042,92044,050
GS-438,03339,30140,56941,83743,10544,37345,64146,90948,17749,445
GS-542,55243,97145,38946,80848,22649,64451,06352,48153,90055,318
GS-647,43449,01550,59652,17753,75855,33956,92058,50160,08261,663
GS-752,71054,46756,22457,98259,73961,49663,25365,01066,76768,524
GS-858,37460,32062,26564,21066,15668,10170,04771,99273,93875,883
GS-964,47566,62468,77470,92473,07375,22377,37379,52281,67283,822
GS-1071,00173,36775,73378,09980,46582,83185,19787,56389,93092,296
GS-1178,00980,60983,21085,81188,41291,01393,61496,21598,816101,417
GS-1293,49996,61699,733102,850105,967109,084112,200115,317118,434121,551
GS-13111,183114,889118,596122,302126,008129,715133,421137,127140,834144,540
GS-14131,385135,765140,145144,525148,905153,285157,665162,045166,426170,806
GS-15154,542159,694164,846169,997175,149180,301185,452190,604195,756197,200
Annual rate divided by 2,087 hours (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)), as in OPM’s hourly table.
Grade12345678910
GS-113.2313.6814.1214.5514.9915.2515.6916.1216.1416.55
GS-214.8815.2315.7316.1416.3216.8017.2817.7618.2418.72
GS-316.2316.7817.3217.8618.4018.9419.4820.0220.5721.11
GS-418.2218.8319.4420.0520.6521.2621.8722.4823.0823.69
GS-520.3921.0721.7522.4323.1123.7924.4725.1525.8326.51
GS-622.7323.4924.2425.0025.7626.5227.2728.0328.7929.55
GS-725.2626.1026.9427.7828.6229.4730.3131.1531.9932.83
GS-827.9728.9029.8330.7731.7032.6333.5634.5035.4336.36
GS-930.8931.9232.9533.9835.0136.0437.0738.1039.1340.16
GS-1034.0235.1536.2937.4238.5639.6940.8241.9643.0944.22
GS-1137.3838.6239.8741.1242.3643.6144.8646.1047.3548.59
GS-1244.8046.2947.7949.2850.7752.2753.7655.2556.7558.24
GS-1353.2755.0556.8358.6060.3862.1563.9365.7167.4869.26
GS-1462.9565.0567.1569.2571.3573.4575.5577.6479.7481.84
GS-1574.0576.5278.9981.4683.9286.3988.8691.3393.8094.49
Hourly rate times 80 (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)).
Grade12345678910
GS-11,058.401,094.401,129.601,164.001,199.201,220.001,255.201,289.601,291.201,324.00
GS-21,190.401,218.401,258.401,291.201,305.601,344.001,382.401,420.801,459.201,497.60
GS-31,298.401,342.401,385.601,428.801,472.001,515.201,558.401,601.601,645.601,688.80
GS-41,457.601,506.401,555.201,604.001,652.001,700.801,749.601,798.401,846.401,895.20
GS-51,631.201,685.601,740.001,794.401,848.801,903.201,957.602,012.002,066.402,120.80
GS-61,818.401,879.201,939.202,000.002,060.802,121.602,181.602,242.402,303.202,364.00
GS-72,020.802,088.002,155.202,222.402,289.602,357.602,424.802,492.002,559.202,626.40
GS-82,237.602,312.002,386.402,461.602,536.002,610.402,684.802,760.002,834.402,908.80
GS-92,471.202,553.602,636.002,718.402,800.802,883.202,965.603,048.003,130.403,212.80
GS-102,721.602,812.002,903.202,993.603,084.803,175.203,265.603,356.803,447.203,537.60
GS-112,990.403,089.603,189.603,289.603,388.803,488.803,588.803,688.003,788.003,887.20
GS-123,584.003,703.203,823.203,942.404,061.604,181.604,300.804,420.004,540.004,659.20
GS-134,261.604,404.004,546.404,688.004,830.404,972.005,114.405,256.805,398.405,540.80
GS-145,036.005,204.005,372.005,540.005,708.005,876.006,044.006,211.206,379.206,547.20
GS-155,924.006,121.606,319.206,516.806,713.606,911.207,108.807,306.407,504.007,559.20
Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-RCH, 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
22St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL$104,01795.1$109,390
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
BEA price levels, 2024, for the Richmond, VA metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spendingHereU.S.Rank of 57
Goods96.899.6#30 (tied)
Housing (rent)99.1100.6#30
Utilities89.298.4#39 (tied)
Other services98.6100.1#35 (tied)
All items97.9100.0#34 (tied)

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
Richmond, VA16.7618.1918.7919.3819.9519.9520.6421.3821.9122.2822.28
Rest of U.S.14.3515.0615.3715.6715.9515.9516.2016.5016.8217.0617.06

Among the 46 areas with a table of their own since 2016, it has climbed from 29th to 24th by locality percentage, the second-biggest climb of them, shared with Albany, NY and Charlotte, NC.

In 2024 OPM moved Caroline County in Virginia from it to Washington, DC.

The 1990 pay law’s formula

Formula 41.64%, paid 22.28%: 19.36 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 area48.7241.6422.28
2025March 2023Locality pay area50.4743.3022.28
2024March 2022Locality pay area47.5140.4921.91
2023March 2021Locality pay area49.9342.7921.38
2022March 2020Locality pay area48.1741.1120.64
2021March 2019Locality pay area48.7641.6819.95
2020March 2018Locality pay area50.6343.4619.95
2019March 2017Locality pay area53.1445.8519.38
2018March 2016Locality pay area53.7646.4418.79

Federal jobs

17,942 federal civilian jobs in 2025, 413 fewer than in 2024, down 2.25%: table
In this area’s 19 counties and 5 independent cities, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 5,638 federal jobs in Virginia 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
202317,8162.62$94,353
202418,3552.66$96,062
202517,9422.57$98,146

Counties

19 counties and 5 independent cities paid at this rate

Virginia, 19 counties and 5 independent cities

  • Amelia County
  • Brunswick County (added 2024)
  • Charles City County
  • Chesterfield County
  • Colonial Heights city
  • Cumberland County
  • Dinwiddie County
  • Emporia city (added 2024)
  • Essex County (added 2024)
  • Goochland County
  • Greensville County (added 2024)
  • Hanover County
  • Henrico County
  • Hopewell city
  • King William County
  • King and Queen County
  • Louisa County
  • New Kent County
  • Nottoway County (added 2024)
  • Petersburg city
  • Powhatan County
  • Prince George County
  • Richmond city
  • Sussex County
Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.