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. New York

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

New York GS pay scale 2026: the 5 locality pay areas in the state

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in New York is paid $101,443 to $119,546, depending on which of its 5 locality pay areas, Rest of U.S. included, the duty station is in.

Spread at GS-12 step 5

$18,103

Goes furthest

$110,679At U.S. prices, in Buffalo, NY.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$18,103over $101,443

Which areas cover New York, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers New York, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 62 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-NY (New York, NY), Salary Table 2026-BU (Buffalo, NY), Salary Table 2026-AL (Albany, NY), Salary Table 2026-RT (Rochester, NY), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay areaLocality payOn paperPrice levelWhat it buysCounties here
New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA37.95%$119,546112.6$106,20414
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY22.41%$106,07995.8$110,6795
Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA20.77%$104,65899.6$105,11412
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY17.88%$102,15497.0$105,2758
Rest of U.S.17.06%$101,443——23

The $18,103 between its best- and lowest-paid areas is the second-widest spread inside any of the 38 states with more than one area, shared with Pennsylvania.

New York is split among five locality pay areas, Rest of U.S. included, the fifth-most of any state.

New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA pays $119,546, the most in New York, but Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY pays $106,079 and leaves you $4,475 better off once local prices are counted.

Only 23 of its 62 counties are on the Rest of U.S. rate, the fifth-smallest share of the 35 states with such counties.

Its best-paid area, New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA, pays the second-most of the 58 areas at GS-12 step 5.

Price levels across its areas run from 95.8 in Buffalo, NY to 112.6 in New York, NY, the second-widest range of the 24 states with two or more priced areas.

Counties of New York 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
New York, NYBronx County, Dutchess County, Kings County, Nassau County, New York County, Orange County, Putnam County, Queens County, Richmond County, Rockland County, Suffolk County, Sullivan County, Ulster County, Westchester County
Buffalo, NYAllegany County, Cattaraugus County, Erie County, Niagara County, Wyoming County
Albany, NYAlbany County, Columbia County, Fulton County, Greene County, Hamilton County, Montgomery County, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, Schenectady County, Schoharie County, Warren County, Washington County
Rochester, NYGenesee County, Livingston County, Monroe County, Ontario County, Orleans County, Seneca County, Wayne County, Yates County
Rest of U.S.all other counties of New York (23)

Federal jobs in New York, area by area

112,041 federal civilian jobs in New York in 2025, 1.14% of all jobs in the state, 4,068 fewer than in 2024, down 3.50%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 108,643 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 areaFederal jobs, 2025Share, %Change from 2024
New York, NY71,06065.4−2,574
Rest of U.S.15,02313.8−612
Buffalo, NY10,2899.5−274
Albany, NY7,4146.8−240
Rochester, NY4,8574.5−164
No county reported3,397——

Federal jobs of every pay system are 1.14% of all jobs in New York, the fourth-lowest share of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Every grade at step 5 in New York

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.
GradeNew York-NewarkBuffalo-Cheektowaga-OleanAlbany-SchenectadyRochester-Batavia-Seneca FallsRest of U.S.
GS-135,30031,32330,90430,16429,954
GS-238,43034,10133,64432,83932,611
GS-343,32238,44237,92737,01936,762
GS-448,62943,15142,57341,55441,265
GS-554,40648,27747,63046,49146,167
GS-660,64753,81553,09451,82451,463
GS-767,39459,80259,00157,58957,188
GS-874,63466,22665,33963,77563,332
GS-982,43873,15172,17170,44469,954
GS-1090,77780,55179,47177,57077,030
GS-1199,74288,50687,32085,23184,638
GS-12119,546106,079104,658102,154101,443
GS-13142,156126,142124,452121,474120,629
GS-14167,987149,064147,066143,547142,549
GS-15197,200175,335172,986168,847167,672

What a move inside New York is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of New York: 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
Albany, NY to New York, NY+$14,888+$1,0897%
Rochester, NY to New York, NY+$17,392+$9285%
Albany, NY to Buffalo, NY+$1,421+$5,565392%
Rochester, NY to Buffalo, NY+$3,925+$5,403138%

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
New York, NY14Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Buffalo, NY5nowhere else
Albany, NY12Massachusetts
Rochester, NY8nowhere else