The 2024 GS pay scale incorporates a 2024 federal pay raise with an overall average increase of 5.2%. This consists of a General Schedule (GS) base pay increase of 4.7% and a 2024 GS locality pay increase of 0.5%.
The 2024 pay raise for federal employees is the amount originally proposed by the White House in March and also outlined in President Biden’s alternative pay plan letter issued in August.
2024 Federal Pay Raise is the Biggest Since the Carter Administration
For 2023, the average pay raise was 4.6%. The 2023 pay raise was the largest pay raise in 20 years for the federal workforce. During the Bush administration, federal employees received an identical pay raise percentage of 4.6% back in 2002. On the other hand, and better news for those federal employees in 2002, the inflation rate was 1.6%. (See Federal Employee Pay Raises and Inflation).
So, primarily because of inflation, the 2024 federal pay raise exceeds the 4.8% pay raise for federal employees approved in 1981 during the Carter administration.
2024 GS Pay Scale Table
The 2024 GS base pay table annual salaries incorporate a 4.7% base pay increase.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 | WGI |
| 1 | 21986 | 22724 | 23454 | 24183 | 24912 | 25339 | 26063 | 26792 | 26821 | 27502 | VARIES |
| 2 | 24722 | 25310 | 26129 | 26821 | 27124 | 27922 | 28720 | 29518 | 30316 | 31114 | VARIES |
| 3 | 26975 | 27874 | 28773 | 29672 | 30571 | 31470 | 32369 | 33268 | 34167 | 35066 | 899 |
| 4 | 30280 | 31289 | 32298 | 33307 | 34316 | 35325 | 36334 | 37343 | 38352 | 39361 | 1009 |
| 5 | 33878 | 35007 | 36136 | 37265 | 38394 | 39523 | 40652 | 41781 | 42910 | 44039 | 1129 |
| 6 | 37765 | 39024 | 40283 | 41542 | 42801 | 44060 | 45319 | 46578 | 47837 | 49096 | 1259 |
| 7 | 41966 | 43365 | 44764 | 46163 | 47562 | 48961 | 50360 | 51759 | 53158 | 54557 | 1399 |
| 8 | 46475 | 48024 | 49573 | 51122 | 52671 | 54220 | 55769 | 57318 | 58867 | 60416 | 1549 |
| 9 | 51332 | 53043 | 54754 | 56465 | 58176 | 59887 | 61598 | 63309 | 65020 | 66731 | 1711 |
| 10 | 56528 | 58412 | 60296 | 62180 | 64064 | 65948 | 67832 | 69716 | 71600 | 73484 | 1884 |
| 11 | 62107 | 64177 | 66247 | 68317 | 70387 | 72457 | 74527 | 76597 | 78667 | 80737 | 2070 |
| 12 | 74441 | 76922 | 79403 | 81884 | 84365 | 86846 | 89327 | 91808 | 94289 | 96770 | 2481 |
| 13 | 88520 | 91471 | 94422 | 97373 | 100324 | 103275 | 106226 | 109177 | 112128 | 115079 | 2951 |
| 14 | 104604 | 108091 | 111578 | 115065 | 118552 | 122039 | 125526 | 129013 | 132500 | 135987 | 3487 |
| 15 | 123041 | 127142 | 131243 | 135344 | 139445 | 143546 | 147647 | 151748 | 155849 | 159950 | 4101 |
2024 GS Locality Pay Tables
In addition to the 4.7% base pay increase, the 2024 federal pay raise includes an additional 0.5% for locality pay. The document below is a listing of the complete set of 2024 GS locality pay tables for federal employees under the General Schedule.
