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General Schedule (GS) Payscale in Washington for 2012

Click any county to view locality pay tables

The General Schedule (GS) payscale is the federal government payscale used to determine the salaries of over 70% of federal civilian employees.

Under the GS payscale, an employee's base pay depends on two factors - the GS Paygrade of their job, and the Paygrade Step they have achieved (depending on seniority or performance). This base pay is then modified based on a "Locality Pay Adjustment", which adjusts the GS payscale based on cost-of-living in different areas within the United States.

Washington has one or more Locality Pay Adjustment areas with special locality pay adjustment rates. This page lists the locality-adjusted yearly GS pay scales for each area, with starting pay for a GS-1 broken down by county in the interactive map. For a detailed calculation of your pay as a GS employee in Washington, see our General Schedule Pay Calculator.

SEATTLE-TACOMA, WA

The SEATTLE-TACOMA, WA General Schedule locality region applies to government employees who work in Seattle and surrounding areas. General Schedule employees who work within this region are paid 21.81% more than the GS base pay rates to account for local cost of living.

GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$21,686$22,411$23,132$23,849$24,570$24,994$25,707$26,425$26,453$27,126
GS-2$24,383$24,963$25,769$26,453$26,751$27,538$28,324$29,111$29,898$30,685
GS-3$26,603$27,490$28,377$29,264$30,150$31,037$31,924$32,811$33,698$34,584
GS-4$29,865$30,861$31,856$32,851$33,846$34,841$35,837$36,832$37,827$38,822
GS-5$33,414$34,527$35,640$36,754$37,867$38,980$40,094$41,207$42,320$43,434
GS-6$37,246$38,487$39,728$40,970$42,211$43,452$44,693$45,935$47,176$48,417
GS-7$41,390$42,770$44,150$45,530$46,910$48,290$49,670$51,051$52,431$53,811
GS-8$45,838$47,366$48,893$50,421$51,948$53,476$55,003$56,531$58,058$59,586
GS-9$50,628$52,315$54,002$55,689$57,376$59,063$60,750$62,437$64,124$65,812
GS-10$55,754$57,612$59,471$61,330$63,189$65,048$66,907$68,765$70,624$72,483
GS-11$61,255$63,296$65,338$67,379$69,421$71,462$73,504$75,545$77,587$79,628
GS-12$73,420$75,867$78,314$80,761$83,208$85,656$88,103$90,550$92,997$95,444
GS-13$87,306$90,216$93,126$96,036$98,946$101,856$104,766$107,676$110,586$113,496
GS-14$103,169$106,608$110,047$113,486$116,924$120,363$123,802$127,240$130,679$134,118
GS-15$121,357$125,402$129,447$133,493$137,538$141,583$145,629$149,674$153,719$155,500*

The Seattle locality pay rate also applies to Bellevue, Bremerton, Everett, Kent, Oak Harbor, Seattle, Tacoma, and other cities within the region.

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PORTLAND-VANCOUVER-SALEM, OR-WA

The PORTLAND-VANCOUVER-SALEM, OR-WA General Schedule locality region applies to government employees who work in Portland and surrounding areas. General Schedule employees who work within this region are paid 20.35% more than the GS base pay rates to account for local cost of living.

GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$21,426$22,142$22,854$23,563$24,276$24,695$25,399$26,109$26,136$26,801
GS-2$24,090$24,663$25,460$26,136$26,430$27,208$27,985$28,762$29,540$30,317
GS-3$26,284$27,161$28,037$28,913$29,789$30,665$31,541$32,417$33,294$34,170
GS-4$29,507$30,491$31,474$32,457$33,440$34,424$35,407$36,390$37,373$38,357
GS-5$33,013$34,113$35,213$36,313$37,413$38,513$39,613$40,713$41,813$42,913
GS-6$36,799$38,026$39,252$40,479$41,705$42,931$44,158$45,384$46,610$47,837
GS-7$40,894$42,257$43,621$44,984$46,348$47,712$49,075$50,439$51,802$53,166
GS-8$45,289$46,798$48,307$49,816$51,326$52,835$54,344$55,853$57,362$58,872
GS-9$50,021$51,688$53,355$55,022$56,688$58,355$60,022$61,689$63,356$65,023
GS-10$55,085$56,922$58,758$60,595$62,432$64,268$66,105$67,941$69,778$71,614
GS-11$60,520$62,537$64,555$66,572$68,589$70,606$72,623$74,640$76,657$78,674
GS-12$72,540$74,958$77,375$79,793$82,211$84,629$87,047$89,465$91,882$94,300
GS-13$86,260$89,135$92,010$94,885$97,760$100,635$103,511$106,386$109,261$112,136
GS-14$101,933$105,330$108,728$112,125$115,523$118,920$122,318$125,715$129,113$132,510
GS-15$119,902$123,899$127,896$131,893$135,890$139,886$143,883$147,880$151,877$155,500*

The Portland locality pay rate also applies to Vancouver, and other cities within the region.

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Rest of Washington

Any federal employees in Washington who do not live in an area for which a specific Locality Pay Adjustment has been set will receive the generic "Rest of the United States" locality pay adjustment of 14.16% (shown in the table below).

GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$20,324$21,003$21,679$22,351$23,027$23,424$24,092$24,766$24,792$25,422
GS-2$22,851$23,395$24,151$24,792$25,071$25,808$26,546$27,283$28,021$28,758
GS-3$24,933$25,764$26,595$27,426$28,257$29,088$29,919$30,750$31,581$32,412
GS-4$27,990$28,922$29,855$30,788$31,720$32,653$33,586$34,519$35,451$36,384
GS-5$31,315$32,359$33,402$34,445$35,489$36,532$37,576$38,619$39,663$40,706
GS-6$34,907$36,070$37,233$38,397$39,560$40,723$41,886$43,050$44,213$45,376
GS-7$38,790$40,084$41,377$42,671$43,964$45,258$46,551$47,844$49,138$50,431
GS-8$42,960$44,391$45,823$47,254$48,686$50,117$51,549$52,981$54,412$55,844
GS-9$47,448$49,029$50,611$52,192$53,773$55,354$56,935$58,516$60,097$61,678
GS-10$52,252$53,994$55,736$57,478$59,221$60,963$62,705$64,447$66,189$67,931
GS-11$57,408$59,321$61,234$63,148$65,061$66,974$68,888$70,801$72,714$74,628
GS-12$68,809$71,102$73,396$75,689$77,983$80,276$82,570$84,863$87,157$89,450
GS-13$81,823$84,550$87,278$90,005$92,732$95,459$98,187$100,914$103,641$106,369
GS-14$96,690$99,913$103,136$106,358$109,581$112,804$116,027$119,249$122,472$125,695
GS-15$113,735$117,527$121,318$125,109$128,900$132,692$136,483$140,274$144,065$147,857

The Rest of U.S. locality pay rate also applies to Yakima, and other cities within the region.

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* For some high-paygrade workers pay under the GS scale may be capped at $155,500, which is the SES (Senior Executive Scale)'s Level 4 pay for the current year (5 U.S.C. 5304 (g)(1)).


** This Document Provided By www.FederalPay.org - The Civil Employee's Resource **
Source: www.federalpay.org/gs/2012/washington