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General Schedule (GS) Payscale in North Carolina for 2025

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.

North Carolina 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 North Carolina, see our General Schedule Pay Calculator.

RALEIGH-DURHAM-CARY, NC

The RALEIGH-DURHAM-CARY, NC General Schedule locality region applies to government employees who work in Raleigh and surrounding areas. General Schedule employees who work within this region are paid 22.24% 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$27,333$28,250$29,158$30,064$30,971$31,501$32,401$33,307$33,343$34,191
GS-2$30,734$31,465$32,483$33,343$33,717$34,709$35,700$36,692$37,683$38,674
GS-3$33,535$34,653$35,770$36,887$38,004$39,122$40,239$41,356$42,474$43,591
GS-4$37,644$38,899$40,155$41,410$42,665$43,921$45,176$46,432$47,687$48,942
GS-5$42,117$43,520$44,923$46,327$47,730$49,133$50,536$51,940$53,343$54,746
GS-6$46,949$48,513$50,078$51,643$53,207$54,772$56,337$57,901$59,466$61,031
GS-7$52,171$53,910$55,650$57,389$59,129$60,868$62,608$64,347$66,087$67,826
GS-8$57,777$59,703$61,630$63,556$65,483$67,409$69,336$71,262$73,189$75,115
GS-9$63,815$65,942$68,069$70,196$72,323$74,450$76,577$78,704$80,831$82,958
GS-10$70,275$72,617$74,959$77,301$79,643$81,985$84,327$86,669$89,012$91,354
GS-11$77,210$79,784$82,357$84,930$87,503$90,076$92,649$95,223$97,796$100,369
GS-12$92,543$95,628$98,714$101,799$104,884$107,970$111,055$114,140$117,226$120,311
GS-13$110,047$113,715$117,383$121,052$124,720$128,389$132,057$135,726$139,394$143,062
GS-14$130,041$134,376$138,711$143,045$147,380$151,715$156,049$160,384$164,718$169,053
GS-15$152,963$158,061$163,160$168,258$173,357$178,456$183,554$188,653$193,752$195,200*

The Raleigh locality pay rate also applies to Cary, Durham, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Raleigh, and other cities within the region.

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CHARLOTTE-CONCORD, NC-SC

The CHARLOTTE-CONCORD, NC-SC General Schedule locality region applies to government employees who work in Charlotte and surrounding areas. General Schedule employees who work within this region are paid 19.67% 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$26,758$27,656$28,545$29,432$30,320$30,839$31,720$32,606$32,642$33,472
GS-2$30,087$30,803$31,800$32,642$33,009$33,979$34,950$35,920$36,891$37,861
GS-3$32,830$33,924$35,018$36,112$37,205$38,299$39,393$40,487$41,581$42,674
GS-4$36,852$38,081$39,310$40,539$41,768$42,997$44,226$45,455$46,684$47,913
GS-5$41,231$42,605$43,979$45,353$46,726$48,100$49,474$50,848$52,222$53,595
GS-6$45,962$47,493$49,025$50,557$52,089$53,621$55,152$56,684$58,216$59,748
GS-7$51,074$52,777$54,480$56,183$57,886$59,588$61,291$62,994$64,697$66,400
GS-8$56,562$58,448$60,334$62,220$64,106$65,992$67,878$69,764$71,650$73,536
GS-9$62,474$64,556$66,638$68,720$70,803$72,885$74,967$77,050$79,132$81,214
GS-10$68,797$71,090$73,383$75,676$77,969$80,261$82,554$84,847$87,140$89,433
GS-11$75,587$78,106$80,625$83,144$85,663$88,182$90,701$93,221$95,740$98,259
GS-12$90,597$93,618$96,638$99,659$102,679$105,700$108,720$111,741$114,761$117,782
GS-13$107,733$111,324$114,916$118,507$122,098$125,689$129,281$132,872$136,463$140,055
GS-14$127,307$131,551$135,794$140,038$144,281$148,525$152,768$157,012$161,255$165,499
GS-15$149,747$154,738$159,730$164,721$169,712$174,704$179,695$184,687$189,678$194,670

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

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VIRGINIA BEACH-NORFOLK, VA-NC

The VIRGINIA BEACH-NORFOLK, VA-NC General Schedule locality region applies to government employees who work in Virginia Beach and surrounding areas. General Schedule employees who work within this region are paid 18.8% 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$26,564$27,455$28,337$29,218$30,099$30,615$31,489$32,369$32,405$33,228
GS-2$29,869$30,579$31,569$32,405$32,769$33,732$34,696$35,659$36,622$37,586
GS-3$32,592$33,677$34,763$35,849$36,935$38,021$39,107$40,192$41,278$42,364
GS-4$36,584$37,805$39,025$40,245$41,465$42,685$43,905$45,125$46,345$47,565
GS-5$40,931$42,295$43,659$45,023$46,387$47,750$49,114$50,478$51,842$53,206
GS-6$45,628$47,148$48,669$50,189$51,710$53,231$54,751$56,272$57,793$59,313
GS-7$50,703$52,393$54,084$55,774$57,465$59,155$60,846$62,536$64,227$65,917
GS-8$56,151$58,023$59,895$61,768$63,640$65,512$67,385$69,257$71,129$73,001
GS-9$62,020$64,087$66,154$68,221$70,288$72,355$74,422$76,489$78,557$80,624
GS-10$68,297$70,573$72,849$75,126$77,402$79,678$81,954$84,230$86,507$88,783
GS-11$75,038$77,538$80,039$82,540$85,041$87,541$90,042$92,543$95,044$97,544
GS-12$89,939$92,937$95,936$98,934$101,933$104,931$107,930$110,928$113,927$116,925
GS-13$106,950$110,515$114,080$117,645$121,210$124,776$128,341$131,906$135,471$139,036
GS-14$126,382$130,594$134,807$139,020$143,232$147,445$151,658$155,870$160,083$164,296
GS-15$148,658$153,613$158,568$163,523$168,479$173,434$178,389$183,344$188,299$193,254

The Virginia Beach locality pay rate also applies to Elizabeth City, and other cities within the region.

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Rest of North Carolina

Any federal employees in North Carolina 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 17.06% (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$26,175$27,053$27,922$28,790$29,658$30,166$31,028$31,895$31,930$32,742
GS-2$29,431$30,131$31,106$31,930$32,289$33,238$34,187$35,137$36,086$37,035
GS-3$32,114$33,184$34,254$35,324$36,394$37,464$38,534$39,604$40,674$41,744
GS-4$36,049$37,251$38,453$39,655$40,857$42,060$43,262$44,464$45,666$46,868
GS-5$40,332$41,676$43,020$44,363$45,707$47,051$48,395$49,739$51,083$52,426
GS-6$44,959$46,458$47,956$49,454$50,953$52,451$53,949$55,448$56,946$58,445
GS-7$49,960$51,626$53,292$54,957$56,623$58,289$59,955$61,620$63,286$64,952
GS-8$55,328$57,173$59,018$60,863$62,708$64,553$66,398$68,242$70,087$71,932
GS-9$61,111$63,148$65,185$67,222$69,259$71,295$73,332$75,369$77,406$79,443
GS-10$67,297$69,539$71,782$74,025$76,268$78,511$80,754$82,997$85,240$87,482
GS-11$73,939$76,403$78,867$81,331$83,795$86,259$88,723$91,187$93,652$96,116
GS-12$88,621$91,576$94,531$97,485$100,440$103,394$106,349$109,304$112,258$115,213
GS-13$105,383$108,896$112,409$115,922$119,435$122,948$126,461$129,974$133,487$137,000
GS-14$124,531$128,682$132,833$136,984$141,135$145,286$149,436$153,587$157,738$161,889
GS-15$146,481$151,363$156,246$161,128$166,011$170,894$175,776$180,659$185,541$190,424

The Rest of U.S. locality pay rate also applies to Greensboro, Havelock, High Point, Hoffman, Jacksonville, Southport, Wilmington, Winston-Salem, and other cities within the region.

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* For some high-paygrade workers pay under the GS scale may be capped at $195,200, 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/2025/northcarolina