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. Iowa

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

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

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Iowa is paid $101,443 to $103,064, 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

$1,621

Goes furthest

$115,700At U.S. prices, in Davenport, IA.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$1,621over $101,443

Which areas cover Iowa, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Iowa, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 99 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-DV (Davenport, IA), Salary Table 2026-OM (Omaha, NE), Salary Table 2026-DM (Des Moines, IA), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay areaLocality payOn paperPrice levelWhat it buysCounties here
Davenport-Moline, IA-IL18.93%$103,06489.1$115,7006
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA18.23%$102,45791.9$111,4745
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA18.01%$102,26691.7$111,52117
Rest of U.S.17.06%$101,443——71

The $1,621 between its best- and lowest-paid areas is the fourth-narrowest spread inside any of the 38 states with more than one area.

Price levels across its areas run from 89.1 in Davenport, IA to 91.9 in Omaha, NE, the third-narrowest range of the 24 states with two or more priced areas.

Counties of Iowa 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
Davenport, IACedar County, Clinton County, Jackson County, Louisa County, Muscatine County, Scott County
Omaha, NEFremont County, Harrison County, Mills County, Pottawattamie County, Shelby County
Des Moines, IAAdair County, Boone County, Clarke County, Dallas County, Greene County, Guthrie County, Hamilton County, Jasper County, Lucas County, Madison County, Mahaska County, Marion County, Monroe County, Polk County, Poweshiek County, Story County, Warren County
Rest of U.S.all other counties of Iowa (71)

Federal jobs in Iowa, area by area

17,851 federal civilian jobs in Iowa in 2025, 1.15% of all jobs in the state, 521 fewer than in 2024, down 2.84%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 17,826 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 3 jobs, from rounding of annual averages. Sources and caveats.
Locality pay areaFederal jobs, 2025Share, %Change from 2024
Des Moines, IA8,34846.8−216
Rest of U.S.7,94744.6−186
Davenport, IA1,1806.6−105
Omaha, NE3512.0−18
No county reported22——

Average pay per federal job in Iowa, overtime included, was $85,787 in 2025, the lowest of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Every grade at step 5 in Iowa

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.
GradeDavenport-MolineOmaha-Council Bluffs-FremontDes Moines-Ames-West Des MoinesRest of U.S.
GS-130,43330,25430,19829,954
GS-233,13232,93732,87532,611
GS-337,34937,12937,06036,762
GS-441,92441,67741,60041,265
GS-546,90546,62946,54246,167
GS-652,28551,97751,88151,463
GS-758,10257,76057,65357,188
GS-864,34463,96563,84663,332
GS-971,07170,65370,52269,954
GS-1078,26177,80077,65577,030
GS-1185,99085,48485,32584,638
GS-12103,064102,457102,266101,443
GS-13122,556121,835121,608120,629
GS-14144,826143,973143,705142,549
GS-15170,351169,348169,033167,672

What a move inside Iowa is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Iowa: 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
Omaha, NE to Davenport, IA+$607+$4,225696%
Des Moines, IA to Davenport, IA+$798+$4,178524%
Des Moines, IA to Omaha, NE+$191−$47none

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
Davenport, IA6Illinois
Omaha, NE5Nebraska
Des Moines, IA17nowhere else