18.5% Increase at Bottom—25.86% at Top Tier of Locality Pay
While many probably assume the “Rest of the US” is not in the locality pay system, that is not the case. From 2018 – 2024, a GS12, Step 5 federal employee in this category of the federal government’s locality pay system has had an 18.5% pay increase totaling $15,396. Pay tables for 2024 incorporated the 4.7% General Schedule Increase and a Locality Payment of 16.82%.
The Rest of the US is at the bottom of the heap regarding pay increases for federal employees. The San Francisco pay area is at the top of the list for the largest dollar increase in pay (the actual name is the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland locality pay area). These federal employees had an increase of $22,282 over seven years for a GS12, Step 5.
In addition to a higher percentage increase, the pay rate also started at a higher level. In the San Francisco area, the pay for this GS grade and step was $100,393 compared to the $83,159 for the Rest of the US.”
The largest percentage increase goes to the Miami, Florida area, with an increase of 25.86%, although the total dollar increase was less ($21,568) than the San Francisco pay area.
About 14% of the federal employees in the General Schedule are in the Washington, DC area. Almost 96% are in the FERS system, and there were 2,258,821 federal employees in this workforce profile, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
43 of the locality pay areas at this GS level had a $100,000 or higher salary in 2024.
All Locality Pay Areas
Here is a complete list showing yearly pay increases for a GS12/5 and the average of each year’s pay areas.
| Pay Area | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Increase | % |
| San Francisco | $100,393 | $102,582 | $106,067 | $107,128 | $110,491 | $116,155 | $122,675 | $22,282 | 22.20% |
| New York, NY | $95,239 | $97,254 | $100,473 | $101,478 | $104,546 | $109,716 | $115,783 | $20,544 | 21.60% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $94,115 | $96,091 | $99,296 | $100,289 | $103,423 | $108,693 | $114,601 | $20,486 | 21.77% |
| Houston, TX | $94,958 | $96,873 | $99,978 | $100,978 | $103,694 | $108,355 | $113,657 | $18,699 | 19.69% |
| Washington, DC | $92,421 | $94,520 | $97,848 | $98,827 | $101,183 | $106,759 | $112,425 | $20,004 | 21.60% |
| San Diego, CA | $92,176 | $94,140 | $97,316 | $98,289 | $101,303 | $106,372 | $112,248 | $20,072 | 21.78% |
| Boston, MA | $91,888 | $93,753 | $96,821 | $97,789 | $100,699 | $105,599 | $111,336 | $19,448 | 21.16% |
| Alaska | $92,277 | $94,206 | $97,241 | $98,213 | $100,954 | $105,816 | $111,328 | $19,051 | 20.6% |
| Hartford, CT | $92,414 | $94,191 | $97,106 | $98,077 | $100,784 | $105,486 | $111,041 | $18,627 | 20.16% |
| Seattle, WA | $90,179 | $92,123 | $95,254 | $96,206 | $99,298 | $104,406 | $110,358 | $20,179 | 22.40% |
| Chicago, IL | $91,880 | $93,592 | $96,431 | $97,395 | $99,994 | $104,583 | $110,020 | $18,140 | 19.74% |
| Denver, CO | $90,439 | $92,313 | $95,336 | $96,290 | $99,158 | $103,987 | $109,573 | $19,134 | 21.16% |
| Sacramento, CA | $89,999 | $91,794 | $94,766 | $95,714 | $98,539 | $103,383 | $108,966 | $18,967 | 21.07% |
| Detroit, MI | $91,001 | $92,685 | $95,479 | $96,433 | $98,873 | $103,439 | $108,679 | $17,678 | 19.43% |
| Philadelphia, PA | $89,804 | $91,582 | $94,519 | $95,464 | $98,268 | $103,012 | $108,451 | $18,647 | 20.76% |
| Minneapolis, MN | $88,925 | $90,632 | $93,484 | $94,419 | $97,138 | $101,844 | $107,270 | $18,345 | 20.63% |
| Dallas, TX | $88,947 | $90,785 | $93,724 | $94,661 | $97,285 | $101,828 | $107,068 | $18,121 | 20.37% |
| Portland, OR | $88,320 | $89,996 | $92,794 | $93,722 | $96,248 | $100,708 | $106,013 | $17,693 | 20.03% |
| Miami, FL | $83,399 | $89,998 | $92,621 | $93,548 | $95,830 | $100,031 | $104,967 | $21,568 | 25.86% |
| Atlanta, GA | $87,332 | $88,907 | $91,609 | $92,525 | $94,924 | $99,128 | $104,149 | $16,817 | 19.26% |