Total 2024 Federal Pay Raise for Each GS Locality Pay Area
| Locality Pay Area | Percentage Increase |
|---|---|
| Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA | 5.4% |
| Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | 5.07% |
| Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs, GA-AL | 5.07% |
| Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 5.22% |
| Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | 5.15% |
| Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | 5.44% |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | 5.25% |
| Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | 5.28% |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC | 5.26% |
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | 5.2% |
| Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | 4.99% |
| Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | 4.98% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 5.24% |
| Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | 5.16% |
| Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | 4.97% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | 5.15% |
| Davenport-Moline, IA-IL | 5.10% |
| Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | 5.18% |
| Denver-Aurora, CO | 5.37% |
| Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | 5.19% |
| Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | 5.07% |
| Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | 5.28% |
| Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | 5.15% |
| Hartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | 5.27% |
| Houston-The Woodlands, TX | 4.89% |
| Huntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | 5.15% |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | 4.98% |
| Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | 5.12% |
| Laredo, TX | 5.3% |
| Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | 5.11% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | 5.44% |
| Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | 4.94% |
| Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | 5.05% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | 5.33% |
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | 5.53% |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | 5.07% |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 4.97% |
| Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 5.28% |
| Phoenix-Mesa, AZ | 5.2% |
| Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | 5.06% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | 5.27% |
| Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | 5.16% |
| Reno-Fernley, NV | 5.25% |
| Richmond, VA | 5.16% |
| Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | 5.46% |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | 5.4% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | 5.13% |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 5.52% |
| San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | 5.62% |
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA | 5.7% |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d’Alene, WA-ID | 5.3% |
| St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | 5.17% |
| Tucson-Nogales, AZ | 5.16% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | 5.16% |
| Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA | 5.31% |
| Rest of U.S. | 4.99% |
| Alaska | 5.21% |
| Hawaii | 5.24% |
How to Calculate 2024 Annual Salary
How do federal employees under the General Schedule calculate their annual salaries to see the effect of the 2024 federal pay raise? Here is a basic example.
For a federal employee who is a GS-7, Step 8, who is in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL locality pay area, the calculation looks like this:
2023 GS base pay rate: $49,434
2023 locality rate: $61,367 ($49,434 x 1.2414)
2024 GS base pay rate: $51,759 (incorporating the 4.7% across-the-board pay increase)
2024 locality rate: $64,399 ($51,759 x 1.2442)
The 2024 GS base pay rate for the federal employee in this example is $51,759, but this is without locality pay. Remember that the 2024 federal pay raise includes an across-the-board base pay raise of 4.7% with an additional 0.5% for locality pay.
The 2024 locality pay rate for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL pay area is 24.42%, so the employee’s total annual salary comes to $64,399 when the $51,759 base pay rate is increased by that percentage. The employee’s total pay increase in this example over the 2023 pay rate is 4.94% which lines up with the total pay increase listed in the table above for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL pay area.
To compute the hourly rate, simply divide the total annual salary by 2,087 and round the result to the nearest cent. In this example, it is $30.86 ($64,399 / 2,087).
New GS Locality Pay Areas for 2024
In a new Federal Register notice issued on June 28, 2023, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed four new locality pay areas. A final regulation was posted in the Federal Register on November 16, 2023. The four that have been approved and will be included in locality pay in 2024 are:
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, California;
- Reno-Fernley, Nevada;
- Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, New York; and
- Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d’Alene, Washington-Idaho.
2024 GS Locality Pay Areas
Here is a list of the 2024 locality pay areas including the combined statistical areas (CSA) that have been incorporated that will receive the new locality pay rates starting in January 2024.
(1) Alaska—consisting of the State of Alaska;
(2) Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA—consisting of the Albany-Schenectady, NY CSA and also including Berkshire County, MA, Greene County, NY, and Hamilton County, NY;
(3) Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM—consisting of the Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM CSA and also including Cibola County, NM, and McKinley County, NM;
(4) Atlanta—Athens-Clarke County—Sandy Springs, GA-AL—consisting of the Atlanta—Athens-Clarke County—Sandy Springs, GA-AL CSA and also including Cherokee County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Lee County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Banks County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Elbert County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Gilmer County, GA, Gordon County, GA, Greene County, GA, Harris County, GA, Lumpkin County, GA, Marion County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Putnam County, GA, Rabun County, GA, Stewart County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Taliaferro County, GA, and White County, GA;
(5) Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX—consisting of the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX MSA and also including Blanco County, TX, Burnet County, TX, Lee County, TX, and Milam County, TX;
