DETROIT-WARREN-ANN ARBOR, MI — 29.12% locality adjustment · Ranks 14th 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 | $29,160 | $30,138 | $31,108 | $32,073 | $33,041 | $33,607 | $34,567 | $35,533 | $35,573 | $36,474 |
| GS-2 | $32,787 | $33,567 | $34,655 | $35,573 | $35,970 | $37,028 | $38,085 | $39,143 | $40,200 | $41,258 |
| GS-3 | $35,777 | $36,970 | $38,163 | $39,356 | $40,549 | $41,742 | $42,935 | $44,128 | $45,321 | $46,514 |
| GS-4 | $40,160 | $41,499 | $42,838 | $44,177 | $45,516 | $46,855 | $48,194 | $49,533 | $50,872 | $52,211 |
| GS-5 | $44,932 | $46,430 | $47,928 | $49,426 | $50,924 | $52,421 | $53,919 | $55,417 | $56,915 | $58,413 |
| GS-6 | $50,087 | $51,756 | $53,426 | $55,096 | $56,765 | $58,435 | $60,104 | $61,774 | $63,443 | $65,113 |
| GS-7 | $55,658 | $57,514 | $59,369 | $61,225 | $63,080 | $64,936 | $66,791 | $68,647 | $70,502 | $72,358 |
| GS-8 | $61,639 | $63,694 | $65,748 | $67,802 | $69,857 | $71,911 | $73,965 | $76,019 | $78,074 | $80,128 |
| GS-9 | $68,081 | $70,351 | $72,621 | $74,891 | $77,161 | $79,431 | $81,701 | $83,971 | $86,241 | $88,510 |
| GS-10 | $74,972 | $77,471 | $79,969 | $82,468 | $84,966 | $87,465 | $89,963 | $92,462 | $94,960 | $97,458 |
| GS-11 | $82,372 | $85,118 | $87,865 | $90,611 | $93,358 | $96,104 | $98,850 | $101,597 | $104,343 | $107,090 |
| GS-12 | $98,729 | $102,020 | $105,312 | $108,603 | $111,894 | $115,185 | $118,477 | $121,768 | $125,059 | $128,350 |
| GS-13 | $117,402 | $121,316 | $125,230 | $129,143 | $133,057 | $136,970 | $140,884 | $144,798 | $148,711 | $152,625 |
| GS-14 | $138,734 | $143,359 | $147,984 | $152,610 | $157,235 | $161,860 | $166,485 | $171,110 | $175,735 | $180,360 |
| GS-15 | $163,187 | $168,627 | $174,067 | $179,506 | $184,946 | $190,386 | $195,826 | $197,200* | $197,200* | $197,200* |
* One or more steps are capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV, 5 CFR 531.606).
Your Detroit 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 DETROIT-WARREN-ANN ARBOR, MI pay area carries a 29.12% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #14 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $117,402 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $26,477 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 29.12%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the DETROIT-WARREN-ANN ARBOR, MI geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase.
Within the Midwest region, Detroit sits 6.97 points above the Midwest average of 22.15%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Detroit earns $10,965 more per year — $117,402 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $44,932 at GS-5, $68,081 at GS-9, $117,402 at GS-13, and $163,187 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 Detroit, GS-15 steps 8–10 are 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 Detroit — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $55,658 on Step 1, reaches $63,080 at Step 5, and tops out at $72,358 on Step 10, after the 29.12% Detroit locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Detroit — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $68,081 on Step 1, reaches $77,161 at Step 5, and tops out at $88,510 on Step 10, after the 29.12% Detroit locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Detroit — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $82,372 on Step 1, reaches $93,358 at Step 5, and tops out at $107,090 on Step 10, after the 29.12% Detroit locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Detroit — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $98,729 on Step 1, reaches $111,894 at Step 5, and tops out at $128,350 on Step 10, after the 29.12% Detroit locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Detroit — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $117,402 on Step 1, reaches $133,057 at Step 5, and tops out at $152,625 on Step 10, after the 29.12% Detroit locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Detroit — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $138,734 on Step 1, reaches $157,235 at Step 5, and tops out at $180,360 on Step 10, after the 29.12% Detroit locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Detroit — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $163,187 on Step 1, reaches $184,946 at Step 5, and tops out at $197,200 on Step 10, after the 29.12% Detroit locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate. Step 10 pay in Detroit is held down by the $197,200 statutory cap.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Detroit are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Detroit salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Midwest locality pay areas, closest to the Detroit rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Detroit’s 29.12% 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.