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

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Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC$102,951a year$3,946.40Every two weeks$49.33Per hour$49.58Overtime hour#45On paper#41After prices
  1. GS pay scale 2026
  2. Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-22

Virginia Beach & Norfolk GS pay scale 2026: 18.80% locality pay

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 here earns $102,951 with 18.80% locality pay, and prices below the national average stretch it to what $105,115 buys elsewhere.

#45 on paper, #41 after prices

+4Places gained, of 57 priced areas.

Buys at U.S. prices

$105,115BEA price level 97.9, for Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.

Ceiling watch

ClearNo cell reaches $197,200.

Key facts

Locality pay change since 2016
+4.45 points
Pay gap, latest council estimate
42.42%
Rate the 1990 formula would set
35.64%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025
60,658
Share of all jobs here
7.24%
Largest county by federal jobs
Norfolk City, VA: 21,547
Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate

No cell here reaches the $197,200 statutory ceiling. Reading these tables.
Grade12345678910
GS-126,83027,72928,62129,51030,40030,92131,80432,69332,72933,559
GS-230,16730,88431,88532,72933,09534,06835,04136,01436,98737,960
GS-332,91734,01535,11336,21037,30838,40639,50340,60141,69942,797
GS-436,95038,18239,41440,64641,87843,11044,34245,57446,80648,038
GS-541,34142,71944,09745,47546,85448,23249,61050,98852,36653,744
GS-646,08447,62049,15650,69252,22853,76455,30056,83658,37259,908
GS-751,21052,91754,62456,33158,03959,74661,45363,16064,86766,574
GS-856,71358,60360,49362,38364,27366,16368,05369,94471,83473,724
GS-962,64064,72866,81768,90570,99473,08275,17177,25979,34881,436
GS-1068,98071,27973,57875,87678,17580,47482,77385,07187,37089,669
GS-1175,78878,31580,84283,36985,89688,42390,95093,47796,00398,530
GS-1290,83893,86696,89499,923102,951105,979109,007112,036115,064118,092
GS-13108,019111,620115,221118,821122,422126,023129,624133,225136,826140,426
GS-14127,646131,901136,157140,412144,668148,923153,178157,434161,689165,945
GS-15150,144155,149160,154165,159170,164175,169180,174185,180190,185195,190
Annual rate divided by 2,087 hours (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)), as in OPM’s hourly table.
Grade12345678910
GS-112.8613.2913.7114.1414.5714.8215.2415.6715.6816.08
GS-214.4514.8015.2815.6815.8616.3216.7917.2617.7218.19
GS-315.7716.3016.8217.3517.8818.4018.9319.4519.9820.51
GS-417.7018.3018.8919.4820.0720.6621.2521.8422.4323.02
GS-519.8120.4721.1321.7922.4523.1123.7724.4325.0925.75
GS-622.0822.8223.5524.2925.0325.7626.5027.2327.9728.71
GS-724.5425.3626.1726.9927.8128.6329.4530.2631.0831.90
GS-827.1728.0828.9929.8930.8031.7032.6133.5134.4235.33
GS-930.0131.0132.0233.0234.0235.0236.0237.0238.0239.02
GS-1033.0534.1535.2636.3637.4638.5639.6640.7641.8642.97
GS-1136.3137.5338.7439.9541.1642.3743.5844.7946.0047.21
GS-1243.5344.9846.4347.8849.3350.7852.2353.6855.1356.58
GS-1351.7653.4855.2156.9358.6660.3862.1163.8465.5667.29
GS-1461.1663.2065.2467.2869.3271.3673.4075.4477.4779.51
GS-1571.9474.3476.7479.1481.5483.9386.3388.7391.1393.53
Hourly rate times 80 (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)).
Grade12345678910
GS-11,028.801,063.201,096.801,131.201,165.601,185.601,219.201,253.601,254.401,286.40
GS-21,156.001,184.001,222.401,254.401,268.801,305.601,343.201,380.801,417.601,455.20
GS-31,261.601,304.001,345.601,388.001,430.401,472.001,514.401,556.001,598.401,640.80
GS-41,416.001,464.001,511.201,558.401,605.601,652.801,700.001,747.201,794.401,841.60
GS-51,584.801,637.601,690.401,743.201,796.001,848.801,901.601,954.402,007.202,060.00
GS-61,766.401,825.601,884.001,943.202,002.402,060.802,120.002,178.402,237.602,296.80
GS-71,963.202,028.802,093.602,159.202,224.802,290.402,356.002,420.802,486.402,552.00
GS-82,173.602,246.402,319.202,391.202,464.002,536.002,608.802,680.802,753.602,826.40
GS-92,400.802,480.802,561.602,641.602,721.602,801.602,881.602,961.603,041.603,121.60
GS-102,644.002,732.002,820.802,908.802,996.803,084.803,172.803,260.803,348.803,437.60
GS-112,904.803,002.403,099.203,196.003,292.803,389.603,486.403,583.203,680.003,776.80
GS-123,482.403,598.403,714.403,830.403,946.404,062.404,178.404,294.404,410.404,526.40
GS-134,140.804,278.404,416.804,554.404,692.804,830.404,968.805,107.205,244.805,383.20
GS-144,892.805,056.005,219.205,382.405,545.605,708.805,872.006,035.206,197.606,360.80
GS-155,755.205,947.206,139.206,331.206,523.206,714.406,906.407,098.407,290.407,482.40
Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-VB, 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
38Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI$110,594104.8$105,506
39Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV$112,449106.7$105,418
40Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY$102,15497.0$105,275
41Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC$102,95197.9$105,115
42Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA$104,65899.6$105,114
43Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA$103,49798.7$104,913
44Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA$118,264113.6$104,137
BEA price levels, 2024, for the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (how to read this table).
Kind of spendingHereU.S.Rank of 57
Goods96.899.6#30 (tied)
Housing (rent)99.8100.6#29
Utilities89.698.4#36
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. Grey: the Rest of U.S. rate its counties were paid before it had a table of its own. Sources and caveats; every area since 2016: ten years of locality pay.
Locality pay, %20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Virginia Beach, VA14.3515.0615.3715.9116.5116.5117.1817.9418.4618.8018.80
Rest of U.S.14.3515.0615.3715.6715.9515.9516.2016.5016.8217.0617.06

