GS pay scale 2026
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Atlanta, GA GS pay scale 2026: 23.79% locality pay

In 2026 the Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL locality pay area adds 23.79% to the General Schedule base table: a GS-12 step 5 earns $107,275, and the 150 rates run from $27,957 to $197,200, the statutory ceiling.

GS-12 step 5, assembled

Base rate: $86,659
Locality pay, 23.79%: + $20,616
Annual rate: $107,275

$4,112.00 every two weeks, $51.40 an hour, $51.66 an overtime hour.

#20 on paper, #28 after prices

−8Places lost, of 57 areas with a price index.

Buys at U.S. prices

$107,213Price level 100.1, U.S. = 100, for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.

Ceiling watch

2 of 150cells held to $197,200, from GS-15 step 9.

Key facts

Rank on paper, GS-12 step 5: #20 of 57
Rank after local prices: #28 of 57
Locality pay change since 2016: +4.21 points
Rank of that change: #42 of 58
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 46.43%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 39.46%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 64,351
Share of all jobs here: 1.81%
Largest county by federal jobs: Fulton County, GA: 29,883

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate in Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

Every 2026 rate in Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL, U.S. dollars a year, by grade and step. Click any cell, or use the arrow keys, and the bar at the top of the page moves onto it; ◀ marks GS-12 step 5. ▲ marks the 2 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	27,957	28,894	29,823	30,749	31,677	32,220	33,140	34,066	34,104	34,968
GS-2	31,434	32,182	33,224	34,104	34,485	35,499	36,513	37,527	38,541	39,555
GS-3	34,300	35,444	36,587	37,731	38,875	40,019	41,163	42,306	43,450	44,594
GS-4	38,502	39,786	41,070	42,354	43,637	44,921	46,205	47,488	48,772	50,056
GS-5	43,078	44,514	45,950	47,386	48,822	50,258	51,693	53,129	54,565	56,001
GS-6	48,019	49,620	51,221	52,821	54,422	56,022	57,623	59,224	60,824	62,425
GS-7	53,361	55,140	56,919	58,698	60,476	62,255	64,034	65,813	67,592	69,371
GS-8	59,095	61,064	63,034	65,003	66,973	68,942	70,912	72,881	74,851	76,820
GS-9	65,271	67,447	69,623	71,799	73,976	76,152	78,328	80,504	82,681	84,857
GS-10	71,877	74,273	76,668	79,063	81,459	83,854	86,249	88,645	91,040	93,435
GS-11	78,972	81,605	84,238	86,871	89,504	92,137	94,770	97,403	100,036	102,669
GS-12	94,654	97,809	100,964	104,120	107,275	110,431	113,586	116,741	119,897	123,052
GS-13	112,556	116,308	120,060	123,812	127,564	131,316	135,069	138,821	142,573	146,325
GS-14	133,007	137,442	141,876	146,310	150,744	155,178	159,612	164,047	168,481	172,915
GS-15	156,451	161,666	166,881	172,097	177,312	182,527	187,742	192,958	197,200	197,200

