GS pay scale 2026
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Buffalo, NY GS pay scale 2026: 22.41% locality pay

In 2026 the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY locality pay area adds 22.41% to the General Schedule base table: a GS-12 step 5 earns $106,079, and the 150 rates run from $27,645 to $197,200, the statutory ceiling.

GS-12 step 5, assembled

Base rate: $86,659
Locality pay, 22.41%: + $19,420
Annual rate: $106,079

$4,066.40 every two weeks, $50.83 an hour, $51.09 an overtime hour.

#23 on paper, #17 after prices

+6Places gained, of 57 areas with a price index.

Buys at U.S. prices

$110,679Price level 95.8, U.S. = 100, for Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.

Ceiling watch

1 of 150GS-15 step 10 is held to $197,200.

Key facts

Rank on paper, GS-12 step 5: #23 of 57
Rank after local prices: #17 of 57
Locality pay change since 2016: +5.10 points
Rank of that change: #28 of 58, tied
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 47.85%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 40.81%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 10,289
Share of all jobs here: 1.75%
Largest county by federal jobs: Erie County, NY: 8,895

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate in Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

Every 2026 rate in Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY, 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 one cell cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	27,645	28,572	29,491	30,407	31,323	31,861	32,770	33,686	33,724	34,578
GS-2	31,084	31,823	32,854	33,724	34,101	35,104	36,106	37,109	38,111	39,114
GS-3	33,917	35,048	36,179	37,311	38,442	39,573	40,704	41,835	42,966	44,097
GS-4	38,073	39,343	40,612	41,881	43,151	44,420	45,690	46,959	48,228	49,498
GS-5	42,597	44,017	45,437	46,857	48,277	49,697	51,117	52,537	53,957	55,377
GS-6	47,484	49,067	50,650	52,232	53,815	55,398	56,981	58,563	60,146	61,729
GS-7	52,766	54,525	56,284	58,043	59,802	61,561	63,320	65,079	66,838	68,597
GS-8	58,436	60,384	62,331	64,279	66,226	68,174	70,121	72,069	74,016	75,964
GS-9	64,543	66,695	68,847	70,999	73,151	75,303	77,455	79,607	81,759	83,911
GS-10	71,076	73,445	75,813	78,182	80,551	82,919	85,288	87,657	90,025	92,394
GS-11	78,091	80,695	83,299	85,902	88,506	91,110	93,713	96,317	98,921	101,524
GS-12	93,598	96,719	99,839	102,959	106,079	109,200	112,320	115,440	118,560	121,680
GS-13	111,301	115,012	118,722	122,432	126,142	129,853	133,563	137,273	140,983	144,694
GS-14	131,525	135,909	140,294	144,679	149,064	153,448	157,833	162,218	166,602	170,987
GS-15	154,707	159,864	165,021	170,178	175,335	180,492	185,649	190,807	195,964	197,200

Hourly rates in Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY, 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	13.25	13.69	14.13	14.57	15.01	15.27	15.70	16.14	16.16	16.57
GS-2	14.89	15.25	15.74	16.16	16.34	16.82	17.30	17.78	18.26	18.74
GS-3	16.25	16.79	17.34	17.88	18.42	18.96	19.50	20.05	20.59	21.13
GS-4	18.24	18.85	19.46	20.07	20.68	21.28	21.89	22.50	23.11	23.72
GS-5	20.41	21.09	21.77	22.45	23.13	23.81	24.49	25.17	25.85	26.53
GS-6	22.75	23.51	24.27	25.03	25.79	26.54	27.30	28.06	28.82	29.58
GS-7	25.28	26.13	26.97	27.81	28.65	29.50	30.34	31.18	32.03	32.87
GS-8	28.00	28.93	29.87	30.80	31.73	32.67	33.60	34.53	35.47	36.40
GS-9	30.93	31.96	32.99	34.02	35.05	36.08	37.11	38.14	39.18	40.21
GS-10	34.06	35.19	36.33	37.46	38.60	39.73	40.87	42.00	43.14	44.27
GS-11	37.42	38.67	39.91	41.16	42.41	43.66	44.90	46.15	47.40	48.65
GS-12	44.85	46.34	47.84	49.33	50.83	52.32	53.82	55.31	56.81	58.30
GS-13	53.33	55.11	56.89	58.66	60.44	62.22	64.00	65.78	67.55	69.33
GS-14	63.02	65.12	67.22	69.32	71.43	73.53	75.63	77.73	79.83	81.93
GS-15	74.13	76.60	79.07	81.54	84.01	86.48	88.95	91.43	93.90	94.49

