ALBANY-SCHENECTADY, NY-MA — 20.77% locality adjustment · Ranks 34th of 58 pay areas
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $27,275 | $28,189 | $29,096 | $29,999 | $30,904 | $31,434 | $32,331 | $33,235 | $33,272 | $34,115 |
| GS-2 | $30,667 | $31,397 | $32,413 | $33,272 | $33,644 | $34,633 | $35,622 | $36,611 | $37,601 | $38,590 |
| GS-3 | $33,463 | $34,579 | $35,695 | $36,811 | $37,927 | $39,043 | $40,158 | $41,274 | $42,390 | $43,506 |
| GS-4 | $37,563 | $38,815 | $40,068 | $41,320 | $42,573 | $43,825 | $45,077 | $46,330 | $47,582 | $48,835 |
| GS-5 | $42,027 | $43,428 | $44,829 | $46,230 | $47,630 | $49,031 | $50,432 | $51,833 | $53,234 | $54,635 |
| GS-6 | $46,848 | $48,409 | $49,971 | $51,533 | $53,094 | $54,656 | $56,217 | $57,779 | $59,340 | $60,902 |
| GS-7 | $52,059 | $53,795 | $55,530 | $57,266 | $59,001 | $60,736 | $62,472 | $64,207 | $65,943 | $67,678 |
| GS-8 | $57,653 | $59,575 | $61,496 | $63,418 | $65,339 | $67,260 | $69,182 | $71,103 | $73,025 | $74,946 |
| GS-9 | $63,678 | $65,802 | $67,925 | $70,048 | $72,171 | $74,294 | $76,417 | $78,540 | $80,663 | $82,787 |
| GS-10 | $70,124 | $72,461 | $74,798 | $77,135 | $79,471 | $81,808 | $84,145 | $86,482 | $88,819 | $91,156 |
| GS-11 | $77,045 | $79,614 | $82,183 | $84,752 | $87,320 | $89,889 | $92,458 | $95,027 | $97,595 | $100,164 |
| GS-12 | $92,344 | $95,423 | $98,501 | $101,580 | $104,658 | $107,737 | $110,815 | $113,893 | $116,972 | $120,050 |
| GS-13 | $109,810 | $113,471 | $117,131 | $120,792 | $124,452 | $128,113 | $131,773 | $135,434 | $139,094 | $142,755 |
| GS-14 | $129,763 | $134,089 | $138,414 | $142,740 | $147,066 | $151,392 | $155,718 | $160,044 | $164,370 | $168,696 |
| GS-15 | $152,634 | $157,722 | $162,810 | $167,898 | $172,986 | $178,074 | $183,162 | $188,250 | $193,338 | $197,200* |
* One or more steps are capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV, 5 CFR 531.606).
Your Albany locality salary feeds directly into your FERS High-3 average, which sets your pension for life. Use the GS Pay Calculator to see your exact salary and projected pension by grade, step, and locality.
The ALBANY-SCHENECTADY, NY-MA pay area carries a 20.77% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #34 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $109,810 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $18,885 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 20.77%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the ALBANY-SCHENECTADY, NY-MA geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase. This pay area is also commonly searched as Schenectady.
Within the Northeast region, Albany sits 4.49 points below the Northeast average of 25.26%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Albany earns $3,373 more per year — $109,810 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $42,027 at GS-5, $63,678 at GS-9, $109,810 at GS-13, and $152,634 at GS-15.
GS locality pay is capped at the Executive Schedule Level IV rate ($197,200 in 2026) regardless of grade, step, or locality percentage. In Albany, GS-15 step 10 is capped at $197,200, so the published step increases stop translating into real pay at that point. See the full interactive GS pay scale to compare all 58 locality pay areas side by side.
2026 locality-adjusted salaries for the grades that cover most of the federal workforce. Jump to a grade:
A GS-7 in Albany — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $52,059 on Step 1, reaches $59,001 at Step 5, and tops out at $67,678 on Step 10, after the 20.77% Albany locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Albany — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $63,678 on Step 1, reaches $72,171 at Step 5, and tops out at $82,787 on Step 10, after the 20.77% Albany locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Albany — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $77,045 on Step 1, reaches $87,320 at Step 5, and tops out at $100,164 on Step 10, after the 20.77% Albany locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Albany — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $92,344 on Step 1, reaches $104,658 at Step 5, and tops out at $120,050 on Step 10, after the 20.77% Albany locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Albany — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $109,810 on Step 1, reaches $124,452 at Step 5, and tops out at $142,755 on Step 10, after the 20.77% Albany locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Albany — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $129,763 on Step 1, reaches $147,066 at Step 5, and tops out at $168,696 on Step 10, after the 20.77% Albany locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Albany — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $152,634 on Step 1, reaches $172,986 at Step 5, and tops out at $197,200 on Step 10, after the 20.77% Albany locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate. Step 10 pay in Albany is held down by the $197,200 statutory cap.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Albany are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Albany salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Northeast locality pay areas, closest to the Albany rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Albany’s 20.77% adjustment.
Comparing offers across localities? The GS Pay Calculator models any grade, step, and locality combination, and the FERS Estimator shows what each option is worth as lifetime pension income. See all 58 pay areas for the full list.