58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

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

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Maryland is paid $101,443 to $116,071, 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

$14,628

Goes furthest

$108,997At U.S. prices, in Philadelphia, PA.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$14,628over $101,443

Which areas cover Maryland, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Maryland, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 23 counties and one independent city it covers; the county or independent city of the duty station decides (how that works). Source: the OPM 2026 General Schedule table of each area — Salary Table 2026-DCB (Washington, DC), Salary Table 2026-PHL (Philadelphia, PA), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay area	Locality pay	On paper	Price level	What it buys	Counties and cities here
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA	33.94%	$116,071	108.9	$106,601	19
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD	28.99%	$111,781	102.6	$108,997	4
Rest of U.S.	17.06%	$101,443	—	—	1

The $14,628 between its best- and lowest-paid areas is the fifth-widest spread inside any of the 38 states with more than one area, shared with Virginia and West Virginia.

Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA pays $116,071, the most in Maryland, but Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD pays $111,781 and leaves you $2,397 better off once local prices are counted.

Only one of its 24 counties and independent cities is on the Rest of U.S. rate, the smallest share of the 35 states with such counties.

Its best-paid area, Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA, pays the fifth-most of the 58 areas at GS-12 step 5.

Counties and independent cities of Maryland in each locality pay area, as OPM’s 2026 definitions list them; the county or independent city of the duty station decides (how that works).
Locality pay area	Counties and independent cities
Washington, DC	Allegany County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore city, Calvert County, Caroline County, Carroll County, Charles County, Dorchester County, Frederick County, Harford County, Howard County, Kent County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Queen Anne's County, St. Mary's County, Talbot County, Washington County
Philadelphia, PA	Cecil County, Somerset County, Wicomico County, Worcester County
Rest of U.S.	all other counties of Maryland (1)

Federal jobs in Maryland, area by area

151,248 federal civilian jobs in Maryland in 2025, 5.49% of all jobs in the state, 10,453 fewer than in 2024, down 6.46%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 149,631 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 1 job, from rounding of annual averages. Sources and caveats.
Locality pay area	Federal jobs, 2025	Share, %	Change from 2024
Washington, DC	145,542	97.3	−9,976
Philadelphia, PA	4,029	2.7	+91
Rest of U.S.	60	0.0	−6
No county reported	1,618	—	—

Federal jobs of every pay system are 5.49% of all jobs in Maryland, the second-highest share of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Average pay per federal job in Maryland, overtime included, was $135,089 in 2025, the second-highest of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Federal jobs in Maryland fell 6.46% from 2024 to 2025, the steepest drop of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and the 2025 average still counts staff on paid administrative leave until 30 September.

Of the jobs placed in a county here, 0.0% are on the Rest of U.S. rate, the lowest share of the 35 states with such jobs and more than one area.

Every grade at step 5 in Maryland

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	Washington-Baltimore-Arlington	Philadelphia-Reading-Camden	Rest of U.S.
GS-1	34,274	33,007	29,954
GS-2	37,313	35,934	32,611
GS-3	42,063	40,508	36,762
GS-4	47,215	45,470	41,265
GS-5	52,825	50,872	46,167
GS-6	58,884	56,708	51,463
GS-7	65,435	63,017	57,188
GS-8	72,464	69,786	63,332
GS-9	80,041	77,083	69,954
GS-10	88,138	84,881	77,030
GS-11	96,843	93,264	84,638
GS-12	116,071	111,781	101,443
GS-13	138,024	132,923	120,629
GS-14	163,104	157,076	142,549
GS-15	191,850	184,760	167,672

What a move inside Maryland is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Maryland: 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
Philadelphia, PA to Washington, DC	+$4,290	−$2,397	none

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 and cities here	Also covers
Washington, DC	19	District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Philadelphia, PA	4	Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania