58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Colorado GS pay scale 2026: the 3 locality pay areas in the state

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Colorado is paid $101,443 to $113,107, depending on which of its 3 locality pay areas, Rest of U.S. included, the duty station is in.

Spread at GS-12 step 5

$11,664

Goes furthest

$106,925At U.S. prices, in Denver, CO.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$11,664over $101,443

Which areas cover Colorado, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Colorado, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 64 counties it covers; the county of the duty station decides (how that works). Source: the OPM 2026 General Schedule table of each area — Salary Table 2026-DEN (Denver, CO), Salary Table 2026-CS (Colorado Springs, CO), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay area	Locality pay	On paper	Price level	What it buys	Counties here
Denver-Aurora, CO	30.52%	$113,107	105.8	$106,925	14
Colorado Springs, CO	20.15%	$104,121	100.7	$103,390	4
Rest of U.S.	17.06%	$101,443	—	—	46

Price levels across its areas run from 100.7 in Colorado Springs, CO to 105.8 in Denver, CO, the fifth-narrowest range of the 24 states with two or more priced areas.

Counties of Colorado in each locality pay area, as OPM’s 2026 definitions list them; the county of the duty station decides (how that works).
Locality pay area	Counties
Denver, CO	Adams County, Arapahoe County, Boulder County, Broomfield County, Clear Creek County, Denver County, Douglas County, Elbert County, Gilpin County, Jefferson County, Larimer County, Lincoln County, Park County, Weld County
Colorado Springs, CO	El Paso County, Fremont County, Pueblo County, Teller County
Rest of U.S.	all other counties of Colorado (46)

Federal jobs in Colorado, area by area

54,712 federal civilian jobs in Colorado in 2025, 1.89% of all jobs in the state, 2,375 fewer than in 2024, down 4.16%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 53,807 jobs BLS places in a county. BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, 2025. The state total BLS publishes differs from the sum of its county rows by 4 jobs, from rounding of annual averages. Sources and caveats.
Locality pay area	Federal jobs, 2025	Share, %	Change from 2024
Denver, CO	33,657	62.6	−994
Colorado Springs, CO	14,882	27.7	−876
Rest of U.S.	5,268	9.8	−274
No county reported	901	—	—

Average pay per federal job in Colorado, overtime included, was $108,879 in 2025, the fifth-highest of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Every grade at step 5 in Colorado

Annual rates in U.S. dollars at step 5; ▲ marks a cell cut to the $197,200 statutory ceiling. For any other step, the pay calculator finds the area from a ZIP code.
Grade	Denver-Aurora	Colorado Springs	Rest of U.S.
GS-1	33,399	30,745	29,954
GS-2	36,360	33,471	32,611
GS-3	40,989	37,732	36,762
GS-4	46,010	42,354	41,265
GS-5	51,476	47,386	46,167
GS-6	57,381	52,822	51,463
GS-7	63,764	58,698	57,188
GS-8	70,614	65,004	63,332
GS-9	77,997	71,800	69,954
GS-10	85,887	79,064	77,030
GS-11	94,370	86,872	84,638
GS-12	113,107	104,121	101,443
GS-13	134,500	123,813	120,629
GS-14	158,939	146,311	142,549
GS-15	186,952	172,098	167,672

What a move inside Colorado is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Colorado: the raise on paper, what it is worth at national average prices, and how much of it is left. Tax and housing are not in these figures (what the comparison leaves out).
Move	On paper	After prices	Kept
Colorado Springs, CO to Denver, CO	+$8,986	+$3,535	39%

Where else these areas reach

Locality pay areas are lists of counties and ignore state lines: inside one area a move across a state line does not change pay (how that works; every state and the areas in it).
Area	Counties here	Also covers
Denver, CO	14	nowhere else
Colorado Springs, CO	4	nowhere else