| Milwaukee, WI | $86,597 | $88,132 | $90,709 | $91,616 | $93,910 | $98,097 | $103,052 | $16,455 | 19.00% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $85,840 | $87,416 | $90,079 | $90,980 | $93,539 | $97,855 | $102,942 | $17,102 | 19.92% |
| Cleveland, OH | $86,554 | $88,037 | $90,604 | $91,510 | $93,856 | $98,057 | $102,934 | $16,380 | 18.92% |
| Buffalo, NY | $85,905 | $87,467 | $90,139 | $91,041 | $93,492 | $97,783 | $102,917 | $17,012 | 19.80% |
| Richmond, VA | $85,624 | $87,255 | $89,952 | $90,851 | $93,384 | $97,807 | $102,849 | $17,225 | 20.12% |
| Raleigh, NC | $86,150 | $87,701 | $90,357 | $91,260 | $93,616 | $97,799 | $102,841 | $16,691 | 19.37% |
| Columbus, OH | $85,754 | $87,321 | $90,004 | $90,904 | $93,423 | $97,718 | $102,757 | $17,003 | 19.83% |
| Hawaii | $85,364 | $86,962 | $89,659 | $90,556 | $93,198 | $97,638 | $102,748 | $17,384 | 20.36% |
| Cincinnati, OH | $86,402 | $87,861 | $90,402 | $91,306 | $93,616 | $97,783 | $102,664 | $17,384 | 20.12% |
| Huntsville, AL | $85,408 | $87,109 | $89,877 | $90,776 | $93,237 | $97,468 | $102,487 | $17,079 | 20.00% |
| Laredo, TX | $84,622 | $86,407 | $89,149 | $90,041 | $92,772 | $97,211 | $102,360 | $17,738 | 20.96% |
| Dayton, OH | $85,134 | $86,692 | $89,374 | $90,268 | $92,834 | $97,170 | $102,200 | $17,066 | 20.05% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $85,307 | $86,875 | $89,539 | $90,435 | $92,811 | $96,993 | $101,896.00 | $16,589 | 19.45% |
| Albany, NY | $83,973 | $85,654 | $88,399 | $89,283 | $91,867 | $96,252 | $101,449 | $17,476 | 20.8% |
| Austin, TX | $84,125 | $85,852 | $88,617 | $89,503 | $91,960 | $96,211 | $101,230 | $17,105 | 20.33% |
| Colorado Springs | $84,038 | $85,654 | $88,324 | $89,208 | $91,665 | $95,978 | $101,010 | $16,972 | 20.20% |
| St. Louis, MO | $83,952 | $85,552 | $88,227 | $89,109 | $91,611 | $95,970 | $100,926 | $16,974 | 20.22% |
| Charlotte, NC | $83,764 | $85,362 | $88,069 | $88,950 | $91,387 | $95,591 | $100,614 | $16,850 | 20.12% |
| Las Vegas, NV | $83,966 | $85,545 | $88,249 | $89,132 | $91,534 | $95,696 | $100,588 | $16,622 | 19.80% |
| Harrisburg, PA | $83,721 | $85,259 | $87,889 | $88,768 | $91,263 | $95,559 | $100,479 | $16,758 | 20.02% |
| Burlington, VT | $83,159 | $84,916 | $87,657 | $88,534 | $91,046 | $95,333 | $100,369 | $16,780 | 20.7% |
| Tucson, AZ | $83,735 | $85,281 | $87,882 | $88,761 | $91,162 | $95,406 | $100,327 | $16,592 | 19.65% |
| Davenport, IA | $83,670 | $85,143 | $87,769 | $88,647 | $91,015 | $95,252 | $100,108 | $16,438 | 19.65% |
| Kansas City | $83,685 | $85,223 | $87,837 | $88,715 | $91,085 | $95,228 | $100,099 | $16,414 | 19.61% |
| San Antonio, TX | $83,159 | $84,836 | $87,567 | $88,443 | $90,868 | $95,083 | $99,964 | $16,805 | 20.21% |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $83,159 | $84,179 | $87,372 | $88,246 | $90,706 | $95,035 | $99,939 | $16,780 | 20.20% |
| Albuquerque, NM | $83,440 | $84,931 | $87,499 | $88,375 | $90,675 | $94,785 | $99,593 | $16,153 | 19.36% |
| Omaha, NE | $83,159 | $84,689 | $87,237 | $88,110 | $90,512 | $94,696 | $99,500 | $16,341 | 19.65% |
| Birmingham, AL | $83,159 | $84,616 | $87,185 | $88,056 | $90,419 | $94,608 | $99,475 | $16,316 | 19.6% |
| Indianapolis, IN | $83,779 | $85,201 | $87,679 | $88,556 | $90,767 | $94,737 | $99,458 | $15,679 | 18.71% |
| Des Moines, IA | $83,159 | $84,543 | $86,952 | $87,822 | $90,195 | $94,282 | $99,281 | $16,122 | 19.39% |
| Palm Bay, FL | $83,562 | $85,026 | $87,537 | $88,412 | $90,574 | $94,519 | $99,213 | $15,651 | 18.73% |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $83,159 | $84,792 | $87,410 | $88,284 | $90,427 | $94,358 | $99,045 | $15,886 | 19.10% |
| Rochester, NY | $83159 | $84,543 | $86,952 | $87,822 | $89,947 | $93,875 | $99,002 | $15,843 | 19.05% |
| Spokane, WA | $83,159 | $84,543 | $86,952 | $87,822 | $89,947 | $93,875 | $98,859 | $15,700 | 18.88% |