Hourly rates in Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL, 2026, U.S. dollars: the annual rate divided by 2,087 hours and rounded to the cent, as 5 U.S.C. 5504(b) sets. OPM prints the same figures in its hourly table for this area.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	13.40	13.84	14.29	14.73	15.18	15.44	15.88	16.32	16.34	16.76
GS-2	15.06	15.42	15.92	16.34	16.52	17.01	17.50	17.98	18.47	18.95
GS-3	16.44	16.98	17.53	18.08	18.63	19.18	19.72	20.27	20.82	21.37
GS-4	18.45	19.06	19.68	20.29	20.91	21.52	22.14	22.75	23.37	23.98
GS-5	20.64	21.33	22.02	22.71	23.39	24.08	24.77	25.46	26.15	26.83
GS-6	23.01	23.78	24.54	25.31	26.08	26.84	27.61	28.38	29.14	29.91
GS-7	25.57	26.42	27.27	28.13	28.98	29.83	30.68	31.53	32.39	33.24
GS-8	28.32	29.26	30.20	31.15	32.09	33.03	33.98	34.92	35.87	36.81
GS-9	31.28	32.32	33.36	34.40	35.45	36.49	37.53	38.57	39.62	40.66
GS-10	34.44	35.59	36.74	37.88	39.03	40.18	41.33	42.47	43.62	44.77
GS-11	37.84	39.10	40.36	41.62	42.89	44.15	45.41	46.67	47.93	49.19
GS-12	45.35	46.87	48.38	49.89	51.40	52.91	54.43	55.94	57.45	58.96
GS-13	53.93	55.73	57.53	59.33	61.12	62.92	64.72	66.52	68.31	70.11
GS-14	63.73	65.86	67.98	70.11	72.23	74.35	76.48	78.60	80.73	82.85
GS-15	74.96	77.46	79.96	82.46	84.96	87.46	89.96	92.46	94.49	94.49

Biweekly rates in Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL, 2026, U.S. dollars: the hourly rate times 80, the hours of one pay period, as 5 U.S.C. 5504(b) sets; the annual rate divided by 26 gives a different, wrong figure.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	1,072.00	1,107.20	1,143.20	1,178.40	1,214.40	1,235.20	1,270.40	1,305.60	1,307.20	1,340.80
GS-2	1,204.80	1,233.60	1,273.60	1,307.20	1,321.60	1,360.80	1,400.00	1,438.40	1,477.60	1,516.00
GS-3	1,315.20	1,358.40	1,402.40	1,446.40	1,490.40	1,534.40	1,577.60	1,621.60	1,665.60	1,709.60
GS-4	1,476.00	1,524.80	1,574.40	1,623.20	1,672.80	1,721.60	1,771.20	1,820.00	1,869.60	1,918.40
GS-5	1,651.20	1,706.40	1,761.60	1,816.80	1,871.20	1,926.40	1,981.60	2,036.80	2,092.00	2,146.40
GS-6	1,840.80	1,902.40	1,963.20	2,024.80	2,086.40	2,147.20	2,208.80	2,270.40	2,331.20	2,392.80
GS-7	2,045.60	2,113.60	2,181.60	2,250.40	2,318.40	2,386.40	2,454.40	2,522.40	2,591.20	2,659.20
GS-8	2,265.60	2,340.80	2,416.00	2,492.00	2,567.20	2,642.40	2,718.40	2,793.60	2,869.60	2,944.80
GS-9	2,502.40	2,585.60	2,668.80	2,752.00	2,836.00	2,919.20	3,002.40	3,085.60	3,169.60	3,252.80
GS-10	2,755.20	2,847.20	2,939.20	3,030.40	3,122.40	3,214.40	3,306.40	3,397.60	3,489.60	3,581.60
GS-11	3,027.20	3,128.00	3,228.80	3,329.60	3,431.20	3,532.00	3,632.80	3,733.60	3,834.40	3,935.20
GS-12	3,628.00	3,749.60	3,870.40	3,991.20	4,112.00	4,232.80	4,354.40	4,475.20	4,596.00	4,716.80
GS-13	4,314.40	4,458.40	4,602.40	4,746.40	4,889.60	5,033.60	5,177.60	5,321.60	5,464.80	5,608.80
GS-14	5,098.40	5,268.80	5,438.40	5,608.80	5,778.40	5,948.00	6,118.40	6,288.00	6,458.40	6,628.00
GS-15	5,996.80	6,196.80	6,396.80	6,596.80	6,796.80	6,996.80	7,196.80	7,396.80	7,559.20	7,559.20

Source: OPM 2026 General Schedule salary table for this area, Salary Table 2026-ATL, matched cell by cell.

