COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — 20.15% locality adjustment · Ranks 36th 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 | $27,135 | $28,044 | $28,947 | $29,845 | $30,745 | $31,273 | $32,165 | $33,064 | $33,101 | $33,940 |
| GS-2 | $30,510 | $31,235 | $32,247 | $33,101 | $33,471 | $34,455 | $35,439 | $36,423 | $37,408 | $38,392 |
| GS-3 | $33,291 | $34,401 | $35,512 | $36,622 | $37,732 | $38,842 | $39,952 | $41,062 | $42,173 | $43,283 |
| GS-4 | $37,370 | $38,616 | $39,862 | $41,108 | $42,354 | $43,600 | $44,846 | $46,092 | $47,338 | $48,584 |
| GS-5 | $41,811 | $43,205 | $44,598 | $45,992 | $47,386 | $48,780 | $50,173 | $51,567 | $52,961 | $54,355 |
| GS-6 | $46,607 | $48,161 | $49,714 | $51,268 | $52,822 | $54,375 | $55,929 | $57,482 | $59,036 | $60,589 |
| GS-7 | $51,792 | $53,518 | $55,245 | $56,972 | $58,698 | $60,425 | $62,151 | $63,878 | $65,604 | $67,331 |
| GS-8 | $57,357 | $59,269 | $61,180 | $63,092 | $65,004 | $66,915 | $68,827 | $70,738 | $72,650 | $74,561 |
| GS-9 | $63,351 | $65,464 | $67,576 | $69,688 | $71,800 | $73,913 | $76,025 | $78,137 | $80,249 | $82,362 |
| GS-10 | $69,764 | $72,089 | $74,414 | $76,739 | $79,064 | $81,388 | $83,713 | $86,038 | $88,363 | $90,688 |
| GS-11 | $76,650 | $79,205 | $81,761 | $84,316 | $86,872 | $89,428 | $91,983 | $94,539 | $97,094 | $99,650 |
| GS-12 | $91,870 | $94,933 | $97,996 | $101,058 | $104,121 | $107,183 | $110,246 | $113,309 | $116,371 | $119,434 |
| GS-13 | $109,246 | $112,888 | $116,530 | $120,172 | $123,813 | $127,455 | $131,097 | $134,739 | $138,380 | $142,022 |
| GS-14 | $129,096 | $133,400 | $137,704 | $142,008 | $146,311 | $150,615 | $154,919 | $159,223 | $163,527 | $167,830 |
| GS-15 | $151,850 | $156,912 | $161,974 | $167,036 | $172,098 | $177,160 | $182,222 | $187,284 | $192,346 | $197,200* |
* One or more steps are capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV, 5 CFR 531.606).
Your Colorado Springs 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 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO pay area carries a 20.15% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #36 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $109,246 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $18,321 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 20.15%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 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 El Paso County.
Within the Mountain West region, Colorado Springs sits 0.97 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 Colorado Springs earns $2,809 more per year — $109,246 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $41,811 at GS-5, $63,351 at GS-9, $109,246 at GS-13, and $151,850 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 Colorado Springs, 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 Colorado Springs — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $51,792 on Step 1, reaches $58,698 at Step 5, and tops out at $67,331 on Step 10, after the 20.15% Colorado Springs locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Colorado Springs — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $63,351 on Step 1, reaches $71,800 at Step 5, and tops out at $82,362 on Step 10, after the 20.15% Colorado Springs locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Colorado Springs — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $76,650 on Step 1, reaches $86,872 at Step 5, and tops out at $99,650 on Step 10, after the 20.15% Colorado Springs locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Colorado Springs — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $91,870 on Step 1, reaches $104,121 at Step 5, and tops out at $119,434 on Step 10, after the 20.15% Colorado Springs locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Colorado Springs — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $109,246 on Step 1, reaches $123,813 at Step 5, and tops out at $142,022 on Step 10, after the 20.15% Colorado Springs locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Colorado Springs — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $129,096 on Step 1, reaches $146,311 at Step 5, and tops out at $167,830 on Step 10, after the 20.15% Colorado Springs locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Colorado Springs — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $151,850 on Step 1, reaches $172,098 at Step 5, and tops out at $197,200 on Step 10, after the 20.15% Colorado Springs locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate. Step 10 pay in Colorado Springs is held down by the $197,200 statutory cap.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Colorado Springs are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Colorado Springs salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Mountain West locality pay areas, closest to the Colorado Springs rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Colorado Springs’s 20.15% 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.