INDEPENDENTREFERENCEGSGS Pay TablesWhat the federal pay tables mean 2026 edition
Effective January 2026

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  1. GS pay scale 2026
  2. States
  3. Indiana

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Indiana GS pay scale 2026: the 4 locality pay areas in the state

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Indiana is paid $101,443 to $113,402, depending on which of its 4 locality pay areas, Rest of U.S. included, the duty station is in.

Spread at GS-12 step 5

$11,959

Goes furthest

$110,793At U.S. prices, in Cincinnati, OH.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$11,959over $101,443

Which areas cover Indiana, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Indiana, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 92 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-CHI (Chicago, IL), Salary Table 2026-CIN (Cincinnati, OH), Salary Table 2026-IND (Indianapolis, IN), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay areaLocality payOn paperPrice levelWhat it buysCounties here
Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI30.86%$113,402103.6$109,4676
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN21.93%$105,66395.4$110,7936
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN18.15%$102,38895.7$106,99334
Rest of U.S.17.06%$101,443——46

Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI pays $113,402, the most in Indiana, but Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN pays $105,663 and leaves you $1,326 better off once local prices are counted, the third-smallest such gap of the 17 states where the best-paid area is not the one that goes furthest.

Counties of Indiana in each locality pay area, as OPM’s 2026 definitions list them; the county of the duty station decides (how that works).
Locality pay areaCounties
Chicago, ILJasper County, LaPorte County, Lake County, Newton County, Porter County, Starke County
Cincinnati, OHDearborn County, Franklin County, Ohio County, Ripley County, Switzerland County, Union County
Indianapolis, INBartholomew County, Benton County, Blackford County, Boone County, Brown County, Carroll County, Clinton County, Decatur County, Delaware County, Fayette County, Fountain County, Grant County, Hamilton County, Hancock County, Hendricks County, Henry County, Jackson County, Jennings County, Johnson County, Lawrence County, Madison County, Marion County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Owen County, Putnam County, Randolph County, Rush County, Shelby County, Tippecanoe County, Tipton County, Warren County, Wayne County
Rest of U.S.all other counties of Indiana (46)

Federal jobs in Indiana, area by area

39,348 federal civilian jobs in Indiana in 2025, 1.23% of all jobs in the state, 1,192 fewer than in 2024, down 2.94%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 37,177 jobs BLS places in a county. BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, 2025. Sources and caveats.
Locality pay areaFederal jobs, 2025Share, %Change from 2024
Indianapolis, IN20,86256.1−372
Rest of U.S.13,90437.4−703
Chicago, IL2,1165.7−70
Cincinnati, OH2950.8+6
No county reported2,171——

Every grade at step 5 in Indiana

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.
GradeChicago-NapervilleCincinnati-Wilmington-MaysvilleIndianapolis-Carmel-MuncieRest of U.S.
GS-133,48631,20130,23329,954
GS-236,45533,96732,91432,611
GS-341,09538,29137,10436,762
GS-446,12942,98241,64941,265
GS-551,61048,08846,59746,167
GS-657,53053,60451,94251,463
GS-763,93059,56857,72157,188
GS-870,79865,96763,92263,332
GS-978,20172,86470,60569,954
GS-1086,11180,23577,74777,030
GS-1194,61688,15985,42684,638
GS-12113,402105,663102,388101,443
GS-13134,850125,648121,752120,629
GS-14159,353148,479143,876142,549
GS-15187,439174,648169,233167,672

What a move inside Indiana is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Indiana: 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).
MoveOn paperAfter pricesKept
Cincinnati, OH to Chicago, IL+$7,739−$1,326none
Indianapolis, IN to Chicago, IL+$11,014+$2,47422%
Indianapolis, IN to Cincinnati, OH+$3,275+$3,800116%

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).
AreaCounties hereAlso covers
Chicago, IL6Illinois, Wisconsin
Cincinnati, OH6Kentucky, Ohio
Indianapolis, IN34nowhere else