AUSTIN-ROUND ROCK-GEORGETOWN, TX — 20.35% locality adjustment · Ranks 35th 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 | $27,180 | $28,091 | $28,995 | $29,895 | $30,796 | $31,325 | $32,219 | $33,119 | $33,156 | $33,996 |
| GS-2 | $30,560 | $31,287 | $32,301 | $33,156 | $33,527 | $34,513 | $35,498 | $36,484 | $37,470 | $38,455 |
| GS-3 | $33,347 | $34,459 | $35,571 | $36,683 | $37,795 | $38,907 | $40,019 | $41,131 | $42,243 | $43,355 |
| GS-4 | $37,432 | $38,680 | $39,929 | $41,177 | $42,425 | $43,673 | $44,921 | $46,169 | $47,417 | $48,665 |
| GS-5 | $41,881 | $43,277 | $44,673 | $46,069 | $47,465 | $48,861 | $50,257 | $51,653 | $53,049 | $54,445 |
| GS-6 | $46,685 | $48,241 | $49,797 | $51,353 | $52,909 | $54,466 | $56,022 | $57,578 | $59,134 | $60,690 |
| GS-7 | $51,878 | $53,608 | $55,337 | $57,066 | $58,796 | $60,525 | $62,255 | $63,984 | $65,714 | $67,443 |
| GS-8 | $57,453 | $59,367 | $61,282 | $63,197 | $65,112 | $67,027 | $68,941 | $70,856 | $72,771 | $74,686 |
| GS-9 | $63,457 | $65,573 | $67,688 | $69,804 | $71,920 | $74,036 | $76,151 | $78,267 | $80,383 | $82,499 |
| GS-10 | $69,880 | $72,209 | $74,538 | $76,866 | $79,195 | $81,524 | $83,853 | $86,181 | $88,510 | $90,839 |
| GS-11 | $76,777 | $79,337 | $81,897 | $84,457 | $87,017 | $89,577 | $92,136 | $94,696 | $97,256 | $99,816 |
| GS-12 | $92,023 | $95,091 | $98,159 | $101,226 | $104,294 | $107,362 | $110,430 | $113,497 | $116,565 | $119,633 |
| GS-13 | $109,428 | $113,076 | $116,724 | $120,372 | $124,019 | $127,667 | $131,315 | $134,963 | $138,611 | $142,259 |
| GS-14 | $129,311 | $133,622 | $137,933 | $142,244 | $146,555 | $150,866 | $155,177 | $159,488 | $163,799 | $168,110 |
| GS-15 | $152,103 | $157,173 | $162,244 | $167,314 | $172,385 | $177,455 | $182,525 | $187,596 | $192,666 | $197,200* |
* One or more steps are capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV, 5 CFR 531.606).
Your Austin 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 AUSTIN-ROUND ROCK-GEORGETOWN, TX pay area carries a 20.35% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #35 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $109,428 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $18,503 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 20.35%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the AUSTIN-ROUND ROCK-GEORGETOWN, TX geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase.
Within the South Central region, Austin sits 3.09 points below the South Central average of 23.44%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Austin earns $2,991 more per year — $109,428 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $41,881 at GS-5, $63,457 at GS-9, $109,428 at GS-13, and $152,103 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 Austin, 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 Austin — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $51,878 on Step 1, reaches $58,796 at Step 5, and tops out at $67,443 on Step 10, after the 20.35% Austin locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Austin — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $63,457 on Step 1, reaches $71,920 at Step 5, and tops out at $82,499 on Step 10, after the 20.35% Austin locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Austin — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $76,777 on Step 1, reaches $87,017 at Step 5, and tops out at $99,816 on Step 10, after the 20.35% Austin locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Austin — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $92,023 on Step 1, reaches $104,294 at Step 5, and tops out at $119,633 on Step 10, after the 20.35% Austin locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Austin — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $109,428 on Step 1, reaches $124,019 at Step 5, and tops out at $142,259 on Step 10, after the 20.35% Austin locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Austin — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $129,311 on Step 1, reaches $146,555 at Step 5, and tops out at $168,110 on Step 10, after the 20.35% Austin locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Austin — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $152,103 on Step 1, reaches $172,385 at Step 5, and tops out at $197,200 on Step 10, after the 20.35% Austin locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate. Step 10 pay in Austin is held down by the $197,200 statutory cap.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Austin are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Austin salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other South Central locality pay areas, closest to the Austin rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Austin’s 20.35% 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.