58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

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

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Nevada is paid $101,443 to $112,449, 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

$11,006

Goes furthest

$105,418At U.S. prices, in Sacramento, CA.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$11,006over $101,443

Which areas cover Nevada, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Nevada, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 16 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-SAC (Sacramento, CA), Salary Table 2026-LV (Las Vegas, NV), Salary Table 2026-RN (Reno, NV), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay area	Locality pay	On paper	Price level	What it buys	Counties and cities here
Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV	29.76%	$112,449	106.7	$105,418	2
Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ	19.57%	$103,618	100.2	$103,396	2
Reno-Fernley, NV	17.52%	$101,842	101.0	$100,820	4
Rest of U.S.	17.06%	$101,443	—	—	9

Its lowest-paid named area, Reno-Fernley, NV, pays the second-least of the 58 areas at GS-12 step 5, Rest of U.S. included.

Counties and independent cities of Nevada 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
Sacramento, CA	Carson City, Douglas County
Las Vegas, NV	Clark County, Nye County
Reno, NV	Churchill County, Lyon County, Storey County, Washoe County
Rest of U.S.	all other counties of Nevada (9)

Federal jobs in Nevada, area by area

22,037 federal civilian jobs in Nevada in 2025, 1.40% of all jobs in the state, 587 fewer than in 2024, down 2.59%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 20,991 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
Las Vegas, NV	14,869	70.8	−309
Reno, NV	4,610	22.0	−204
Rest of U.S.	805	3.8	−59
Sacramento, CA	707	3.4	−26
No county reported	1,046	—	—

Of the jobs placed in a county here, 3.8% are on the Rest of U.S. rate, the third-lowest share of the 35 states with such jobs and more than one area.

Every grade at step 5 in Nevada

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	Sacramento-Roseville	Las Vegas-Henderson	Reno-Fernley	Rest of U.S.
GS-1	33,204	30,597	30,072	29,954
GS-2	36,149	33,310	32,739	32,611
GS-3	40,750	37,550	36,906	36,762
GS-4	45,742	42,150	41,427	41,265
GS-5	51,176	47,157	46,349	46,167
GS-6	57,046	52,567	51,665	51,463
GS-7	63,393	58,415	57,413	57,188
GS-8	70,203	64,690	63,581	63,332
GS-9	77,543	71,454	70,229	69,954
GS-10	85,387	78,682	77,333	77,030
GS-11	93,820	86,453	84,970	84,638
GS-12	112,449	103,618	101,842	101,443
GS-13	133,716	123,216	121,103	120,629
GS-14	158,014	145,605	143,109	142,549
GS-15	185,863	171,267	168,331	167,672

What a move inside Nevada is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Nevada: 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
Las Vegas, NV to Sacramento, CA	+$8,831	+$2,022	23%
Reno, NV to Sacramento, CA	+$10,607	+$4,598	43%
Reno, NV to Las Vegas, NV	+$1,776	+$2,576	145%

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
Sacramento, CA	2	California
Las Vegas, NV	2	Arizona
Reno, NV	4	nowhere else