GS pay scale 2026
State of Hawaii

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Hawaii GS pay scale 2026: 22.21% locality pay

In 2026 the State of Hawaii locality pay area adds 22.21% to the General Schedule base table: a GS-12 step 5 earns $105,906, and the 150 rates run from $27,600 to $197,200, the statutory ceiling.

GS-12 step 5, assembled

Base rate: $86,659
Locality pay, 22.21%: + $19,247
Annual rate: $105,906

$4,060.00 every two weeks, $50.75 an hour, $51.00 an overtime hour.

#27 on paper, #56 after prices

−29Places lost, of 57 areas with a price index.

Buys at U.S. prices

$96,321Price level 110.0, U.S. = 100, for State of Hawaii.

Ceiling watch

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

Key facts

Rank on paper, GS-12 step 5: #27 of 57
Rank after local prices: #56 of 57
Locality pay change since 2016: +5.40 points
Rank of that change: #25 of 58
Pay gap, latest council estimate: 49.02%
Rate the 1990 formula would set: 41.92%
Federal civilian jobs, 2025: 34,914
Share of all jobs here: 5.42%
Largest county by federal jobs: Honolulu County, HI: 31,687

Sources and methods

Every 2026 rate in State of Hawaii

A yearAn hourEvery two weeks

Every 2026 rate in State of Hawaii, 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	27,600	28,525	29,443	30,357	31,272	31,809	32,717	33,631	33,669	34,522
GS-2	31,033	31,771	32,800	33,669	34,045	35,046	36,047	37,048	38,049	39,050
GS-3	33,862	34,991	36,120	37,250	38,379	39,508	40,637	41,766	42,896	44,025
GS-4	38,011	39,278	40,546	41,813	43,080	44,348	45,615	46,882	48,150	49,417
GS-5	42,528	43,945	45,363	46,781	48,198	49,616	51,034	52,451	53,869	55,287
GS-6	47,406	48,987	50,567	52,147	53,727	55,307	56,888	58,468	60,048	61,628
GS-7	52,680	54,436	56,192	57,948	59,704	61,461	63,217	64,973	66,729	68,485
GS-8	58,341	60,285	62,229	64,174	66,118	68,062	70,007	71,951	73,895	75,840
GS-9	64,438	66,586	68,735	70,883	73,031	75,180	77,328	79,477	81,625	83,774
GS-10	70,960	73,325	75,690	78,054	80,419	82,784	85,149	87,513	89,878	92,243
GS-11	77,964	80,563	83,163	85,762	88,361	90,961	93,560	96,160	98,759	101,359
GS-12	93,445	96,561	99,676	102,791	105,906	109,021	112,136	115,251	118,366	121,482
GS-13	111,119	114,824	118,528	122,232	125,936	129,640	133,345	137,049	140,753	144,457
GS-14	131,310	135,687	140,065	144,442	148,820	153,198	157,575	161,953	166,330	170,708
GS-15	154,454	159,603	164,751	169,900	175,049	180,197	185,346	190,495	195,644	197,200

Hourly rates in State of Hawaii, 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	13.22	13.67	14.11	14.55	14.98	15.24	15.68	16.11	16.13	16.54
GS-2	14.87	15.22	15.72	16.13	16.31	16.79	17.27	17.75	18.23	18.71
GS-3	16.23	16.77	17.31	17.85	18.39	18.93	19.47	20.01	20.55	21.09
GS-4	18.21	18.82	19.43	20.03	20.64	21.25	21.86	22.46	23.07	23.68
GS-5	20.38	21.06	21.74	22.42	23.09	23.77	24.45	25.13	25.81	26.49
GS-6	22.71	23.47	24.23	24.99	25.74	26.50	27.26	28.02	28.77	29.53
GS-7	25.24	26.08	26.92	27.77	28.61	29.45	30.29	31.13	31.97	32.82
GS-8	27.95	28.89	29.82	30.75	31.68	32.61	33.54	34.48	35.41	36.34
GS-9	30.88	31.91	32.93	33.96	34.99	36.02	37.05	38.08	39.11	40.14
GS-10	34.00	35.13	36.27	37.40	38.53	39.67	40.80	41.93	43.07	44.20
GS-11	37.36	38.60	39.85	41.09	42.34	43.58	44.83	46.08	47.32	48.57
GS-12	44.77	46.27	47.76	49.25	50.75	52.24	53.73	55.22	56.72	58.21
GS-13	53.24	55.02	56.79	58.57	60.34	62.12	63.89	65.67	67.44	69.22
GS-14	62.92	65.02	67.11	69.21	71.31	73.41	75.50	77.60	79.70	81.80
GS-15	74.01	76.47	78.94	81.41	83.88	86.34	88.81	91.28	93.74	94.49

