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. West Virginia

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

West Virginia GS pay scale 2026: the 3 locality pay areas in the state

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in West Virginia 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

$110,787At U.S. prices, in Pittsburgh, PA.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$14,628over $101,443

Which areas cover West Virginia, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers West Virginia, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 55 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-DCB (Washington, DC), Salary Table 2026-PIT (Pittsburgh, PA), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay areaLocality payOn paperPrice levelWhat it buysCounties here
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA33.94%$116,071108.9$106,6016
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV21.03%$104,88394.7$110,7874
Rest of U.S.17.06%$101,443——45

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 Maryland and Virginia.

Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA pays $116,071, the most in West Virginia, but Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV pays $104,883 and leaves you $4,186 better off once local prices are counted.

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.

Price levels across its areas run from 94.7 in Pittsburgh, PA to 108.9 in Washington, DC, the fifth-widest range of the 24 states with two or more priced areas.

Counties of West Virginia 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
Washington, DCBerkeley County, Hampshire County, Hardy County, Jefferson County, Mineral County, Morgan County
Pittsburgh, PABrooke County, Hancock County, Marshall County, Ohio County
Rest of U.S.all other counties of West Virginia (45)

Federal jobs in West Virginia, area by area

25,638 federal civilian jobs in West Virginia in 2025, 3.69% of all jobs in the state, 948 fewer than in 2024, down 3.57%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 24,249 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
Rest of U.S.18,45876.1−601
Washington, DC5,28821.8−259
Pittsburgh, PA5032.1−17
No county reported1,389——

Every grade at step 5 in West Virginia

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.
GradeWashington-Baltimore-ArlingtonPittsburgh-New Castle-WeirtonRest of U.S.
GS-134,27430,97029,954
GS-237,31333,71732,611
GS-342,06338,00836,762
GS-447,21542,66441,265
GS-552,82547,73346,167
GS-658,88453,20851,463
GS-765,43559,12857,188
GS-872,46465,48063,332
GS-980,04172,32669,954
GS-1088,13879,64377,030
GS-1196,84387,50884,638
GS-12116,071104,883101,443
GS-13138,024124,720120,629
GS-14163,104147,383142,549
GS-15191,850173,359167,672

What a move inside West Virginia is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of West Virginia: 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
Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, DC+$11,188−$4,186none

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
Washington, DC6District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia
Pittsburgh, PA4Ohio, Pennsylvania