DENVER-AURORA, CO — 30.52% locality adjustment · Ranks 12th 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 | $29,477 | $30,465 | $31,445 | $32,421 | $33,399 | $33,972 | $34,942 | $35,918 | $35,958 | $36,869 |
| GS-2 | $33,143 | $33,931 | $35,030 | $35,958 | $36,360 | $37,429 | $38,498 | $39,567 | $40,636 | $41,705 |
| GS-3 | $36,164 | $37,370 | $38,576 | $39,782 | $40,989 | $42,195 | $43,401 | $44,607 | $45,813 | $47,019 |
| GS-4 | $40,596 | $41,949 | $43,303 | $44,656 | $46,010 | $47,363 | $48,717 | $50,070 | $51,424 | $52,777 |
| GS-5 | $45,420 | $46,934 | $48,448 | $49,962 | $51,476 | $52,990 | $54,504 | $56,018 | $57,532 | $59,046 |
| GS-6 | $50,630 | $52,318 | $54,005 | $55,693 | $57,381 | $59,068 | $60,756 | $62,443 | $64,131 | $65,819 |
| GS-7 | $56,262 | $58,138 | $60,013 | $61,889 | $63,764 | $65,640 | $67,515 | $69,391 | $71,267 | $73,142 |
| GS-8 | $62,308 | $64,384 | $66,461 | $68,537 | $70,614 | $72,691 | $74,767 | $76,844 | $78,920 | $80,997 |
| GS-9 | $68,819 | $71,114 | $73,408 | $75,703 | $77,997 | $80,292 | $82,587 | $84,881 | $87,176 | $89,470 |
| GS-10 | $75,785 | $78,311 | $80,836 | $83,362 | $85,887 | $88,413 | $90,939 | $93,464 | $95,990 | $98,515 |
| GS-11 | $83,265 | $86,041 | $88,818 | $91,594 | $94,370 | $97,146 | $99,922 | $102,698 | $105,475 | $108,251 |
| GS-12 | $99,800 | $103,126 | $106,453 | $109,780 | $113,107 | $116,434 | $119,761 | $123,088 | $126,415 | $129,742 |
| GS-13 | $118,675 | $122,631 | $126,587 | $130,543 | $134,500 | $138,456 | $142,412 | $146,368 | $150,324 | $154,280 |
| GS-14 | $140,239 | $144,914 | $149,589 | $154,264 | $158,939 | $163,615 | $168,290 | $172,965 | $177,640 | $182,316 |
| GS-15 | $164,956 | $170,455 | $175,954 | $181,453 | $186,952 | $192,450 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
* One or more GS-15 steps are capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV, 5 CFR 531.606).
Your Denver 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 DENVER-AURORA, CO pay area carries a 30.52% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #12 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $118,675 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $27,750 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 30.52%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the DENVER-AURORA, CO geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase.
GS locality pay is capped at the Executive Schedule Level IV rate ($197,200 in 2026) regardless of grade, step, or locality percentage. This cap affects higher steps at GS-15 in the most generous pay areas. See the full interactive GS pay scale to compare all 58 locality pay areas side by side.