PHILADELPHIA-READING-CAMDEN, PA-NJ-DE-MD — 28.99% locality adjustment · Ranks 15th 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 | $29,131 | $30,108 | $31,076 | $32,041 | $33,007 | $33,574 | $34,532 | $35,497 | $35,537 | $36,437 |
| GS-2 | $32,754 | $33,534 | $34,620 | $35,537 | $35,934 | $36,990 | $38,047 | $39,103 | $40,160 | $41,216 |
| GS-3 | $35,741 | $36,932 | $38,124 | $39,316 | $40,508 | $41,700 | $42,892 | $44,084 | $45,275 | $46,467 |
| GS-4 | $40,120 | $41,457 | $42,795 | $44,133 | $45,470 | $46,808 | $48,146 | $49,483 | $50,821 | $52,158 |
| GS-5 | $44,887 | $46,384 | $47,880 | $49,376 | $50,872 | $52,369 | $53,865 | $55,361 | $56,858 | $58,354 |
| GS-6 | $50,037 | $51,704 | $53,372 | $55,040 | $56,708 | $58,376 | $60,044 | $61,711 | $63,379 | $65,047 |
| GS-7 | $55,602 | $57,456 | $59,310 | $61,163 | $63,017 | $64,870 | $66,724 | $68,578 | $70,431 | $72,285 |
| GS-8 | $61,577 | $63,629 | $65,682 | $67,734 | $69,786 | $71,838 | $73,891 | $75,943 | $77,995 | $80,047 |
| GS-9 | $68,013 | $70,280 | $72,548 | $74,815 | $77,083 | $79,351 | $81,618 | $83,886 | $86,154 | $88,421 |
| GS-10 | $74,897 | $77,393 | $79,889 | $82,385 | $84,881 | $87,377 | $89,872 | $92,368 | $94,864 | $97,360 |
| GS-11 | $82,289 | $85,033 | $87,776 | $90,520 | $93,264 | $96,007 | $98,751 | $101,494 | $104,238 | $106,982 |
| GS-12 | $98,630 | $101,918 | $105,206 | $108,493 | $111,781 | $115,069 | $118,357 | $121,645 | $124,933 | $128,221 |
| GS-13 | $117,284 | $121,194 | $125,104 | $129,013 | $132,923 | $136,833 | $140,742 | $144,652 | $148,562 | $152,471 |
| GS-14 | $138,595 | $143,215 | $147,835 | $152,456 | $157,076 | $161,697 | $166,317 | $170,938 | $175,558 | $180,178 |
| GS-15 | $163,023 | $168,457 | $173,891 | $179,326 | $184,760 | $190,194 | $195,629 | $197,200* | $197,200* | $197,200* |
* One or more steps are capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV, 5 CFR 531.606).
Your Philadelphia 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 PHILADELPHIA-READING-CAMDEN, PA-NJ-DE-MD pay area carries a 28.99% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #15 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $117,284 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $26,359 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 28.99%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the PHILADELPHIA-READING-CAMDEN, PA-NJ-DE-MD geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase.
Within the Northeast region, Philadelphia sits 3.73 points above the Northeast average of 25.26%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Philadelphia earns $10,847 more per year — $117,284 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $44,887 at GS-5, $68,013 at GS-9, $117,284 at GS-13, and $163,023 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 Philadelphia, 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 Philadelphia — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $55,602 on Step 1, reaches $63,017 at Step 5, and tops out at $72,285 on Step 10, after the 28.99% Philadelphia locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Philadelphia — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $68,013 on Step 1, reaches $77,083 at Step 5, and tops out at $88,421 on Step 10, after the 28.99% Philadelphia locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Philadelphia — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $82,289 on Step 1, reaches $93,264 at Step 5, and tops out at $106,982 on Step 10, after the 28.99% Philadelphia locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Philadelphia — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $98,630 on Step 1, reaches $111,781 at Step 5, and tops out at $128,221 on Step 10, after the 28.99% Philadelphia locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Philadelphia — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $117,284 on Step 1, reaches $132,923 at Step 5, and tops out at $152,471 on Step 10, after the 28.99% Philadelphia locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Philadelphia — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $138,595 on Step 1, reaches $157,076 at Step 5, and tops out at $180,178 on Step 10, after the 28.99% Philadelphia locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Philadelphia — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $163,023 on Step 1, reaches $184,760 at Step 5, and tops out at $197,200 on Step 10, after the 28.99% Philadelphia locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate. Step 10 pay in Philadelphia is held down by the $197,200 statutory cap.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Philadelphia are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Philadelphia salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Northeast locality pay areas, closest to the Philadelphia rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Philadelphia’s 28.99% 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.