Biweekly rates in State of Hawaii, 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	1,057.60	1,093.60	1,128.80	1,164.00	1,198.40	1,219.20	1,254.40	1,288.80	1,290.40	1,323.20
GS-2	1,189.60	1,217.60	1,257.60	1,290.40	1,304.80	1,343.20	1,381.60	1,420.00	1,458.40	1,496.80
GS-3	1,298.40	1,341.60	1,384.80	1,428.00	1,471.20	1,514.40	1,557.60	1,600.80	1,644.00	1,687.20
GS-4	1,456.80	1,505.60	1,554.40	1,602.40	1,651.20	1,700.00	1,748.80	1,796.80	1,845.60	1,894.40
GS-5	1,630.40	1,684.80	1,739.20	1,793.60	1,847.20	1,901.60	1,956.00	2,010.40	2,064.80	2,119.20
GS-6	1,816.80	1,877.60	1,938.40	1,999.20	2,059.20	2,120.00	2,180.80	2,241.60	2,301.60	2,362.40
GS-7	2,019.20	2,086.40	2,153.60	2,221.60	2,288.80	2,356.00	2,423.20	2,490.40	2,557.60	2,625.60
GS-8	2,236.00	2,311.20	2,385.60	2,460.00	2,534.40	2,608.80	2,683.20	2,758.40	2,832.80	2,907.20
GS-9	2,470.40	2,552.80	2,634.40	2,716.80	2,799.20	2,881.60	2,964.00	3,046.40	3,128.80	3,211.20
GS-10	2,720.00	2,810.40	2,901.60	2,992.00	3,082.40	3,173.60	3,264.00	3,354.40	3,445.60	3,536.00
GS-11	2,988.80	3,088.00	3,188.00	3,287.20	3,387.20	3,486.40	3,586.40	3,686.40	3,785.60	3,885.60
GS-12	3,581.60	3,701.60	3,820.80	3,940.00	4,060.00	4,179.20	4,298.40	4,417.60	4,537.60	4,656.80
GS-13	4,259.20	4,401.60	4,543.20	4,685.60	4,827.20	4,969.60	5,111.20	5,253.60	5,395.20	5,537.60
GS-14	5,033.60	5,201.60	5,368.80	5,536.80	5,704.80	5,872.80	6,040.00	6,208.00	6,376.00	6,544.00
GS-15	5,920.80	6,117.60	6,315.20	6,512.80	6,710.40	6,907.20	7,104.80	7,302.40	7,499.20	7,559.20

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

Under the 2027 proposal this area keeps 22.21% and GS-12 step 5 keeps $105,906 (2027 pay raise; compare with Rest of U.S.).

Locality pay in Hawaii 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
Hawaii	16.81	17.92	18.43	18.98	19.56	19.56	20.40	21.17	21.79	22.21	22.21
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

Through 2009 white-collar federal employees in Hawaii received no locality pay: they were paid a nonforeign-area cost-of-living allowance instead, 25% in Honolulu, Kauai and Maui and 18% in Hawaii County, which was exempt from federal income tax and did not count toward retirement. The Nonforeign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act of 2009 (sections 1911 to 1919 of Public Law 111-84) phased locality pay in by thirds, 4.72% in 2010, 11.01% in 2011 and the full 16.51% from 2012, while the allowance in Honolulu, Kauai and Maui fell to 20.94%, 16.07% and 12.25%. Unlike the allowance, locality pay is taxed as pay and counts as basic pay for retirement. In 2026 the 22.21% locality payment comes with an allowance of 8.64% in Honolulu, Kauai and Maui and 2.91% in Hawaii County. Sources: OPM, nonforeign areas, on the 2009 law; Senate Report 110-456, the committee report on S. 3013, the 2008 bill that proposed the change, on tax and retirement.

What the 1990 pay law’s formula would pay in Hawaii

Federal Salary Council estimates for Hawaii 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	49.02	41.92	22.21
2025	March 2023	Locality pay area	53.49	46.18	22.21
2024	March 2022	Locality pay area	50.99	43.80	21.79
2023	March 2021	Locality pay area	50.79	43.61	21.17
2022	March 2020	Locality pay area	52.31	45.06	20.40
2021	March 2019	Locality pay area	53.53	46.22	19.56
2020	March 2018	Locality pay area	50.82	43.64	19.56
2019	March 2017	Locality pay area	50.93	43.74	18.98
2018	March 2016	Locality pay area	48.80	41.71	18.43

Across the nine editions checked here, the estimate for Hawaii has run from 48.80% (for pay in 2018) to 53.53% (for pay in 2021), the third-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 Hawaii 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
53	Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID	$101,972	100.3	$101,620
54	Reno-Fernley, NV	$101,842	101.0	$100,820
55	Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA	$101,954	102.2	$99,800
56	State of Hawaii	$105,906	110.0	$96,321
57	Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL	$108,038	114.2	$94,641

A GS-12 step 5 here buys $96,321 at national average prices, the second-least of the 57 areas with a price index.

Federal jobs in Hawaii

Federal civilian jobs at worksites in Hawaii, 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. Sources and caveats.
Year	Federal civilian jobs	Share of all jobs, %	Average pay per job
2023	35,129	5.54	$93,709
2024	35,680	5.58	$97,025
2025	34,914	5.42	$100,302

Federal jobs of every pay system are 5.42% of all jobs here, the third-highest share of the 58 areas.

Honolulu County, Hawaii, alone holds 90.8% of them, 31,687 jobs, the fifth-largest share for one county of the 56 areas with more than one.

Because the area is the whole state, the count includes the 555 jobs BLS reports there without a county.

The whole state of Hawaii

The area is the state of Hawaii itself rather than a list of counties: every duty station in it is paid from this one table.