Virginia Beach, VA got a locality pay table of its own in 2019; the grey figures before that are the Rest of U.S. rate its counties were paid.

The 1990 pay law’s formula

Formula 35.64%, paid 18.80%: 16.84 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 area42.4235.6418.80
2025March 2023Locality pay area45.3338.4118.80
2024March 2022Locality pay area43.5436.7018.46
2023March 2021Locality pay area46.8539.8617.94
2022March 2020Locality pay area43.9637.1017.18
2021March 2019Locality pay area45.4538.5216.51
2020March 2018Locality pay area48.7141.6316.51
2019March 2017Locality pay area47.3240.3015.91
2018March 2016Proposed locality pay area47.4140.3915.37

Federal jobs

In this area’s 17 counties and 10 independent cities, Postal Service in, military out; BLS, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS has another 12,448 federal jobs in North Carolina and 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
202360,0677.36$90,732
202461,0907.41$93,490
202560,6587.24$95,159

Federal jobs of every pay system are 7.24% of all jobs here, the second-highest share of the 58 areas.

Federal jobs here fell from 2024 to 2025, 432 fewer than in 2024, down 0.71%, the fourth-smallest drop of the 55 areas where they fell, and the 2025 average still counts staff on paid administrative leave until 30 September.

Counties

17 counties and 10 independent cities paid at this rate

North Carolina, 9 counties

  • Camden County
  • Chowan County (added 2024)
  • Currituck County
  • Dare County
  • Gates County
  • Hertford County (added 2024)
  • Pasquotank County
  • Perquimans County
  • Tyrrell County

Virginia, 8 counties and 10 independent cities

  • Chesapeake city
  • Franklin city (added 2024)
  • Gloucester County
  • Hampton city
  • Isle of Wight County
  • James City County
  • Mathews County
  • Middlesex County (added 2024)
  • Newport News city
  • Norfolk city
  • Poquoson city
  • Portsmouth city
  • Southampton County (added 2024)
  • Suffolk city
  • Surry County (added 2024)
  • Virginia Beach city
  • Williamsburg city
  • York County
Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions.