DES MOINES-AMES-WEST DES MOINES, IA — 18.01% locality adjustment · Ranks 51th 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 | $26,651 | $27,545 | $28,431 | $29,314 | $30,198 | $30,716 | $31,592 | $32,475 | $32,512 | $33,335 |
| GS-2 | $29,966 | $30,679 | $31,673 | $32,512 | $32,875 | $33,842 | $34,808 | $35,775 | $36,741 | $37,708 |
| GS-3 | $32,698 | $33,789 | $34,879 | $35,969 | $37,060 | $38,150 | $39,241 | $40,331 | $41,422 | $42,512 |
| GS-4 | $36,705 | $37,928 | $39,152 | $40,376 | $41,600 | $42,823 | $44,047 | $45,271 | $46,495 | $47,719 |
| GS-5 | $41,066 | $42,435 | $43,804 | $45,173 | $46,542 | $47,911 | $49,280 | $50,649 | $52,018 | $53,387 |
| GS-6 | $45,777 | $47,303 | $48,829 | $50,355 | $51,881 | $53,407 | $54,932 | $56,458 | $57,984 | $59,510 |
| GS-7 | $50,869 | $52,565 | $54,261 | $55,957 | $57,653 | $59,348 | $61,044 | $62,740 | $64,436 | $66,132 |
| GS-8 | $56,336 | $58,213 | $60,091 | $61,968 | $63,846 | $65,723 | $67,601 | $69,478 | $71,356 | $73,233 |
| GS-9 | $62,223 | $64,298 | $66,372 | $68,447 | $70,522 | $72,596 | $74,671 | $76,745 | $78,820 | $80,895 |
| GS-10 | $68,521 | $70,805 | $73,088 | $75,372 | $77,655 | $79,939 | $82,222 | $84,506 | $86,789 | $89,073 |
| GS-11 | $75,284 | $77,795 | $80,305 | $82,815 | $85,325 | $87,835 | $90,345 | $92,855 | $95,365 | $97,875 |
| GS-12 | $90,234 | $93,242 | $96,250 | $99,258 | $102,266 | $105,274 | $108,282 | $111,291 | $114,299 | $117,307 |
| GS-13 | $107,301 | $110,877 | $114,454 | $118,031 | $121,608 | $125,185 | $128,762 | $132,339 | $135,916 | $139,493 |
| GS-14 | $126,797 | $131,024 | $135,251 | $139,478 | $143,705 | $147,933 | $152,160 | $156,387 | $160,614 | $164,841 |
| GS-15 | $149,146 | $154,118 | $159,089 | $164,061 | $169,033 | $174,005 | $178,976 | $183,948 | $188,920 | $193,892 |
Your Des Moines 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 DES MOINES-AMES-WEST DES MOINES, IA pay area carries a 18.01% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #51 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $107,301 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $16,376 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 18.01%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the DES MOINES-AMES-WEST DES MOINES, IA geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase.
Within the Midwest region, Des Moines sits 4.14 points below the Midwest average of 22.15%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Des Moines earns $864 more per year — $107,301 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $41,066 at GS-5, $62,223 at GS-9, $107,301 at GS-13, and $149,146 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 Des Moines, 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 Des Moines — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $50,869 on Step 1, reaches $57,653 at Step 5, and tops out at $66,132 on Step 10, after the 18.01% Des Moines locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Des Moines — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $62,223 on Step 1, reaches $70,522 at Step 5, and tops out at $80,895 on Step 10, after the 18.01% Des Moines locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Des Moines — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $75,284 on Step 1, reaches $85,325 at Step 5, and tops out at $97,875 on Step 10, after the 18.01% Des Moines locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Des Moines — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $90,234 on Step 1, reaches $102,266 at Step 5, and tops out at $117,307 on Step 10, after the 18.01% Des Moines locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Des Moines — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $107,301 on Step 1, reaches $121,608 at Step 5, and tops out at $139,493 on Step 10, after the 18.01% Des Moines locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Des Moines — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $126,797 on Step 1, reaches $143,705 at Step 5, and tops out at $164,841 on Step 10, after the 18.01% Des Moines locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Des Moines — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $149,146 on Step 1, reaches $169,033 at Step 5, and tops out at $193,892 on Step 10, after the 18.01% Des Moines locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Des Moines are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Des Moines salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Midwest locality pay areas, closest to the Des Moines rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Des Moines’s 18.01% 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.