GS pay scale 2026
New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

New York, NY GS pay scale 2026: 37.95% locality pay

In 2026 the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA locality pay area adds 37.95% to the General Schedule base table: a GS-12 step 5 earns $119,546, and the 150 rates run from $31,155 to $197,200, the statutory ceiling.

GS-12 step 5, assembled

Base rate: $86,659
Locality pay, 37.95%: + $32,887
Annual rate: $119,546

$4,582.40 every two weeks, $57.28 an hour, $57.57 an overtime hour.

#2 on paper, #36 after prices

−34Places lost, of 57 areas with a price index.

Buys at U.S. prices

$106,204Price level 112.6, U.S. = 100, for New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.

Ceiling watch

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

Against Rest of U.S.

+$18,103over $101,443 at GS-12 step 5, on paper.

Rest of U.S. buys as much at

95.5or lower prices, U.S. = 100, against 112.6 here; 15 of the 57 priced areas are that cheap (the two side by side).

Key facts

Rank on paper, GS-12 step 5: #2 of 57
Rank after local prices: #36 of 57
Locality pay change since 2016: +8.75 points
Rank of that change: #6 of 58
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 82.26%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 73.58%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 120,712
Share of all jobs here: 1.05%
Largest county by federal jobs: New York County, NY: 19,917

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

Every 2026 rate in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA, 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 6 cells cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling.
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
GS-1	31,155	32,199	33,235	34,267	35,300	35,906	36,931	37,962	38,005	38,968
GS-2	35,030	35,863	37,024	38,005	38,430	39,560	40,690	41,820	42,949	44,079
GS-3	38,223	39,498	40,773	42,047	43,322	44,596	45,871	47,146	48,420	49,695
GS-4	42,907	44,337	45,768	47,198	48,629	50,059	51,490	52,920	54,351	55,781
GS-5	48,005	49,605	51,206	52,806	54,406	56,006	57,607	59,207	60,807	62,407
GS-6	53,512	55,296	57,080	58,863	60,647	62,431	64,214	65,998	67,782	69,565
GS-7	59,465	61,447	63,429	65,412	67,394	69,376	71,359	73,341	75,323	77,306
GS-8	65,855	68,049	70,244	72,439	74,634	76,828	79,023	81,218	83,413	85,608
GS-9	72,737	75,162	77,587	80,012	82,438	84,863	87,288	89,713	92,138	94,563
GS-10	80,099	82,769	85,438	88,107	90,777	93,446	96,115	98,785	101,454	104,123
GS-11	88,005	90,939	93,874	96,808	99,742	102,676	105,610	108,545	111,479	114,413
GS-12	105,481	108,997	112,513	116,030	119,546	123,062	126,579	130,095	133,611	137,128
GS-13	125,431	129,612	133,794	137,975	142,156	146,337	150,519	154,700	158,881	163,062
GS-14	148,222	153,163	158,104	163,046	167,987	172,929	177,870	182,811	187,753	192,694
GS-15	174,347	180,159	185,970	191,782	197,200	197,200	197,200	197,200	197,200	197,200

Hourly rates in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA, 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	14.93	15.43	15.92	16.42	16.91	17.20	17.70	18.19	18.21	18.67
GS-2	16.78	17.18	17.74	18.21	18.41	18.96	19.50	20.04	20.58	21.12
GS-3	18.31	18.93	19.54	20.15	20.76	21.37	21.98	22.59	23.20	23.81
GS-4	20.56	21.24	21.93	22.62	23.30	23.99	24.67	25.36	26.04	26.73
GS-5	23.00	23.77	24.54	25.30	26.07	26.84	27.60	28.37	29.14	29.90
GS-6	25.64	26.50	27.35	28.20	29.06	29.91	30.77	31.62	32.48	33.33
GS-7	28.49	29.44	30.39	31.34	32.29	33.24	34.19	35.14	36.09	37.04
GS-8	31.55	32.61	33.66	34.71	35.76	36.81	37.86	38.92	39.97	41.02
GS-9	34.85	36.01	37.18	38.34	39.50	40.66	41.82	42.99	44.15	45.31
GS-10	38.38	39.66	40.94	42.22	43.50	44.78	46.05	47.33	48.61	49.89
GS-11	42.17	43.57	44.98	46.39	47.79	49.20	50.60	52.01	53.42	54.82
GS-12	50.54	52.23	53.91	55.60	57.28	58.97	60.65	62.34	64.02	65.71
GS-13	60.10	62.10	64.11	66.11	68.11	70.12	72.12	74.13	76.13	78.13
GS-14	71.02	73.39	75.76	78.12	80.49	82.86	85.23	87.60	89.96	92.33
GS-15	83.54	86.32	89.11	91.89	94.49	94.49	94.49	94.49	94.49	94.49

Biweekly rates in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA, 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	1,194.40	1,234.40	1,273.60	1,313.60	1,352.80	1,376.00	1,416.00	1,455.20	1,456.80	1,493.60
GS-2	1,342.40	1,374.40	1,419.20	1,456.80	1,472.80	1,516.80	1,560.00	1,603.20	1,646.40	1,689.60
GS-3	1,464.80	1,514.40	1,563.20	1,612.00	1,660.80	1,709.60	1,758.40	1,807.20	1,856.00	1,904.80
GS-4	1,644.80	1,699.20	1,754.40	1,809.60	1,864.00	1,919.20	1,973.60	2,028.80	2,083.20	2,138.40
GS-5	1,840.00	1,901.60	1,963.20	2,024.00	2,085.60	2,147.20	2,208.00	2,269.60	2,331.20	2,392.00
GS-6	2,051.20	2,120.00	2,188.00	2,256.00	2,324.80	2,392.80	2,461.60	2,529.60	2,598.40	2,666.40
GS-7	2,279.20	2,355.20	2,431.20	2,507.20	2,583.20	2,659.20	2,735.20	2,811.20	2,887.20	2,963.20
GS-8	2,524.00	2,608.80	2,692.80	2,776.80	2,860.80	2,944.80	3,028.80	3,113.60	3,197.60	3,281.60
GS-9	2,788.00	2,880.80	2,974.40	3,067.20	3,160.00	3,252.80	3,345.60	3,439.20	3,532.00	3,624.80
GS-10	3,070.40	3,172.80	3,275.20	3,377.60	3,480.00	3,582.40	3,684.00	3,786.40	3,888.80	3,991.20
GS-11	3,373.60	3,485.60	3,598.40	3,711.20	3,823.20	3,936.00	4,048.00	4,160.80	4,273.60	4,385.60
GS-12	4,043.20	4,178.40	4,312.80	4,448.00	4,582.40	4,717.60	4,852.00	4,987.20	5,121.60	5,256.80
GS-13	4,808.00	4,968.00	5,128.80	5,288.80	5,448.80	5,609.60	5,769.60	5,930.40	6,090.40	6,250.40
GS-14	5,681.60	5,871.20	6,060.80	6,249.60	6,439.20	6,628.80	6,818.40	7,008.00	7,196.80	7,386.40
GS-15	6,683.20	6,905.60	7,128.80	7,351.20	7,559.20	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-NY, matched cell by cell.

At 37.95%, its locality payment is the second-highest of the 58 areas.

6 of its 150 cells, from GS-15 step 5 up, are held to the $197,200 statutory ceiling, the second-most of the 58 areas.

Under the 2027 proposal this area keeps 37.95% and GS-12 step 5 keeps $119,546 (2027 pay raise; compare with Rest of U.S.).

Locality pay in New York, 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
New York, NY	29.20	31.22	32.13	33.06	33.98	33.98	35.06	36.16	37.24	37.95	37.95
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 New York, NY

Federal Salary Council estimates for New York, 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	82.26	73.58	37.95
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	87.31	78.39	37.95
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	84.00	75.24	37.24
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	76.41	68.01	36.16
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	75.33	66.98	35.06
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	77.39	68.94	33.98
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	80.92	72.30	33.98
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	83.92	75.16	33.06
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	82.52	73.83	32.13

The formula would pay New York, NY 73.58%, 35.63 points above the 37.95% paid in 2026, the fifth-widest distance between formula and pay of the 57 areas with a formula rate.

The latest estimate puts non-federal pay for the same work here 82.26% above General Schedule base pay, the third-largest gap of the 58 areas.

What a GS-12 step 5 buys after local prices

The areas ranked next to New York, 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
33	Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA	$116,071	108.9	$106,601
34	Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC	$103,705	97.3	$106,530
35	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX	$104,294	98.1	$106,351
36	New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA	$119,546	112.6	$106,204
37	Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT	$114,893	108.3	$106,121
38	Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI	$110,594	104.8	$105,506
39	Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV	$112,449	106.7	$105,418

Local prices here, 112.6 against a U.S. average of 100, are the fourth-highest of the 57 areas with a price index.

It ranks #2 on paper and #36 once local prices are counted, a drop of 34 places, the fifth-biggest of the 57 areas.

Federal jobs in New York, NY

Federal civilian jobs at worksites in the 39 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 10,252 federal jobs in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania without a county; they belong to no area. Sources and caveats.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	124,344	1.11	$96,294
2024	124,914	1.09	$100,741
2025	120,712	1.05	$104,977

Its 120,712 federal civilian jobs in 2025, the Postal Service included, are the third-largest federal workforce of the 58 areas.

No single county holds more than 16.5% of them, the second-smallest such share of the 56 areas with more than one county; the most, 19,917, are in New York County, New York.

In Connecticut BLS has counted by planning region rather than county since 2024, while OPM still draws its areas by the old counties: each region is counted in the area that holds most of its towns, and 4 of the 9 regions straddle two areas; 1,043 of this area’s jobs are in such regions.

Civilians at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which OPM puts in this area, are counted by BLS in Burlington County, New Jersey, which is in the Philadelphia area.

Counties in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA

37 counties paid at this rate

Connecticut, 3 counties

Fairfield County
Litchfield County
New Haven County

New Jersey, 14 counties

Bergen County
Essex County
Hudson County
Hunterdon County
Mercer County
Middlesex County
Monmouth County
Morris County
Ocean County
Passaic County
Somerset County
Sussex County
Union County
Warren County

New York, 14 counties

Bronx County
Dutchess County
Kings County
Nassau County
New York County
Orange County
Putnam County
Queens County
Richmond County
Rockland County
Suffolk County
Sullivan County (added 2024)
Ulster County
Westchester County

Pennsylvania, 6 counties

Carbon County
Lehigh County
Monroe County
Northampton County
Pike County
Wayne County (added 2024)

Source: OPM 2026 locality pay area definitions. The duty station’s county counts (how that works). OPM also assigns 3 named installations to this area separately from the county they sit in.

Its 37 counties are the third-most of any area.

Its counties lie in four states, the third-most of any area, as many as Philadelphia, PA.