(6) Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL—consisting of the Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL CSA and also including Calhoun County, AL, Clay County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, and Winston County, AL;
(7) Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT—consisting of the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT CSA and also including Androscoggin County, ME, Cumberland County, ME, Sagadahoc County, ME, York County, ME, Dukes County, MA, Nantucket County, MA, Carroll County, NH, Cheshire County, NH, Grafton County, NH, Sullivan County, NH, Orange County, VT, and Windsor County, VT;
(8) Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY—consisting of the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY CSA and also including Allegany County, NY, and Wyoming County, NY;
(9) Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT—consisting of the Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT CSA and also including Addison County, VT, and Lamoille County, VT;
(10) Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC—consisting of the Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA and also including Alexander County, NC, Burke County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, and Chesterfield County, SC;
(11) Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI—consisting of the Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI CSA and also including Boone County, IL, Iroquois County, IL, Ogle County, IL, Stephenson County, IL, Winnebago County, IL, and Starke County, IN;
(12) Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN—consisting of the Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN CSA and also including Ripley County, IN, Switzerland County, IN, Carroll County, KY, Fleming County, KY, Lewis County, KY, Owen County, KY, Robertson County, KY, Adams County, OH, and Highland County, OH;
(13) Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA—consisting of the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH CSA and also including Ashland County, OH, Columbiana County, OH, Crawford County, OH, Harrison County, OH, Holmes County, OH, Mahoning County, OH, Richland County, OH, Trumbull County, OH, and Mercer County, PA;
(14) Colorado Springs, CO—consisting of the Colorado Springs, CO MSA and also including Fremont County, CO, and Pueblo County, CO;
(15) Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH—consisting of the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH CSA and also including Coshocton County, OH, Hardin County, OH, Morgan County, OH, Noble County, OH, Pike County, OH, and Vinton County, OH;
(16) Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX—consisting of the Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX CSA and also including Brooks County, TX, Live Oak County, TX, and Refugio County, TX;
(17) Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK—consisting of the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK CSA and also including Carter County, OK, Love County, OK, Delta County, TX, Hill County, TX, Hopkins County, TX, Jack County, TX, Montague County, TX, Rains County, TX, Somervell County, TX, and Van Zandt County, TX;
(18) Davenport-Moline, IA-IL—consisting of the Davenport-Moline, IA-IL CSA and also including Carroll County, IL, Lee County, IL, Whiteside County, IL, Cedar County, IA, Jackson County, IA, and Louisa County, IA;
(19) Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH—consisting of the Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH CSA and also including Allen County, OH, Auglaize County, OH, Mercer County, OH, Preble County, OH, and Van Wert County, OH;
(20) Denver-Aurora, CO—consisting of the Denver-Aurora, CO CSA and also including Larimer County, CO, and Lincoln County, CO;
(21) Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA—consisting of the Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA CSA and also including Adair County, IA, Clarke County, IA, Greene County, IA, Hamilton County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Monroe County, IA, and Poweshiek County, IA;
(22) Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI—consisting of the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI CSA and also including Clinton County, MI, Eaton County, MI, Huron County, MI, Ingham County, MI, Jackson County, MI, Sanilac County, MI, Shiawassee County, MI, and Tuscola County, MI;
(23) Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA—consisting of the Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA CSA and also including Mariposa County, CA, and Tulare County, CA;
(24) Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA—consisting of the Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA CSA, except for Adams County, PA, and York County, PA, and also including Juniata County, PA, and Lancaster County, PA;
(25) Hartford-East Hartford, CT-MA—consisting of the Hartford-East Hartford, CT CSA and also including Franklin County, MA, Hampden County, MA, and Hampshire County, MA;
(26) Hawaii—consisting of the State of Hawaii;
(27) Houston-The Woodlands, TX—consisting of the Houston-The Woodlands, TX CSA and also including Colorado County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Madison County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, and Trinity County, TX;
(28) Huntsville-Decatur, AL-TN—consisting of the Huntsville-Decatur, AL CSA and also including Colbert County, AL, DeKalb County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Marshall County, AL, and Lincoln County, TN;
(29) Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN—consisting of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN CSA and also including Benton County, IN, Blackford County, IN, Carroll County, IN, Clinton County, IN, Fayette County, IN, Fountain County, IN, Grant County, IN, Lawrence County, IN, Monroe County, IN, Owen County, IN, Randolph County, IN, Rush County, IN, Tippecanoe County, IN, Tipton County, IN, Warren County, IN, and Wayne County, IN;
(30) Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS—consisting of the Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS CSA and also including Anderson County, KS, Jackson County, KS, Jefferson County, KS, Osage County, KS, Shawnee County, KS, Wabaunsee County, KS, Carroll County, MO, Daviess County, MO, Gentry County, MO, Henry County, MO, and Holt County, MO;
(31) Laredo, TX—consisting of the Laredo, TX MSA and also including Jim Hogg County, TX, and La Salle County, TX;
(32) Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ—consisting of the Las Vegas-Henderson, NV CSA and also including Mohave County, AZ;
(33) Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA—consisting of the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA CSA and also including Imperial County, CA, Kern County, CA, San Luis Obispo County, CA, and Santa Barbara County, CA;
(34) Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL—consisting of the Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL CSA and also including Okeechobee County, FL;