Under the 2027 proposal this area keeps 23.79% and GS-12 step 5 keeps $107,275 (2027 pay raise; compare with Rest of U.S.).

Locality pay in Atlanta, GA since 2016

Solid line: this area; dashed line: the Rest of U.S. rate.

Locality pay, percent, as printed in OPM’s General Schedule table for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026. Sources and caveats.
Locality pay, %	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Atlanta, GA	19.58	20.70	21.16	21.64	22.16	22.16	22.63	23.02	23.45	23.79	23.79
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

In 2024 OPM added 24 counties in Alabama and Georgia to it, the most it added to any area.

What the 1990 pay law’s formula would pay in Atlanta, GA

Federal Salary Council estimates for Atlanta, GA in the editions checked here, the memos for pay in 2018 to 2026: the pay gap between non-federal and General Schedule base pay, and the locality rate the 1990 law’s formula would set. 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.
Edition, for pay in	Data as of	Listed as	Pay gap, %	Formula rate, %	Rate paid that year, %
2026	March 2024	Locality pay area	46.43	39.46	23.79
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	50.41	43.25	23.79
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	45.34	38.42	23.45
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	41.15	34.43	23.02
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	43.49	36.66	22.63
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	47.89	40.85	22.16
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	50.92	43.73	22.16
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	50.43	43.27	21.64
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	49.53	42.41	21.16

What a GS-12 step 5 buys after local prices

The areas ranked next to Atlanta, GA by what a GS-12 step 5 buys: the 2026 salary divided by the BEA price level for 2024, where 100 is the U.S. average. How the comparison is made; all 57 ranked.
#	Locality	On paper	Price level	What it buys
25	Richmond, VA	$105,967	97.9	$108,286
26	Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC	$105,932	98.2	$107,921
27	Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM	$102,544	95.5	$107,324
28	Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL	$107,275	100.1	$107,213
29	Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN	$102,388	95.7	$106,993
30	Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK	$110,282	103.1	$106,976
31	Denver-Aurora, CO	$113,107	105.8	$106,925

Federal jobs in Atlanta, GA

Federal civilian jobs at worksites in the 64 counties of this area, every federal pay system counted (the Postal Service in, the uniformed military out), as annual averages from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2023, 2024, 2025. BLS reports another 3,896 federal jobs in Alabama and Georgia without a county; they belong to no area. Sources and caveats.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	62,733	1.79	$97,307
2024	65,411	1.85	$101,232
2025	64,351	1.81	$104,044

Counties in Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL

64 counties paid at this rate

Alabama, 6 counties

Chambers County
Cherokee County (added 2024)
Cleburne County (added 2024)
Lee County (added 2024)
Randolph County (added 2024)
Russell County (added 2024)

Georgia, 58 counties

Banks County (added 2024)
Barrow County
Bartow County
Butts County
Carroll County
Chattahoochee County (added 2024)
Cherokee County
Clarke County
Clayton County
Cobb County
Coweta County
Dawson County
DeKalb County
Douglas County
Elbert County (added 2024)
Fayette County
Floyd County (added 2024)
Forsyth County
Franklin County (added 2024)
Fulton County
Gilmer County (added 2024)
Gordon County
Greene County (added 2024)
Gwinnett County
Habersham County (added 2024)
Hall County
Haralson County
Harris County (added 2024)
Heard County
Henry County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Lamar County
Lumpkin County (added 2024)
Madison County
Marion County (added 2024)
Meriwether County
Morgan County
Muscogee County (added 2024)
Newton County
Oconee County
Oglethorpe County
Paulding County
Pickens County
Pike County
Polk County
Putnam County (added 2024)
Rabun County (added 2024)
Rockdale County
Spalding County
Stephens County (added 2024)
Stewart County (added 2024)
Talbot County (added 2024)
Taliaferro County (added 2024)
Troup County
Upson County
Walton County
White County (added 2024)

Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions. The duty station’s county counts (how that works).

Its 64 counties are the most of any area.