INDEPENDENTREFERENCEGSGS Pay TablesWhat the federal pay tables mean 2026 edition
Effective January 2026

This is not a U.S. government website. GS Pay Tables is an independent reference, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management or any federal agency.Not affiliated with OPM or any federal agency.

  1. GS pay scale 2026
  2. States
  3. Washington

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

Washington State GS pay scale 2026: the 4 locality pay areas in the state

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Washington is paid $101,443 to $114,017, 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

$12,574

Goes furthest

$103,682At U.S. prices, in Portland, OR.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$12,574over $101,443

Which areas cover Washington, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Washington, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 39 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-SEA (Seattle, WA), Salary Table 2026-POR (Portland, OR), Salary Table 2026-SN (Spokane, WA), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay areaLocality payOn paperPrice levelWhat it buysCounties here
Seattle-Tacoma, WA31.57%$114,017111.1$102,59515
Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA26.13%$109,303105.4$103,6824
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID17.67%$101,972100.3$101,6205
Rest of U.S.17.06%$101,443——15

Seattle-Tacoma, WA pays $114,017, the most in Washington, but Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA pays $109,303 and leaves you $1,087 better off once local prices are counted, the second-smallest such gap of the 17 states where the best-paid area is not the one that goes furthest.

Its lowest-paid named area, Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID, pays the fifth-least of the 58 areas at GS-12 step 5, Rest of U.S. included.

Counties of Washington 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
Seattle, WAClallam County, Grays Harbor County, Island County, Jefferson County, King County, Kitsap County, Lewis County, Mason County, Pacific County, Pierce County, San Juan County, Skagit County, Snohomish County, Thurston County, Whatcom County
Portland, ORClark County, Cowlitz County, Skamania County, Wahkiakum County
Spokane, WAFerry County, Lincoln County, Pend Oreille County, Spokane County, Stevens County
Rest of U.S.all other counties of Washington (15)

Federal jobs in Washington, area by area

77,714 federal civilian jobs in Washington in 2025, 2.16% of all jobs in the state, 2,021 fewer than in 2024, down 2.53%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 74,893 jobs BLS places in a county. BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, 2025. Sources and caveats.
Locality pay areaFederal jobs, 2025Share, %Change from 2024
Seattle, WA58,20877.7−1,404
Rest of U.S.7,0109.4−256
Spokane, WA5,5037.3−244
Portland, OR4,1725.6−88
No county reported2,821——

Every grade at step 5 in Washington

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.
GradeSeattle-TacomaPortland-Vancouver-SalemSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'AleneRest of U.S.
GS-133,66732,27530,11129,954
GS-236,65335,13732,78132,611
GS-341,31839,61036,95336,762
GS-446,38044,46241,48041,265
GS-551,89049,74446,40846,167
GS-657,84255,45151,73151,463
GS-764,27761,62057,48757,188
GS-871,18268,23963,66263,332
GS-978,62575,37470,31869,954
GS-1086,57882,99977,43277,030
GS-1195,12991,19685,07984,638
GS-12114,017109,303101,972101,443
GS-13135,582129,976121,258120,629
GS-14160,218153,594143,291142,549
GS-15188,456180,664168,546167,672

What a move inside Washington is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Washington: 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
Portland, OR to Seattle, WA+$4,714−$1,087none
Spokane, WA to Seattle, WA+$12,045+$9758%
Spokane, WA to Portland, OR+$7,331+$2,06228%

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
Seattle, WA15nowhere else
Portland, OR4Oregon
Spokane, WA5Idaho