| Fresno, CA | $83,159 | $84,543 | $86,952 | $87,822 | $89,947 | $93,875 | $98,834 | $15,675 | 18.85% |
| Reno, NV | $83,159 | $84,543 | $86,952 | $87,822 | $89,947 | $98,555 | $98,800 | $15,641 | 18.81% |
| Rest of US (RUS) | $83,159 | $84,543 | $86,952 | $87,822 | $89,947 | $93,875 | $98,555 | $15,396 | 18.51% |
| Average | $86,691 | $88,418 | $91,175 | $92,086 | $94,600 | $99,092 | $104,172 | $17,493 | 20.16% |
Largest Locality Pay Area with Highest Grade Levels
The Washington, DC locality area covers a wide geographic area. The distance from north to south extends from York, Pennsylvania to Caroline, Virginia. From east to west, it extends from Dorchester, Maryland to Mineral, West Virginia. The official name of this pay area is Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA.
As of September 2023, this pay area has the largest number of federal employees out of the 58 areas. The average grade for the federal workforce is 10.55. For the Washington pay area, the average GS grade is 12.74. According to OPM, as of August 30, 2023, 390,738 employees were in this locality pay area. The 2024 data are not yet available.
The area with the second largest number of employees was New York with 76,987, also as of August 30, 2023.
Here is the approximate breakdown of the grades just in the District of Columbia:
| Grade | Number of Employees |
| 15 | 23,104 |
| 14 | 31,853 |
| 13 | 32,267 |
| 12 | 14,360 |
| 11 | 7,483 |
| 10 | 668 |
| 9 | 4,841 |
| 8 | 877 |
| 7 | 1,126 |
| 6 | 992 |
| 5 | 1,069 |
| 4 | 541 |
| 3 | 486 |
| 2 | 22 |
| N/A | 38,761 |
| Total | 158,450 |
2025 Locality Pay Changes and Approximate Average Salary for 2024 of About $106,880
The federal government’s system for awarding locality pay to employees has been expanding.
In 2023, most federal employees (1,546,343 or 68.7%) were in a locality pay area. These figures do not include the approximately 33,000 federal employees added to the system for 2024.
The locality pay system will eventually include the vast majority of federal employees as more are being added yearly, with the changes being recommended by the Federal Salary Council, approved by the President’s Pay Agent, and implemented by the Office of Personnel Management.
About 15,000 more will likely be added to the system in 2025. The table below is a listing of these new areas recommended for inclusion by a working group for the Federal Salary Council. This does not include any new locality pay areas; it would add to existing pay areas by expanding the application of locality pay to new cities, towns, and counties.
These areas are just recommendations from a working group. To be finalized, the Federal Salary Council will have to approve the recommendations and the President’s Pay Agent would then have to go along with the Federal Salary Council.
After the Pay Agent makes a decision, OPM will issue a proposal for changes. After considering comments, a final regulation would have to be issued. Obviously, there are possibilities for changes to be made to these early recommendations.
As national elections are held in November, the results could also impact the recommendations and certainly could impact future decisions by the President’s Pay Agent. The electoral impact is more likely to be felt for 2026 locality pay as a new president would not take office until January 2025 and new appointees would be made by the president after that date.
The average federal salary for 2023 (adjusted to include locality pay) was $101,600. The average salary for 2024 has not been released and may not be included in OPM data for another several months.
Since the average pay raise for 2024 was 5.2%, the approximate average 2024 federal salary is about $106,883. With the addition of the new pay areas and adding a significant number of other employees to existing pay areas for 2024, this average salary is an approximation.
