GS pay scale 2026
State of Alaska

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Alaska GS pay scale 2026: 32.36% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $114,702 with 32.36% locality pay, but prices above the national average cut what it buys to $112,059 at U.S. prices.

#8 on paper, #8 after prices

No changeSame place, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$112,059BEA price level 102.4, for State of Alaska.

Ceiling watch

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

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016: +7.20 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 58.57%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 51.02%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 14,839
Share of all jobs here: 4.46%
Largest county by federal jobs: Anchorage Municipality, AK: 7,994

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

▲ marks the 4 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	29,892	30,894	31,888	32,878	33,870	34,451	35,434	36,424	36,465	37,389
GS-2	33,610	34,410	35,524	36,465	36,873	37,957	39,041	40,125	41,209	42,293
GS-3	36,674	37,897	39,120	40,343	41,566	42,789	44,012	45,235	46,458	47,681
GS-4	41,168	42,541	43,913	45,286	46,658	48,031	49,403	50,776	52,149	53,521
GS-5	46,060	47,595	49,131	50,666	52,201	53,737	55,272	56,808	58,343	59,878
GS-6	51,344	53,055	54,767	56,478	58,189	59,901	61,612	63,324	65,035	66,747
GS-7	57,055	58,957	60,859	62,761	64,663	66,565	68,467	70,369	72,271	74,173
GS-8	63,186	65,292	67,398	69,504	71,609	73,715	75,821	77,927	80,033	82,139
GS-9	69,789	72,116	74,443	76,770	79,097	81,424	83,751	86,078	88,405	90,731
GS-10	76,854	79,415	81,976	84,537	87,098	89,659	92,221	94,782	97,343	99,904
GS-11	84,439	87,254	90,070	92,885	95,700	98,516	101,331	104,146	106,961	109,777
GS-12	101,206	104,580	107,954	111,328	114,702	118,076	121,450	124,823	128,197	131,571
GS-13	120,348	124,360	128,372	132,384	136,396	140,407	144,419	148,431	152,443	156,455
GS-14	142,216	146,957	151,698	156,439	161,180	165,921	170,662	175,403	180,145	184,886
GS-15	167,282	172,858	178,435	184,011	189,587	195,163	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	14.32	14.80	15.28	15.75	16.23	16.51	16.98	17.45	17.47	17.92
GS-2	16.10	16.49	17.02	17.47	17.67	18.19	18.71	19.23	19.75	20.26
GS-3	17.57	18.16	18.74	19.33	19.92	20.50	21.09	21.67	22.26	22.85
GS-4	19.73	20.38	21.04	21.70	22.36	23.01	23.67	24.33	24.99	25.64
GS-5	22.07	22.81	23.54	24.28	25.01	25.75	26.48	27.22	27.96	28.69
GS-6	24.60	25.42	26.24	27.06	27.88	28.70	29.52	30.34	31.16	31.98
GS-7	27.34	28.25	29.16	30.07	30.98	31.90	32.81	33.72	34.63	35.54
GS-8	30.28	31.29	32.29	33.30	34.31	35.32	36.33	37.34	38.35	39.36
GS-9	33.44	34.55	35.67	36.78	37.90	39.01	40.13	41.24	42.36	43.47
GS-10	36.83	38.05	39.28	40.51	41.73	42.96	44.19	45.42	46.64	47.87
GS-11	40.46	41.81	43.16	44.51	45.86	47.20	48.55	49.90	51.25	52.60
GS-12	48.49	50.11	51.73	53.34	54.96	56.58	58.19	59.81	61.43	63.04
GS-13	57.67	59.59	61.51	63.43	65.36	67.28	69.20	71.12	73.04	74.97
GS-14	68.14	70.42	72.69	74.96	77.23	79.50	81.77	84.05	86.32	88.59
GS-15	80.15	82.83	85.50	88.17	90.84	93.51	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	1,145.60	1,184.00	1,222.40	1,260.00	1,298.40	1,320.80	1,358.40	1,396.00	1,397.60	1,433.60
GS-2	1,288.00	1,319.20	1,361.60	1,397.60	1,413.60	1,455.20	1,496.80	1,538.40	1,580.00	1,620.80
GS-3	1,405.60	1,452.80	1,499.20	1,546.40	1,593.60	1,640.00	1,687.20	1,733.60	1,780.80	1,828.00
GS-4	1,578.40	1,630.40	1,683.20	1,736.00	1,788.80	1,840.80	1,893.60	1,946.40	1,999.20	2,051.20
GS-5	1,765.60	1,824.80	1,883.20	1,942.40	2,000.80	2,060.00	2,118.40	2,177.60	2,236.80	2,295.20
GS-6	1,968.00	2,033.60	2,099.20	2,164.80	2,230.40	2,296.00	2,361.60	2,427.20	2,492.80	2,558.40
GS-7	2,187.20	2,260.00	2,332.80	2,405.60	2,478.40	2,552.00	2,624.80	2,697.60	2,770.40	2,843.20
GS-8	2,422.40	2,503.20	2,583.20	2,664.00	2,744.80	2,825.60	2,906.40	2,987.20	3,068.00	3,148.80
GS-9	2,675.20	2,764.00	2,853.60	2,942.40	3,032.00	3,120.80	3,210.40	3,299.20	3,388.80	3,477.60
GS-10	2,946.40	3,044.00	3,142.40	3,240.80	3,338.40	3,436.80	3,535.20	3,633.60	3,731.20	3,829.60
GS-11	3,236.80	3,344.80	3,452.80	3,560.80	3,668.80	3,776.00	3,884.00	3,992.00	4,100.00	4,208.00
GS-12	3,879.20	4,008.80	4,138.40	4,267.20	4,396.80	4,526.40	4,655.20	4,784.80	4,914.40	5,043.20
GS-13	4,613.60	4,767.20	4,920.80	5,074.40	5,228.80	5,382.40	5,536.00	5,689.60	5,843.20	5,997.60
GS-14	5,451.20	5,633.60	5,815.20	5,996.80	6,178.40	6,360.00	6,541.60	6,724.00	6,905.60	7,087.20
GS-15	6,412.00	6,626.40	6,840.00	7,053.60	7,267.20	7,480.80	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-AK, 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
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
8	State of Alaska	$114,702	102.4	$112,059
9	Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL	$102,466	91.6	$111,809
10	Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI	$111,894	100.3	$111,562
11	Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA	$102,266	91.7	$111,521

