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 GS-15 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.
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.