General Schedule · effective January 2026

GS-3 pay scale 2026

GS-3 base pay runs from $27,708 at step 1 to $36,024 at step 10. Every GS employee also gets a locality payment, so actual GS-3 pay at step 1 ranges from $32,435 (Rest of U.S.) to $40,548 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA) across 58 locality pay areas.

GS-3 pay by step

StepBase payRest of U.S. (17.06%)
Step 1$27,708$32,435
Step 2$28,632$33,517
Step 3$29,556$34,598
Step 4$30,480$35,680
Step 5$31,404$36,762
Step 6$32,328$37,843
Step 7$33,252$38,925
Step 8$34,176$40,006
Step 9$35,100$41,088
Step 10$36,024$42,170

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, General Schedule (GS) pay tables, 2026 — base and locality pay tables (annual rates) and locality pay area definitions. Data captured October 2, 2026.

GS-3 pay by locality

Locality pay areaLocality payStep 1Step 5Step 10
Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA20.77%$33,463$37,927$43,506
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM18.33%$32,787$37,160$42,627
Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs, GA-AL23.79%$34,300$38,875$44,594
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX20.35%$33,347$37,795$43,355
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL18.24%$32,762$37,132$42,595
Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT32.58%$36,735$41,635$47,761
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY22.41%$33,917$38,442$44,097
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT19.45%$33,097$37,512$43,031
Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC19.67%$33,158$37,581$43,110
Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI30.86%$36,259$41,095$47,141
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN21.93%$33,784$38,291$43,924
Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA22.23%$33,867$38,385$44,032
Colorado Springs, CO20.15%$33,291$37,732$43,283
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH22.15%$33,845$38,360$44,003
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX17.63%$32,593$36,941$42,375
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK27.26%$35,261$39,965$45,844
Davenport-Moline, IA-IL18.93%$32,953$37,349$42,843
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH21.42%$33,643$38,131$43,740
Denver-Aurora, CO30.52%$36,164$40,989$47,019
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA18.01%$32,698$37,060$42,512
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI29.12%$35,777$40,549$46,514
Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA17.65%$32,598$36,947$42,382
Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA19.43%$33,092$37,506$43,023
Hartford-East Hartford, CT-MA32.08%$36,597$41,478$47,580
Houston-The Woodlands, TX35%$37,406$42,395$48,632
Huntsville-Decatur, AL-TN21.91%$33,779$38,285$43,917
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN18.15%$32,737$37,104$42,562
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS18.97%$32,964$37,361$42,858
Laredo, TX21.59%$33,690$38,184$43,802
Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ19.57%$33,130$37,550$43,074
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA36.47%$37,813$42,857$49,162
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL24.67%$34,544$39,151$44,911
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI22.42%$33,920$38,445$44,101
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI27.62%$35,361$40,078$45,974
New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA37.95%$38,223$43,322$49,695
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA18.23%$32,759$37,129$42,591
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL17.93%$32,676$37,035$42,483
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD28.99%$35,741$40,508$46,467
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ22.45%$33,928$38,454$44,111
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV21.03%$33,535$38,008$43,600
Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA26.13%$34,948$39,610$45,437
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC22.24%$33,870$38,388$44,036
Reno-Fernley, NV17.52%$32,562$36,906$42,335
Richmond, VA22.28%$33,881$38,401$44,050
Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY17.88%$32,662$37,019$42,465
Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV29.76%$35,954$40,750$46,745
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX18.78%$32,912$37,302$42,789
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA33.72%$37,051$41,993$48,171
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA46.34%$40,548$45,957$52,718
Seattle-Tacoma, WA31.57%$36,455$41,318$47,397
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID17.67%$32,604$36,953$42,389
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL20.03%$33,258$37,694$43,240
State of Alaska32.36%$36,674$41,566$47,681
State of Hawaii22.21%$33,862$38,379$44,025
Tucson-Nogales, AZ19.28%$33,050$37,459$42,969
Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC18.8%$32,917$37,308$42,797
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA33.94%$37,112$42,063$48,251
Rest of U.S.17.06%$32,435$36,762$42,170

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, General Schedule (GS) pay tables, 2026 — base and locality pay tables (annual rates) and locality pay area definitions. Data captured October 2, 2026.

Federal jobs at grade 3

Federal employees at grade 3 on the GS or GL (law enforcement) pay plan in each job's occupational series.

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Workforce Data — Employment, July 2026 (federal civilian employees by agency, occupational series, pay plan, grade, duty state and pay). Data captured October 2, 2026.

Other GS grades

Base pay at step 1. GS pay scale 2026: all grades and locality areas