Rent is not what makes prices here higher overall: BEA puts housing 6.8% below the U.S. level, at 93.8, and all prices together, at 102.4, are 2.4% above 100; of the other kinds, utilities, at 119.0, stand furthest above the U.S. level.

BEA price levels, 2024, for the state of Alaska (how to read this table).
Kind of spending	Here	U.S.	Rank of 57
Goods	106.3	99.6	#6
Housing (rent)	93.8	100.6	#38
Utilities	119.0	98.4	#14
Other services	102.2	100.1	#13
All items	102.4	100.0	#19

Prices here have been rising about as fast as in the country as a whole: BLS consumer prices for the Urban Alaska area rose 3.3% 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

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
Alaska	25.16	27.13	28.02	28.89	29.67	29.67	30.42	31.32	31.96	32.36	32.36
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

Through 2009 white-collar federal employees in Alaska received no locality pay: they were paid a nonforeign-area cost-of-living allowance instead, 23% in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau and 25% in the rest of Alaska, which was exempt from federal income tax and did not count toward retirement. The Nonforeign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act of 2009 (sections 1911 to 1919 of Public Law 111-84) phased locality pay in by thirds, 4.72% in 2010, 16.46% in 2011 and the full 24.69% from 2012, while the allowance in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau fell to 19.03%, 10.56% and 5.57%. Unlike the allowance, locality pay is taxed as pay and counts as basic pay for retirement. In 2026 the 32.36% locality payment comes with an allowance of 1.49% in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau and 3.00% in the rest of Alaska. Sources: OPM, nonforeign areas, on the 2009 law; Senate Report 110-456, the committee report on S. 3013, the 2008 bill that proposed the change, on tax and retirement.

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	58.57	51.02	32.36
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	63.27	55.50	32.36
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	62.10	54.38	31.96
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	65.25	57.38	31.32
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	60.24	52.61	30.42
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	67.24	59.28	29.67
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	69.99	61.90	29.67
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	76.61	68.20	28.89
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	76.94	68.51	28.02

Since the edition for pay in 2018, the first checked here, the estimate for Alaska has fallen 18.37 points, from 76.94% to 58.57%, the third-biggest fall of the 56 areas with a gap in all nine editions.

Federal jobs

In Alaska, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. Sources and caveats; every area: where the federal jobs are.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	15,205	4.71	$94,770
2024	15,537	4.72	$99,254
2025	14,839	4.46	$101,462

Federal jobs here fell from 2024 to 2025, 698 fewer than in 2024, down 4.49%, the fifth-steepest drop of the 55 areas where they fell, and the 2025 average still counts staff on paid administrative leave until 30 September.

Because the area is the whole state, the count includes the 329 jobs BLS reports there without a county.

The whole state of Alaska

The area is the state of Alaska itself rather than a list of counties: every duty station in it is paid from this one table.