GS pay scale 2026
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Pittsburgh, PA GS pay scale 2026: 21.03% locality pay

In 2026 the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV locality pay area adds 21.03% to the General Schedule base table: a GS-12 step 5 earns $104,883, and the 150 rates run from $27,333 to $197,200, the statutory ceiling.

GS-12 step 5, assembled

Base rate: $86,659
Locality pay, 21.03%: + $18,224
Annual rate: $104,883

$4,020.80 every two weeks, $50.26 an hour, $50.51 an overtime hour.

#33 on paper, #16 after prices

+17Places gained, of 57 areas with a price index.

Buys at U.S. prices

$110,787Price level 94.7, U.S. = 100, for Pittsburgh, PA.

Ceiling watch

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

Key facts

Rank on paper, GS-12 step 5: #33 of 57
Rank after local prices: #16 of 57
Locality pay change since 2016: +4.35 points
Rank of that change: #40 of 58
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 38.81%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 32.20%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 21,074
Share of all jobs here: 1.61%
Largest county by federal jobs: Allegheny County, PA: 13,316

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate in Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

Every 2026 rate in Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV, 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	27,333	28,250	29,159	30,064	30,970	31,502	32,401	33,306	33,344	34,189
GS-2	30,733	31,464	32,483	33,344	33,717	34,708	35,699	36,690	37,681	38,673
GS-3	33,535	34,653	35,772	36,890	38,008	39,127	40,245	41,363	42,482	43,600
GS-4	37,644	38,899	40,154	41,409	42,664	43,919	45,174	46,430	47,685	48,940
GS-5	42,117	43,521	44,925	46,329	47,733	49,137	50,541	51,945	53,349	54,753
GS-6	46,949	48,514	50,079	51,644	53,208	54,773	56,338	57,903	59,468	61,033
GS-7	52,171	53,910	55,650	57,389	59,128	60,867	62,606	64,346	66,085	67,824
GS-8	57,777	59,703	61,628	63,554	65,480	67,405	69,331	71,256	73,182	75,108
GS-9	63,815	65,943	68,071	70,199	72,326	74,454	76,582	78,709	80,837	82,965
GS-10	70,275	72,617	74,959	77,301	79,643	81,985	84,326	86,668	89,010	91,352
GS-11	77,211	79,785	82,360	84,934	87,508	90,083	92,657	95,231	97,806	100,380
GS-12	92,543	95,628	98,713	101,798	104,883	107,968	111,053	114,139	117,224	120,309
GS-13	110,047	113,715	117,383	121,052	124,720	128,389	132,057	135,725	139,394	143,062
GS-14	130,042	134,377	138,712	143,048	147,383	151,718	156,054	160,389	164,724	169,060
GS-15	152,963	158,062	163,161	168,260	173,359	178,458	183,557	188,656	193,755	197,200

Hourly rates in Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV, 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	13.10	13.54	13.97	14.41	14.84	15.09	15.53	15.96	15.98	16.38
GS-2	14.73	15.08	15.56	15.98	16.16	16.63	17.11	17.58	18.06	18.53
GS-3	16.07	16.60	17.14	17.68	18.21	18.75	19.28	19.82	20.36	20.89
GS-4	18.04	18.64	19.24	19.84	20.44	21.04	21.65	22.25	22.85	23.45
GS-5	20.18	20.85	21.53	22.20	22.87	23.54	24.22	24.89	25.56	26.24
GS-6	22.50	23.25	24.00	24.75	25.49	26.24	26.99	27.74	28.49	29.24
GS-7	25.00	25.83	26.67	27.50	28.33	29.16	30.00	30.83	31.67	32.50
GS-8	27.68	28.61	29.53	30.45	31.38	32.30	33.22	34.14	35.07	35.99
GS-9	30.58	31.60	32.62	33.64	34.66	35.68	36.69	37.71	38.73	39.75
GS-10	33.67	34.79	35.92	37.04	38.16	39.28	40.41	41.53	42.65	43.77
GS-11	37.00	38.23	39.46	40.70	41.93	43.16	44.40	45.63	46.86	48.10
GS-12	44.34	45.82	47.30	48.78	50.26	51.73	53.21	54.69	56.17	57.65
GS-13	52.73	54.49	56.24	58.00	59.76	61.52	63.28	65.03	66.79	68.55
GS-14	62.31	64.39	66.46	68.54	70.62	72.70	74.77	76.85	78.93	81.01
GS-15	73.29	75.74	78.18	80.62	83.07	85.51	87.95	90.40	92.84	94.49

