GS pay scale 2026
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

San Francisco & San Jose GS pay scale 2026: 46.34% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $126,817 with 46.34% locality pay, but prices above the national average cut what it buys to $114,847 at U.S. prices.

#1 on paper, #4 after prices

−3Places lost, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$114,847BEA price level 110.4, for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.

Ceiling watch

10 of 150cells held to $197,200, from GS-14 step 9.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$25,374over $101,443 at GS-12 step 5, on paper.

Rest of U.S. buys as much at

88.3or lower prices, U.S. = 100, against 110.4 here; 1 of the 57 priced areas is that cheap (the two side by side).

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016: +10.59 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 106.62%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 96.78%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 51,624
Share of all jobs here: 1.07%
Largest county by federal jobs: San Francisco County, CA: 11,030

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

▲ marks the 10 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	33,049	34,157	35,256	36,351	37,447	38,089	39,177	40,271	40,317	41,338
GS-2	37,160	38,044	39,276	40,317	40,767	41,966	43,164	44,363	45,561	46,760
GS-3	40,548	41,900	43,252	44,604	45,957	47,309	48,661	50,013	51,365	52,718
GS-4	45,516	47,034	48,551	50,069	51,586	53,104	54,621	56,139	57,656	59,174
GS-5	50,925	52,622	54,320	56,017	57,715	59,413	61,110	62,808	64,505	66,203
GS-6	56,767	58,659	60,551	62,443	64,335	66,228	68,120	70,012	71,904	73,796
GS-7	63,081	65,184	67,287	69,390	71,493	73,596	75,699	77,802	79,905	82,007
GS-8	69,860	72,188	74,516	76,845	79,173	81,501	83,829	86,158	88,486	90,814
GS-9	77,161	79,733	82,306	84,879	87,451	90,024	92,597	95,169	97,742	100,315
GS-10	84,971	87,803	90,634	93,466	96,298	99,129	101,961	104,793	107,624	110,456
GS-11	93,358	96,470	99,583	102,696	105,808	108,921	112,034	115,146	118,259	121,371
GS-12	111,896	115,626	119,356	123,087	126,817	130,547	134,277	138,007	141,738	145,468
GS-13	133,060	137,495	141,931	146,366	150,802	155,237	159,673	164,109	168,544	172,980
GS-14	157,236	162,478	167,720	172,962	178,204	183,446	188,688	193,930	197,200	197,200
GS-15	184,950	191,116	197,200	197,200	197,200	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	15.84	16.37	16.89	17.42	17.94	18.25	18.77	19.30	19.32	19.81
GS-2	17.81	18.23	18.82	19.32	19.53	20.11	20.68	21.26	21.83	22.41
GS-3	19.43	20.08	20.72	21.37	22.02	22.67	23.32	23.96	24.61	25.26
GS-4	21.81	22.54	23.26	23.99	24.72	25.45	26.17	26.90	27.63	28.35
GS-5	24.40	25.21	26.03	26.84	27.65	28.47	29.28	30.09	30.91	31.72
GS-6	27.20	28.11	29.01	29.92	30.83	31.73	32.64	33.55	34.45	35.36
GS-7	30.23	31.23	32.24	33.25	34.26	35.26	36.27	37.28	38.29	39.29
GS-8	33.47	34.59	35.70	36.82	37.94	39.05	40.17	41.28	42.40	43.51
GS-9	36.97	38.20	39.44	40.67	41.90	43.14	44.37	45.60	46.83	48.07
GS-10	40.71	42.07	43.43	44.78	46.14	47.50	48.86	50.21	51.57	52.93
GS-11	44.73	46.22	47.72	49.21	50.70	52.19	53.68	55.17	56.66	58.16
GS-12	53.62	55.40	57.19	58.98	60.77	62.55	64.34	66.13	67.91	69.70
GS-13	63.76	65.88	68.01	70.13	72.26	74.38	76.51	78.63	80.76	82.88
GS-14	75.34	77.85	80.36	82.88	85.39	87.90	90.41	92.92	94.49	94.49
GS-15	88.62	91.57	94.49	94.49	94.49	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	1,267.20	1,309.60	1,351.20	1,393.60	1,435.20	1,460.00	1,501.60	1,544.00	1,545.60	1,584.80
GS-2	1,424.80	1,458.40	1,505.60	1,545.60	1,562.40	1,608.80	1,654.40	1,700.80	1,746.40	1,792.80
GS-3	1,554.40	1,606.40	1,657.60	1,709.60	1,761.60	1,813.60	1,865.60	1,916.80	1,968.80	2,020.80
GS-4	1,744.80	1,803.20	1,860.80	1,919.20	1,977.60	2,036.00	2,093.60	2,152.00	2,210.40	2,268.00
GS-5	1,952.00	2,016.80	2,082.40	2,147.20	2,212.00	2,277.60	2,342.40	2,407.20	2,472.80	2,537.60
GS-6	2,176.00	2,248.80	2,320.80	2,393.60	2,466.40	2,538.40	2,611.20	2,684.00	2,756.00	2,828.80
GS-7	2,418.40	2,498.40	2,579.20	2,660.00	2,740.80	2,820.80	2,901.60	2,982.40	3,063.20	3,143.20
GS-8	2,677.60	2,767.20	2,856.00	2,945.60	3,035.20	3,124.00	3,213.60	3,302.40	3,392.00	3,480.80
GS-9	2,957.60	3,056.00	3,155.20	3,253.60	3,352.00	3,451.20	3,549.60	3,648.00	3,746.40	3,845.60
GS-10	3,256.80	3,365.60	3,474.40	3,582.40	3,691.20	3,800.00	3,908.80	4,016.80	4,125.60	4,234.40
GS-11	3,578.40	3,697.60	3,817.60	3,936.80	4,056.00	4,175.20	4,294.40	4,413.60	4,532.80	4,652.80
GS-12	4,289.60	4,432.00	4,575.20	4,718.40	4,861.60	5,004.00	5,147.20	5,290.40	5,432.80	5,576.00
GS-13	5,100.80	5,270.40	5,440.80	5,610.40	5,780.80	5,950.40	6,120.80	6,290.40	6,460.80	6,630.40
GS-14	6,027.20	6,228.00	6,428.80	6,630.40	6,831.20	7,032.00	7,232.80	7,433.60	7,559.20	7,559.20
GS-15	7,089.60	7,325.60	7,559.20	7,559.20	7,559.20	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-SF, matched cell by cell; compare with Rest of U.S..