(35) Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI—consisting of the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI CSA and also including Fond du Lac County, WI, and Sheboygan County, WI;
(36) Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI—consisting of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI CSA and also including Blue Earth County, MN, Brown County, MN, Dodge County, MN, Fillmore County, MN, Kanabec County, MN, Meeker County, MN, Morrison County, MN, Mower County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Pine County, MN, Sibley County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Waseca County, MN, and Polk County, WI;
(37) New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA—consisting of the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA and also including Warren County, NJ, Sullivan County, NY, Carbon County, PA, Lehigh County, PA, Northampton County, PA, Wayne County, PA, and all of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst;
(38) Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA—consisting of the Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA CSA and also including Fremont County, IA, Shelby County, IA, and Burt County, NE;
(39) Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL—consisting of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA;
(40) Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD—consisting of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA, except for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and also including Sussex County, DE, Somerset County, MD, Wicomico County, MD, Worcester County, MD, and Schuylkill County, PA;
(41) Phoenix-Mesa, AZ—consisting of the Phoenix-Mesa, AZ CSA;
(42) Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV—consisting of the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV CSA and also including Belmont County, OH, Cambria County, PA, Greene County, PA, Somerset County, PA, Marshall County, WV, and Ohio County, WV;
(43) Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA—consisting of the Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA CSA and also including Wahkiakum County, WA;
(44) Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC—consisting of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC CSA and also including Caswell County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Hoke County, NC, Lee County, NC, Moore County, NC, Nash County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Robeson County, NC, Scotland County, NC, Warren County, NC, Wayne County, NC, and Wilson County, NC;
(45) Reno-Fernley, NV—consisting of the Reno-Carson City-Fernley, NV CSA, except for Carson City, NV, and Douglas County, NV, and also including Churchill County, NV;
(46) Richmond, VA—consisting of the Richmond, VA MSA and also including Brunswick County, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Essex County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, and Emporia city, VA;
(47) Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY—consisting of the Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY CSA;
(48) Sacramento-Roseville, CA-—consisting of the Sacramento-Roseville, CA CSA and also including Alpine County, CA, Amador County, CA, Butte County, CA, Colusa County, CA, Sierra County, CA, Carson City, NV, and Douglas County, NV;
(49) San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX—consisting of the San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX CSA and also including Gillespie County, TX, Gonzales County, TX, Karnes County, TX, Kerr County, TX, and McMullen County, TX;
(50) San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA—consisting of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA;
(51) San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA—consisting of the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA and also including Calaveras County, CA, and Monterey County, CA;
(52) Seattle-Tacoma, WA—consisting of the Seattle-Tacoma, WA CSA and also including Clallam County, WA, Grays Harbor County, WA, Jefferson County, WA, Pacific County, WA, San Juan County, WA, and Whatcom County, WA;
(53) Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d’Alene, WA-ID—consisting of the Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d’Alene, WA-ID CSA and also including Benewah County, ID, Shoshone County, ID, Ferry County, WA, Lincoln County, WA, and Pend Oreille County, WA;
(54) St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL—consisting of the St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL CSA and also including Fayette County, IL, Greene County, IL, Montgomery County, IL, Randolph County, IL, Washington County, IL, Crawford County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Iron County, MO, Madison County, MO, Montgomery County, MO, Pike County, MO, Ste. Genevieve County, MO, and Washington County, MO;
(55) Tucson-Nogales, AZ—consisting of the Tucson-Nogales, AZ CSA and also including Cochise County, AZ;
(56) Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC—consisting of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC CSA and also including Chowan County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Tyrrell County, NC, Middlesex County, VA, and Surry County, VA;
(57) Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA—consisting of the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA CSA and also including Allegany County, MD, Caroline County, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Kent County, MD, Adams County, PA, Fulton County, PA, York County, PA, Caroline County, VA, King George County, VA, Orange County, VA, Shenandoah County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, Hardy County, WV, and Mineral County, WV; and
(58) Rest of U.S.—consisting of those portions of the United States and its territories and possessions as listed in 5 CFR 591.205 not located within another locality pay area.
Frequently Asked Questions About the GS Pay Scale
What is the GS Pay Scale?
The General Schedule (GS) pay system covers the majority of civilian white-collar federal employees employed in professional, technical, administrative, and clerical positions.
What Are Within-Grade Increases (WGI)?
Each General Schedule (GS) grade has 10 step rates (steps 1-10), and federal employees can move to higher steps throughout their careers. Within-grade increases (WGI) are based on an acceptable level of performance and longevity (waiting periods of 1 year at steps 1-3, 2 years at steps 4-6, and 3 years at steps 7-9).
How is GS Locality Pay Calculated?
Most federal employees under the General Schedule are entitled to GS locality pay which is a geographic-based percentage rate that reflects pay levels for non-Federal workers in certain geographic areas. These pay levels are determined by surveys conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS measures non-federal compensation in a labor market and compares it to federal pay for GS employees performing similar work in the same geographic area.
