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. Wisconsin

58 locality pay areasPage last changed 2026-10-07

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

In 2026 a GS-12 step 5 in Wisconsin is paid $101,443 to $113,402, 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

$11,959

Goes furthest

$109,467At U.S. prices, in Chicago, IL.

Against Rest of U.S.

+$11,959over $101,443

Which areas cover Wisconsin, and what each pays

GS-12 step 5 in 2026 in each area that covers Wisconsin, what it buys at national average prices (BEA price level, U.S. = 100) and how many of the state’s 72 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-CHI (Chicago, IL), Salary Table 2026-MSP (Minneapolis, MN), Salary Table 2026-MIL (Milwaukee, WI), Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.).
Locality pay areaLocality payOn paperPrice levelWhat it buysCounties here
Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI30.86%$113,402103.6$109,4671
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI27.62%$110,594104.8$105,5063
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI22.42%$106,08896.9$109,44010
Rest of U.S.17.06%$101,443——58
Counties of Wisconsin 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
Chicago, ILKenosha County
Minneapolis, MNPierce County, Polk County, St. Croix County
Milwaukee, WIDodge County, Fond du Lac County, Jefferson County, Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Racine County, Sheboygan County, Walworth County, Washington County, Waukesha County
Rest of U.S.all other counties of Wisconsin (58)

Federal jobs in Wisconsin, area by area

30,207 federal civilian jobs in Wisconsin in 2025, 1.03% of all jobs in the state, 1,157 fewer than in 2024, down 3.69%, by the locality pay area of the worksite county; every federal pay system counted. The share is of the 28,128 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
Rest of U.S.16,06757.1−645
Milwaukee, WI11,38740.5−525
Minneapolis, MN4131.5+15
Chicago, IL2610.9−14
No county reported2,080——

Federal jobs of every pay system are 1.03% of all jobs in Wisconsin, the lowest share of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Average pay per federal job in Wisconsin, overtime included, was $87,051 in 2025, the third-lowest of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Every grade at step 5 in Wisconsin

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.
GradeChicago-NapervilleMinneapolis-St. PaulMilwaukee-Racine-WaukeshaRest of U.S.
GS-133,48632,65731,32629,954
GS-236,45535,55234,10432,611
GS-341,09540,07838,44536,762
GS-446,12944,98743,15441,265
GS-551,61050,33248,28146,167
GS-657,53056,10653,82051,463
GS-763,93062,34759,80757,188
GS-870,79869,04566,23263,332
GS-978,20176,26473,15769,954
GS-1086,11183,97980,55777,030
GS-1194,61692,27388,51384,638
GS-12113,402110,594106,088101,443
GS-13134,850131,511126,153120,629
GS-14159,353155,408149,076142,549
GS-15187,439182,798175,350167,672

What a move inside Wisconsin is worth after prices

A transfer at GS-12 step 5 between areas of Wisconsin: 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
Minneapolis, MN to Chicago, IL+$2,808+$3,960141%
Milwaukee, WI to Chicago, IL+$7,314+$270%
Milwaukee, WI to Minneapolis, MN+$4,506−$3,934none

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
Chicago, IL1Illinois, Indiana
Minneapolis, MN3Minnesota
Milwaukee, WI10nowhere else