58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

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

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Missouri is paid $101,443 to $104,017, 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

$2,574

Goes furthest

$111,406At U.S. prices, in Kansas City, MO.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$2,574over $101,443

Which areas cover Missouri, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Missouri, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 114 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-SL (St. Louis, MO), Salary Table 2026-KC (Kansas City, MO), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay area	Locality pay	On paper	Price level	What it buys	Counties and cities here
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL	20.03%	$104,017	95.1	$109,390	16
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS	18.97%	$103,098	92.5	$111,406	18
Rest of U.S.	17.06%	$101,443	—	—	81

St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL pays $104,017, the most in Missouri, but Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS pays $103,098 and leaves you $2,015 better off once local prices are counted, the fifth-smallest such gap of the 17 states where the best-paid area is not the one that goes furthest.

Price levels across its areas run from 92.5 in Kansas City, MO to 95.1 in St. Louis, MO, the second-narrowest range of the 24 states with two or more priced areas.

Counties and independent cities of Missouri 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
St. Louis, MO	Crawford County, Franklin County, Gasconade County, Iron County, Jefferson County, Lincoln County, Madison County, Montgomery County, Pike County, St. Charles County, St. Francois County, St. Louis County, St. Louis city, Ste. Genevieve County, Warren County, Washington County
Kansas City, MO	Andrew County, Bates County, Buchanan County, Caldwell County, Carroll County, Cass County, Clay County, Clinton County, Daviess County, DeKalb County, Gentry County, Henry County, Holt County, Jackson County, Johnson County, Lafayette County, Platte County, Ray County
Rest of U.S.	all other counties of Missouri (81)

Federal jobs in Missouri, area by area

54,850 federal civilian jobs in Missouri in 2025, 1.89% of all jobs in the state, 2,277 fewer than in 2024, down 3.99%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 51,876 jobs BLS places in a county. BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, 2025. Sources and caveats.
Locality pay area	Federal jobs, 2025	Share, %	Change from 2024
Kansas City, MO	20,543	39.6	−847
St. Louis, MO	16,952	32.7	−660
Rest of U.S.	14,381	27.7	−620
No county reported	2,974	—	—

Every grade at step 5 in Missouri

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	St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington	Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City	Rest of U.S.
GS-1	30,714	30,443	29,954
GS-2	33,438	33,143	32,611
GS-3	37,694	37,361	36,762
GS-4	42,312	41,938	41,265
GS-5	47,339	46,921	46,167
GS-6	52,769	52,303	51,463
GS-7	58,639	58,122	57,188
GS-8	64,939	64,365	63,332
GS-9	71,729	71,095	69,954
GS-10	78,985	78,287	77,030
GS-11	86,785	86,019	84,638
GS-12	104,017	103,098	101,443
GS-13	123,690	122,597	120,629
GS-14	146,165	144,875	142,549
GS-15	171,926	170,408	167,672

What a move inside Missouri is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Missouri: 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
Kansas City, MO to St. Louis, MO	+$919	−$2,015	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
St. Louis, MO	16	Illinois
Kansas City, MO	18	Kansas