Biweekly rates in Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV, 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	1,048.00	1,083.20	1,117.60	1,152.80	1,187.20	1,207.20	1,242.40	1,276.80	1,278.40	1,310.40
GS-2	1,178.40	1,206.40	1,244.80	1,278.40	1,292.80	1,330.40	1,368.80	1,406.40	1,444.80	1,482.40
GS-3	1,285.60	1,328.00	1,371.20	1,414.40	1,456.80	1,500.00	1,542.40	1,585.60	1,628.80	1,671.20
GS-4	1,443.20	1,491.20	1,539.20	1,587.20	1,635.20	1,683.20	1,732.00	1,780.00	1,828.00	1,876.00
GS-5	1,614.40	1,668.00	1,722.40	1,776.00	1,829.60	1,883.20	1,937.60	1,991.20	2,044.80	2,099.20
GS-6	1,800.00	1,860.00	1,920.00	1,980.00	2,039.20	2,099.20	2,159.20	2,219.20	2,279.20	2,339.20
GS-7	2,000.00	2,066.40	2,133.60	2,200.00	2,266.40	2,332.80	2,400.00	2,466.40	2,533.60	2,600.00
GS-8	2,214.40	2,288.80	2,362.40	2,436.00	2,510.40	2,584.00	2,657.60	2,731.20	2,805.60	2,879.20
GS-9	2,446.40	2,528.00	2,609.60	2,691.20	2,772.80	2,854.40	2,935.20	3,016.80	3,098.40	3,180.00
GS-10	2,693.60	2,783.20	2,873.60	2,963.20	3,052.80	3,142.40	3,232.80	3,322.40	3,412.00	3,501.60
GS-11	2,960.00	3,058.40	3,156.80	3,256.00	3,354.40	3,452.80	3,552.00	3,650.40	3,748.80	3,848.00
GS-12	3,547.20	3,665.60	3,784.00	3,902.40	4,020.80	4,138.40	4,256.80	4,375.20	4,493.60	4,612.00
GS-13	4,218.40	4,359.20	4,499.20	4,640.00	4,780.80	4,921.60	5,062.40	5,202.40	5,343.20	5,484.00
GS-14	4,984.80	5,151.20	5,316.80	5,483.20	5,649.60	5,816.00	5,981.60	6,148.00	6,314.40	6,480.80
GS-15	5,863.20	6,059.20	6,254.40	6,449.60	6,645.60	6,840.80	7,036.00	7,232.00	7,427.20	7,559.20

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

Under the 2027 proposal this area keeps 21.03% and GS-12 step 5 keeps $104,883 (2027 pay raise; compare with Rest of U.S.).

Locality pay in Pittsburgh, PA 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
Pittsburgh, PA	16.68	17.86	18.35	18.86	19.40	19.40	19.90	20.37	20.78	21.03	21.03
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 Pittsburgh, PA

Federal Salary Council estimates for Pittsburgh, PA 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	38.81	32.20	21.03
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	41.96	35.20	21.03
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	42.01	35.25	20.78
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	40.76	34.06	20.37
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	41.45	34.71	19.90
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	45.09	38.18	19.40
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	48.98	41.89	19.40
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	48.86	41.77	18.86
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	47.95	40.90	18.35

The formula would pay Pittsburgh, PA 32.20%, 11.17 points above the 21.03% paid in 2026, the third-narrowest distance between formula and pay of the 57 areas with a formula rate.

What a GS-12 step 5 buys after local prices

The areas ranked next to Pittsburgh, PA 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
13	Hartford-East Hartford, CT-MA	$114,459	102.7	$111,400
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

Federal jobs in Pittsburgh, PA

Federal civilian jobs at worksites in the 18 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 9,276 federal jobs in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia without a county; they belong to no area. Sources and caveats.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	21,394	1.64	$86,318
2024	21,674	1.66	$89,592
2025	21,074	1.61	$94,303

Counties in Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV

18 counties paid at this rate

Ohio, 2 counties

Belmont County (added 2024)
Jefferson County

Pennsylvania, 12 counties

Allegheny County
Armstrong County
Beaver County
Butler County
Cambria County (added 2024)
Fayette County
Greene County (added 2024)
Indiana County
Lawrence County
Somerset County (added 2024)
Washington County
Westmoreland County

West Virginia, 4 counties

Brooke County
Hancock County
Marshall County (added 2024)
Ohio County (added 2024)

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

Its counties lie in three states, the fifth-most of any area, as many as Chicago, IL and Cincinnati, OH.