ALBUQUERQUE-SANTA FE-LAS VEGAS, NM — 18.33% locality adjustment · Ranks 47th 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 | $26,724 | $27,619 | $28,508 | $29,393 | $30,279 | $30,799 | $31,678 | $32,563 | $32,600 | $33,426 |
| GS-2 | $30,048 | $30,762 | $31,759 | $32,600 | $32,964 | $33,933 | $34,903 | $35,872 | $36,841 | $37,810 |
| GS-3 | $32,787 | $33,880 | $34,974 | $36,067 | $37,160 | $38,254 | $39,347 | $40,440 | $41,534 | $42,627 |
| GS-4 | $36,804 | $38,031 | $39,258 | $40,485 | $41,713 | $42,940 | $44,167 | $45,394 | $46,621 | $47,848 |
| GS-5 | $41,178 | $42,550 | $43,923 | $45,296 | $46,668 | $48,041 | $49,413 | $50,786 | $52,159 | $53,531 |
| GS-6 | $45,901 | $47,431 | $48,961 | $50,491 | $52,021 | $53,551 | $55,081 | $56,611 | $58,141 | $59,671 |
| GS-7 | $51,007 | $52,708 | $54,408 | $56,109 | $57,809 | $59,509 | $61,210 | $62,910 | $64,611 | $66,311 |
| GS-8 | $56,488 | $58,371 | $60,254 | $62,136 | $64,019 | $65,902 | $67,784 | $69,667 | $71,549 | $73,432 |
| GS-9 | $62,392 | $64,472 | $66,552 | $68,633 | $70,713 | $72,793 | $74,873 | $76,954 | $79,034 | $81,114 |
| GS-10 | $68,707 | $70,997 | $73,287 | $75,576 | $77,866 | $80,156 | $82,445 | $84,735 | $87,025 | $89,314 |
| GS-11 | $75,489 | $78,006 | $80,522 | $83,039 | $85,556 | $88,073 | $90,590 | $93,107 | $95,624 | $98,141 |
| GS-12 | $90,479 | $93,495 | $96,511 | $99,527 | $102,544 | $105,560 | $108,576 | $111,592 | $114,609 | $117,625 |
| GS-13 | $107,592 | $111,178 | $114,765 | $118,351 | $121,938 | $125,524 | $129,111 | $132,698 | $136,284 | $139,871 |
| GS-14 | $127,141 | $131,379 | $135,618 | $139,857 | $144,095 | $148,334 | $152,572 | $156,811 | $161,049 | $165,288 |
| GS-15 | $149,550 | $154,535 | $159,521 | $164,506 | $169,491 | $174,476 | $179,462 | $184,447 | $189,432 | $194,417 |
Your Albuquerque 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 ALBUQUERQUE-SANTA FE-LAS VEGAS, NM pay area carries a 18.33% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #47 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $107,592 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $16,667 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 18.33%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the ALBUQUERQUE-SANTA FE-LAS VEGAS, NM geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase.
Within the Mountain West region, Albuquerque sits 2.79 points below the Mountain West average of 21.12%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Albuquerque earns $1,155 more per year — $107,592 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $41,178 at GS-5, $62,392 at GS-9, $107,592 at GS-13, and $149,550 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. No GS-15 step reaches the $197,200 statutory cap in Albuquerque, so every step increase translates into full salary through GS-15 Step 10. 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 Albuquerque — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $51,007 on Step 1, reaches $57,809 at Step 5, and tops out at $66,311 on Step 10, after the 18.33% Albuquerque locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Albuquerque — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $62,392 on Step 1, reaches $70,713 at Step 5, and tops out at $81,114 on Step 10, after the 18.33% Albuquerque locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Albuquerque — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $75,489 on Step 1, reaches $85,556 at Step 5, and tops out at $98,141 on Step 10, after the 18.33% Albuquerque locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Albuquerque — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $90,479 on Step 1, reaches $102,544 at Step 5, and tops out at $117,625 on Step 10, after the 18.33% Albuquerque locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Albuquerque — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $107,592 on Step 1, reaches $121,938 at Step 5, and tops out at $139,871 on Step 10, after the 18.33% Albuquerque locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Albuquerque — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $127,141 on Step 1, reaches $144,095 at Step 5, and tops out at $165,288 on Step 10, after the 18.33% Albuquerque locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Albuquerque — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $149,550 on Step 1, reaches $169,491 at Step 5, and tops out at $194,417 on Step 10, after the 18.33% Albuquerque locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Albuquerque are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Albuquerque salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Mountain West locality pay areas, closest to the Albuquerque rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Albuquerque’s 18.33% 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.