GS pay scale 2026
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Los Angeles, CA GS pay scale 2026: 36.47% locality pay

In 2026 the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA locality pay area adds 36.47% to the General Schedule base table: a GS-12 step 5 earns $118,264, and the 150 rates run from $30,820 to $197,200, the statutory ceiling.

GS-12 step 5, assembled

Base rate: $86,659
Locality pay, 36.47%: + $31,605
Annual rate: $118,264

$4,533.60 every two weeks, $56.67 an hour, $56.96 an overtime hour.

#3 on paper, #44 after prices

−41Places lost, of 57 areas with a price index.

Buys at U.S. prices

$104,137Price level 113.6, U.S. = 100, for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.

Ceiling watch

5 of 150cells held to $197,200, from GS-15 step 6.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$16,821over $101,443 at GS-12 step 5, on paper.

Rest of U.S. buys as much at

97.4or lower prices, U.S. = 100, against 113.6 here; 22 of the 57 priced areas are that cheap (the two side by side).

Key facts

Rank on paper, GS-12 step 5: #3 of 57
Rank after local prices: #44 of 57
Locality pay change since 2016: +8.82 points
Rank of that change: #5 of 58
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 79.92%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 71.35%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 103,156
Share of all jobs here: 1.15%
Largest county by federal jobs: Los Angeles County, CA: 46,528

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

Every 2026 rate in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA, 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 5 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	30,820	31,853	32,878	33,899	34,921	35,520	36,534	37,555	37,597	38,550
GS-2	34,654	35,478	36,627	37,597	38,018	39,136	40,253	41,371	42,489	43,606
GS-3	37,813	39,074	40,335	41,596	42,857	44,118	45,379	46,640	47,901	49,162
GS-4	42,446	43,861	45,277	46,692	48,107	49,522	50,937	52,353	53,768	55,183
GS-5	47,490	49,073	50,656	52,239	53,822	55,405	56,989	58,572	60,155	61,738
GS-6	52,938	54,703	56,467	58,232	59,996	61,761	63,525	65,290	67,055	68,819
GS-7	58,827	60,788	62,749	64,710	66,671	68,632	70,593	72,554	74,515	76,476
GS-8	65,148	67,319	69,491	71,662	73,833	76,004	78,175	80,347	82,518	84,689
GS-9	71,957	74,356	76,755	79,154	81,553	83,952	86,351	88,751	91,150	93,549
GS-10	79,240	81,881	84,521	87,162	89,803	92,443	95,084	97,725	100,365	103,006
GS-11	87,061	89,964	92,866	95,769	98,672	101,575	104,477	107,380	110,283	113,185
GS-12	104,349	107,828	111,306	114,785	118,264	121,742	125,221	128,699	132,178	135,657
GS-13	124,085	128,222	132,358	136,495	140,631	144,767	148,904	153,040	157,177	161,313
GS-14	146,632	151,520	156,408	161,297	166,185	171,073	175,962	180,850	185,738	190,627
GS-15	172,476	178,226	183,975	189,725	195,474	197,200	197,200	197,200	197,200	197,200

Hourly rates in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA, 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	14.77	15.26	15.75	16.24	16.73	17.02	17.51	17.99	18.01	18.47
GS-2	16.60	17.00	17.55	18.01	18.22	18.75	19.29	19.82	20.36	20.89
GS-3	18.12	18.72	19.33	19.93	20.54	21.14	21.74	22.35	22.95	23.56
GS-4	20.34	21.02	21.69	22.37	23.05	23.73	24.41	25.09	25.76	26.44
GS-5	22.76	23.51	24.27	25.03	25.79	26.55	27.31	28.07	28.82	29.58
GS-6	25.37	26.21	27.06	27.90	28.75	29.59	30.44	31.28	32.13	32.98
GS-7	28.19	29.13	30.07	31.01	31.95	32.89	33.83	34.76	35.70	36.64
GS-8	31.22	32.26	33.30	34.34	35.38	36.42	37.46	38.50	39.54	40.58
GS-9	34.48	35.63	36.78	37.93	39.08	40.23	41.38	42.53	43.68	44.82
GS-10	37.97	39.23	40.50	41.76	43.03	44.29	45.56	46.83	48.09	49.36
GS-11	41.72	43.11	44.50	45.89	47.28	48.67	50.06	51.45	52.84	54.23
GS-12	50.00	51.67	53.33	55.00	56.67	58.33	60.00	61.67	63.33	65.00
GS-13	59.46	61.44	63.42	65.40	67.38	69.37	71.35	73.33	75.31	77.29
GS-14	70.26	72.60	74.94	77.29	79.63	81.97	84.31	86.66	89.00	91.34
GS-15	82.64	85.40	88.15	90.91	93.66	94.49	94.49	94.49	94.49	94.49

