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

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Seattle-Tacoma, WA$114,017a year$4,370.40Every two weeks$54.63Per hour$54.92Overtime hour#10On paper#50After prices
  1. GS pay scale 2026
  2. Seattle-Tacoma, WA

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Seattle & Tacoma GS pay scale 2026: 31.57% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $114,017 with 31.57% locality pay, but prices above the national average cut what it buys to $102,595 at U.S. prices.

#10 on paper, #50 after prices

−40Places lost, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$102,595BEA price level 111.1, for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.

Ceiling watch

4 of 150cells held to $197,200, from GS-15 step 7.

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016
+9.31 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate
85.77%
Rate the 1990 formula would set
76.92%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025
58,208
Share of all jobs here
2.26%
Largest county by federal jobs
Kitsap County, WA: 20,982
Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

▲ marks the 4 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade12345678910
GS-129,71430,71031,69832,68233,66734,24535,22336,20736,24837,166
GS-233,41034,20435,31236,24836,65337,73038,80839,88540,96342,041
GS-336,45537,67138,88740,10341,31842,53443,75044,96546,18147,397
GS-440,92242,28743,65145,01546,38047,74449,10950,47351,83753,202
GS-545,78547,31148,83750,36451,89053,41654,94256,46957,99559,521
GS-651,03752,73954,44056,14157,84259,54361,24562,94664,64766,348
GS-756,71558,60560,49662,38764,27766,16868,05969,94971,84073,731
GS-862,80964,90266,99569,08971,18273,27575,36977,46279,55581,648
GS-969,37371,68673,99976,31278,62580,93883,25185,56487,87790,190
GS-1076,39578,94181,48784,03286,57889,12491,67094,21696,76299,308
GS-1183,93586,73489,53292,33195,12997,928100,726103,525106,323109,122
GS-12100,602103,956107,310110,664114,017117,371120,725124,078127,432130,786
GS-13119,630123,618127,606131,594135,582139,569143,557147,545151,533155,521
GS-14141,367146,080150,792155,505160,218164,931169,644174,357179,069183,782
GS-15166,283171,826177,370182,913188,456193,999197,200197,200197,200197,200
Annual rate divided by 2,087 hours (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)), as in OPM’s hourly table.
Grade12345678910
GS-114.2414.7115.1915.6616.1316.4116.8817.3517.3717.81
GS-216.0116.3916.9217.3717.5618.0818.6019.1119.6320.14
GS-317.4718.0518.6319.2219.8020.3820.9621.5522.1322.71
GS-419.6120.2620.9221.5722.2222.8823.5324.1824.8425.49
GS-521.9422.6723.4024.1324.8625.5926.3327.0627.7928.52
GS-624.4525.2726.0926.9027.7228.5329.3530.1630.9831.79
GS-727.1828.0828.9929.8930.8031.7032.6133.5234.4235.33
GS-830.1031.1032.1033.1034.1135.1136.1137.1238.1239.12
GS-933.2434.3535.4636.5737.6738.7839.8941.0042.1143.22
GS-1036.6137.8339.0540.2641.4842.7043.9245.1446.3647.58
GS-1140.2241.5642.9044.2445.5846.9248.2649.6050.9552.29
GS-1248.2049.8151.4253.0354.6356.2457.8559.4561.0662.67
GS-1357.3259.2361.1463.0564.9766.8868.7970.7072.6174.52
GS-1467.7470.0072.2574.5176.7779.0381.2983.5485.8088.06
GS-1579.6882.3384.9987.6490.3092.9694.4994.4994.4994.49
Hourly rate times 80 (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)).
Grade12345678910
GS-11,139.201,176.801,215.201,252.801,290.401,312.801,350.401,388.001,389.601,424.80
GS-21,280.801,311.201,353.601,389.601,404.801,446.401,488.001,528.801,570.401,611.20
GS-31,397.601,444.001,490.401,537.601,584.001,630.401,676.801,724.001,770.401,816.80
GS-41,568.801,620.801,673.601,725.601,777.601,830.401,882.401,934.401,987.202,039.20
GS-51,755.201,813.601,872.001,930.401,988.802,047.202,106.402,164.802,223.202,281.60
GS-61,956.002,021.602,087.202,152.002,217.602,282.402,348.002,412.802,478.402,543.20
GS-72,174.402,246.402,319.202,391.202,464.002,536.002,608.802,681.602,753.602,826.40
GS-82,408.002,488.002,568.002,648.002,728.802,808.802,888.802,969.603,049.603,129.60
GS-92,659.202,748.002,836.802,925.603,013.603,102.403,191.203,280.003,368.803,457.60
GS-102,928.803,026.403,124.003,220.803,318.403,416.003,513.603,611.203,708.803,806.40
GS-113,217.603,324.803,432.003,539.203,646.403,753.603,860.803,968.004,076.004,183.20
GS-123,856.003,984.804,113.604,242.404,370.404,499.204,628.004,756.004,884.805,013.60
GS-134,585.604,738.404,891.205,044.005,197.605,350.405,503.205,656.005,808.805,961.60
GS-145,419.205,600.005,780.005,960.806,141.606,322.406,503.206,683.206,864.007,044.80
GS-156,374.406,586.406,799.207,011.207,224.007,436.807,559.207,559.207,559.207,559.20
Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-SEA, 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
47Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ$103,618100.2$103,396
48Colorado Springs, CO$104,121100.7$103,390
49Phoenix-Mesa, AZ$106,114103.3$102,708
50Seattle-Tacoma, WA$114,017111.1$102,595
51Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT$103,514100.9$102,541
52Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL$102,197100.0$102,192
53Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID$101,972100.3$101,620
BEA price levels, 2024, for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spendingHereU.S.Rank of 57
Goods104.099.6#13
Housing (rent)151.3100.6#5
Utilities92.898.4#29
Other services106.8100.1#2
All items111.1100.0#5