10 of its 150 cells, from GS-14 step 9 up, are held to the $197,200 statutory ceiling, the most of the 58 areas.

After local prices

Its neighbors by what it buys (how; all 57).
#	Locality	On paper	Price level	What it buys
1	Laredo, TX	$105,369	87.0	$121,175
2	Houston-The Woodlands, TX	$116,990	98.6	$118,616
3	Davenport-Moline, IA-IL	$103,064	89.1	$115,700
4	San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA	$126,817	110.4	$114,847
5	Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH	$105,221	92.7	$113,514
6	Huntsville-Decatur, AL-TN	$105,646	93.1	$113,510
7	Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA	$105,923	93.9	$112,776

Prices here are those of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, 110.4. The area’s name also takes in Oakland and San Francisco: BEA puts the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area at 115.6, and at that level GS-12 step 5 here would buy $109,691.

BEA price levels, 2024, for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spending	Here	U.S.	Rank of 57
Goods	105.2	99.6	#7 (tied)
Housing (rent)	211.9	100.6	#1
Utilities	156.7	98.4	#5
Other services	100.3	100.1	#16 (tied)
All items	110.4	100.0	#6

Prices here have been rising about as fast as in the country as a whole: BLS consumer prices for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA area rose 3.4% 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

35.75% in 2016, 46.34% in 2026, up 10.59 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
San Jose, CA	35.75	38.17	39.28	40.35	41.44	41.44	42.74	44.15	45.41	46.34	46.34
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	106.62	96.78	46.34
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	109.43	99.46	46.34
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	99.21	89.72	45.41
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	94.37	85.11	44.15
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	90.43	81.36	42.74
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	92.67	83.50	41.44
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	95.88	86.55	41.44
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	98.13	88.70	40.35
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	99.62	90.11	39.28

The formula would pay San Jose, CA 96.78%, 50.44 points above the 46.34% paid in 2026, the widest distance between formula and pay of the 57 areas with a formula rate; next comes Seattle, WA (45.35 points).

Federal jobs

51,624 federal civilian jobs in 2025, 1,539 fewer than in 2024, down 2.89%: table

In this area’s 16 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	52,989	1.09	$112,010
2024	53,163	1.10	$115,286
2025	51,624	1.07	$118,304

Counties

16 counties paid at this rate

California, 16 counties

Alameda County
Calaveras County (added 2024)
Contra Costa County
Marin County
Merced County (added 2024)
Monterey County
Napa County
San Benito County
San Francisco County
San Joaquin County
San Mateo County
Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County
Solano County
Sonoma County
Stanislaus County (added 2024)

Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.