Recommendations for 2025 Locality Pay Area Changes
| 2025 LPA | 2024 LPA | Place Name | Component Type | GS Employees |
| Albuquerque, NM | Rest of US | Socorro County, NM | Single County AA | 95 |
| Atlanta, GA | Rest of US | Macon County, AL | Metro AA | 593 |
| Atlanta, GA | Birmingham | Tallapoosa County, AL | Metro AA | 28 |
| Austin, TX | Rest of US | Bell County, TX | Metro AA | 6,499 |
| Austin, TX | Rest of US | Coryell County, TX | Metro AA | 76 |
| Austin, TX | Rest of US | Fayette County, TX | Single County AA (Adj to multi and sums to 20 PCT+) | 18 |
| Austin, TX | Rest of US | Lampasas County, TX | Metro AA | 24 |
| Boston, MA | Rest of US | Windham County, VT | Metro AA | 28 |
| Charlotte, NC | Rest of US | McDowell County, NC | Basic LPA | 40 |
| Charlotte, NC | Rest of US | Rutherford County, NC | Single County AA | 31 |
| Cleveland, OH | Columbus, | Coshocton County, OH | Basic LPA | 13 |
| Cleveland, OH | Rest of US | Hancock County, OH | Metro AA | 42 |
| Cleveland, OH | Rest of US | Ottawa County, OH | Basic LPA | 136 |
| Cleveland, OH | Rest of US | Sandusky County, OH | Basic LPA | 12 |
| Cleveland, OH | Rest of US | Seneca County, OH | Metro AA | 9 |
| Columbus, OH | Rest of US | Athens County, OH | Basic LPA | 115 |
| Columbus, OH | Rest of US | Jackson County, OH | Single County AA | 8 |
| Columbus, OH | Rest of US | Meigs County, OH | Single County AA | 5 |
| Columbus, OH | Rest of US | Wyandot County, OH | Surrounded | 1 |
| Dallas, TX | Rest of US | Lamar County, TX | Metro AA | 36 |
| Dallas, TX | Rest of US | Marshall County, OK | Single County AA | 4 |
| Dallas, TX | Rest of US | Red River County, TX | Metro AA | 8 |
| Denver, CO | Rest of US | Lake County, CO | Metro AA | 24 |
| Denver, CO | Rest of US | Summit County, CO | Metro AA | 45 |
| Detroit, MI | Rest of US | Bay County, MI | Metro AA | 60 |
| Detroit, MI | Rest of US | Fulton County, OH | Metro AA | 8 |
| Detroit, MI | Rest of US | Lucas County, OH | Metro AA | 523 |
| Detroit, MI | Rest of US | Midland County, MI | Metro AA | 16 |
| Detroit, MI | Rest of US | Saginaw County, MI | Metro AA | 953 |
| Detroit, MI | Rest of US | Wood County, OH | Metro AA | 46 |
| Houston, TX | Rest of US | Polk County, TX | Single County AA | 10 |
| Huntsville, AL | Rest of US | Franklin County, AL | Metro AA | 32 |
| Huntsville, AL | Rest of US | Giles County, TN | Single County AA | 7 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Rest of US | Cass County, IN | Single County AA | 31 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Rest of US | Howard County, IN | Basic LPA | 31 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Rest of US | Miami County, IN | Basic LPA | 331 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Rest of US | Parke County, IN | Single County AA | 11 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Rest of US | White County, IN | Metro AA | 5 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | Rest of US | St. Clair County, MO | Single County AA | 3 |
| Las Vegas, NV | Rest of US | Esmeralda County, NV | Single County AA | 0 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Rest of US | La Paz County, AZ | Single County AA (Adj to multi | 200 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Rest of US | Pepin County, WI | Single County AA | 3 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Rest of US | Todd County, MN | Single County AA | 22 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Rest of US | Winona County, MN | Metro AA | 31 |
| Phoenix, AZ | Rets of US | Yuma County, AZ | Surrounded | 2,629 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Rest of US | Monongalia County, WV | Metro AA | 816 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Rest of US | Preston County, WV | Metro AA | 691 |
| Raleigh, NC | Rest of US | Richmond County, NC | Metro AA | 36 |
| Raleigh, NC | Rest of US | Sampson County, NC | Single County AA | 33 |
| Reno, NV | Rest of US | Mineral County, NV | Single County AA | 44 |
| Reno, NV | Rest of US | Pershing County, NV | Single County AA | 5 |
| San Jose-San Francisco, CA | Rest of US | Tuolumne County, CA | Single County AA | 233 |
| Washington, DC | Rest of US | Page County, VA | Single County AA | 97 |
| Average/Total | 14,797 |