Biweekly rates in Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY, 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	1,060.00	1,095.20	1,130.40	1,165.60	1,200.80	1,221.60	1,256.00	1,291.20	1,292.80	1,325.60
GS-2	1,191.20	1,220.00	1,259.20	1,292.80	1,307.20	1,345.60	1,384.00	1,422.40	1,460.80	1,499.20
GS-3	1,300.00	1,343.20	1,387.20	1,430.40	1,473.60	1,516.80	1,560.00	1,604.00	1,647.20	1,690.40
GS-4	1,459.20	1,508.00	1,556.80	1,605.60	1,654.40	1,702.40	1,751.20	1,800.00	1,848.80	1,897.60
GS-5	1,632.80	1,687.20	1,741.60	1,796.00	1,850.40	1,904.80	1,959.20	2,013.60	2,068.00	2,122.40
GS-6	1,820.00	1,880.80	1,941.60	2,002.40	2,063.20	2,123.20	2,184.00	2,244.80	2,305.60	2,366.40
GS-7	2,022.40	2,090.40	2,157.60	2,224.80	2,292.00	2,360.00	2,427.20	2,494.40	2,562.40	2,629.60
GS-8	2,240.00	2,314.40	2,389.60	2,464.00	2,538.40	2,613.60	2,688.00	2,762.40	2,837.60	2,912.00
GS-9	2,474.40	2,556.80	2,639.20	2,721.60	2,804.00	2,886.40	2,968.80	3,051.20	3,134.40	3,216.80
GS-10	2,724.80	2,815.20	2,906.40	2,996.80	3,088.00	3,178.40	3,269.60	3,360.00	3,451.20	3,541.60
GS-11	2,993.60	3,093.60	3,192.80	3,292.80	3,392.80	3,492.80	3,592.00	3,692.00	3,792.00	3,892.00
GS-12	3,588.00	3,707.20	3,827.20	3,946.40	4,066.40	4,185.60	4,305.60	4,424.80	4,544.80	4,664.00
GS-13	4,266.40	4,408.80	4,551.20	4,692.80	4,835.20	4,977.60	5,120.00	5,262.40	5,404.00	5,546.40
GS-14	5,041.60	5,209.60	5,377.60	5,545.60	5,714.40	5,882.40	6,050.40	6,218.40	6,386.40	6,554.40
GS-15	5,930.40	6,128.00	6,325.60	6,523.20	6,720.80	6,918.40	7,116.00	7,314.40	7,512.00	7,559.20

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

Under the 2027 proposal this area keeps 22.41% and GS-12 step 5 keeps $106,079 (2027 pay raise; compare with Rest of U.S.).

Locality pay in Buffalo, NY 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
Buffalo, NY	17.31	18.66	19.18	19.67	20.20	20.20	20.78	21.35	21.99	22.41	22.41
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

What the 1990 pay law’s formula would pay in Buffalo, NY

Federal Salary Council estimates for Buffalo, NY 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	47.85	40.81	22.41
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	53.47	46.16	22.41
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	51.87	44.64	21.99
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	44.90	38.00	21.35
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	44.80	37.90	20.78
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	46.52	39.54	20.20
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	49.17	42.07	20.20
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	48.88	41.79	19.67
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	50.28	43.12	19.18

What a GS-12 step 5 buys after local prices

The areas ranked next to Buffalo, NY 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
14	Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH	$105,854	95.5	$110,878
15	Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN	$105,663	95.4	$110,793
16	Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV	$104,883	94.7	$110,787
17	Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY	$106,079	95.8	$110,679
18	Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX	$101,937	92.7	$109,999
19	San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA	$126,817	115.6	$109,691
20	Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI	$113,402	103.6	$109,467

Federal jobs in Buffalo, NY

Federal civilian jobs at worksites in the 5 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 3,397 federal jobs in New York without a county; they belong to no area. Sources and caveats.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	10,370	1.78	$88,367
2024	10,563	1.80	$92,329
2025	10,289	1.75	$97,621

Counties in Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY

5 counties paid at this rate

New York, 5 counties

Allegany County (added 2024)
Cattaraugus County
Erie County
Niagara County
Wyoming County (added 2024)

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