Prices here have been rising faster than in the country as a whole: BLS consumer prices for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA area rose 4.4% 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

22.26% in 2016, 31.57% in 2026, up 9.31 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
Seattle, WA22.2624.2425.1126.0427.0227.0228.2829.5730.8131.5731.57
Rest of U.S.14.3515.0615.3715.6715.9515.9516.2016.5016.8217.0617.06

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 inData as ofListed asPay gap, %Formula rate, %Rate paid that year, %
2026March 2024Locality pay area85.7776.9231.57
2025March 2023Locality pay area83.6374.8931.57
2024March 2022Locality pay area83.2974.5630.81
2023March 2021Locality pay area75.2466.9029.57
2022March 2020Locality pay area73.9965.7028.28
2021March 2019Locality pay area74.6366.3127.02
2020March 2018Locality pay area76.1167.7227.02
2019March 2017Locality pay area76.2967.9026.04
2018March 2016Locality pay area73.2364.9825.11

The formula would pay Seattle, WA 76.92%, 45.35 points above the 31.57% paid in 2026, the second-widest distance between formula and pay of the 57 areas with a formula rate.

The latest estimate puts non-federal pay for the same work here 85.77% above General Schedule base pay, the second-largest gap of the 58 areas.

In the latest edition the estimate for Seattle, WA rose 2.14 points, to 85.77%; the only other area where it rose is Laredo, TX.

Federal jobs

58,208 federal civilian jobs in 2025, 1,404 fewer than in 2024, down 2.36%: table
In this area’s 15 counties, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 2,821 federal jobs in Washington 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
202358,1462.26$98,118
202459,6122.31$101,734
202558,2082.26$103,821

Counties

15 counties paid at this rate

Washington, 15 counties

  • Clallam County (added 2024)
  • Grays Harbor County (added 2024)
  • Island County
  • Jefferson County (added 2024)
  • King County
  • Kitsap County
  • Lewis County
  • Mason County
  • Pacific County (added 2024)
  • Pierce County
  • San Juan County (added 2024)
  • Skagit County
  • Snohomish County
  • Thurston County
  • Whatcom County
Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.