Biweekly rates in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA, 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	1,181.60	1,220.80	1,260.00	1,299.20	1,338.40	1,361.60	1,400.80	1,439.20	1,440.80	1,477.60
GS-2	1,328.00	1,360.00	1,404.00	1,440.80	1,457.60	1,500.00	1,543.20	1,585.60	1,628.80	1,671.20
GS-3	1,449.60	1,497.60	1,546.40	1,594.40	1,643.20	1,691.20	1,739.20	1,788.00	1,836.00	1,884.80
GS-4	1,627.20	1,681.60	1,735.20	1,789.60	1,844.00	1,898.40	1,952.80	2,007.20	2,060.80	2,115.20
GS-5	1,820.80	1,880.80	1,941.60	2,002.40	2,063.20	2,124.00	2,184.80	2,245.60	2,305.60	2,366.40
GS-6	2,029.60	2,096.80	2,164.80	2,232.00	2,300.00	2,367.20	2,435.20	2,502.40	2,570.40	2,638.40
GS-7	2,255.20	2,330.40	2,405.60	2,480.80	2,556.00	2,631.20	2,706.40	2,780.80	2,856.00	2,931.20
GS-8	2,497.60	2,580.80	2,664.00	2,747.20	2,830.40	2,913.60	2,996.80	3,080.00	3,163.20	3,246.40
GS-9	2,758.40	2,850.40	2,942.40	3,034.40	3,126.40	3,218.40	3,310.40	3,402.40	3,494.40	3,585.60
GS-10	3,037.60	3,138.40	3,240.00	3,340.80	3,442.40	3,543.20	3,644.80	3,746.40	3,847.20	3,948.80
GS-11	3,337.60	3,448.80	3,560.00	3,671.20	3,782.40	3,893.60	4,004.80	4,116.00	4,227.20	4,338.40
GS-12	4,000.00	4,133.60	4,266.40	4,400.00	4,533.60	4,666.40	4,800.00	4,933.60	5,066.40	5,200.00
GS-13	4,756.80	4,915.20	5,073.60	5,232.00	5,390.40	5,549.60	5,708.00	5,866.40	6,024.80	6,183.20
GS-14	5,620.80	5,808.00	5,995.20	6,183.20	6,370.40	6,557.60	6,744.80	6,932.80	7,120.00	7,307.20
GS-15	6,611.20	6,832.00	7,052.00	7,272.80	7,492.80	7,559.20	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-LA, matched cell by cell.

At 36.47%, its locality payment is the third-highest of the 58 areas.

5 of its 150 cells, from GS-15 step 6 up, are held to the $197,200 statutory ceiling, the third-most of the 58 areas, shared with Washington, DC and Houston, TX.

Under the 2027 proposal this area keeps 36.47% and GS-12 step 5 keeps $118,264 (2027 pay raise; compare with Rest of U.S.).

Locality pay in Los Angeles, CA 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
Los Angeles, CA	27.65	29.65	30.57	31.47	32.41	32.41	33.61	34.89	35.84	36.47	36.47
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

From 2016 to 2026 its locality payment rose 8.82 percentage points, from 27.65% to 36.47%, the fifth-largest rise of the 58 areas.

What the 1990 pay law’s formula would pay in Los Angeles, CA

Federal Salary Council estimates for Los Angeles, CA 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	79.92	71.35	36.47
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	80.97	72.35	36.47
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	77.63	69.17	35.84
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	80.71	72.10	34.89
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	77.60	69.14	33.61
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	78.87	70.35	32.41
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	80.16	71.58	32.41
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	80.66	72.06	31.47
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	81.22	72.59	30.57

The latest estimate puts non-federal pay for the same work here 79.92% above General Schedule base pay, the fourth-largest gap of the 58 areas.

Across the nine editions checked here, the estimate for Los Angeles, CA has run from 77.60% (for pay in 2022) to 81.22% (for pay in 2018), the second-narrowest swing of the 56 areas with a gap in all of them.

What a GS-12 step 5 buys after local prices

The areas ranked next to Los Angeles, CA 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
41	Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC	$102,951	97.9	$105,115
42	Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA	$104,658	99.6	$105,114
43	Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA	$103,497	98.7	$104,913
44	Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA	$118,264	113.6	$104,137
45	Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA	$109,303	105.4	$103,682
46	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$115,880	111.9	$103,569
47	Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ	$103,618	100.2	$103,396

Local prices here, 113.6 against a U.S. average of 100, are the third-highest of the 57 areas with a price index.

It ranks #3 on paper and #44 once local prices are counted, a drop of 41 places, the biggest of the 57 areas.

Federal jobs in Los Angeles, CA

Federal civilian jobs at worksites in the 9 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 9,710 federal jobs in California without a county; they belong to no area. Sources and caveats.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	105,548	1.19	$99,147
2024	107,073	1.19	$103,848
2025	103,156	1.15	$108,755

Its 103,156 federal civilian jobs in 2025, the Postal Service included, are the fourth-largest federal workforce of the 58 areas.

Counties in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

9 counties paid at this rate

California, 9 counties

Imperial County (added 2021)
Kern County
Los Angeles County
Orange County
Riverside County
San Bernardino County
San Luis Obispo County (added 2019)
Santa Barbara County
Ventura County

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