ST. LOUIS-ST. CHARLES-FARMINGTON, MO-IL — 20.03% locality adjustment · Ranks 37th 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 | $27,108 | $28,016 | $28,918 | $29,815 | $30,714 | $31,241 | $32,133 | $33,031 | $33,068 | $33,906 |
| GS-2 | $30,479 | $31,204 | $32,215 | $33,068 | $33,438 | $34,421 | $35,404 | $36,387 | $37,370 | $38,353 |
| GS-3 | $33,258 | $34,367 | $35,476 | $36,585 | $37,694 | $38,803 | $39,912 | $41,021 | $42,131 | $43,240 |
| GS-4 | $37,333 | $38,578 | $39,822 | $41,067 | $42,312 | $43,556 | $44,801 | $46,046 | $47,291 | $48,535 |
| GS-5 | $41,769 | $43,162 | $44,554 | $45,946 | $47,339 | $48,731 | $50,123 | $51,516 | $52,908 | $54,300 |
| GS-6 | $46,561 | $48,113 | $49,665 | $51,217 | $52,769 | $54,321 | $55,873 | $57,425 | $58,977 | $60,529 |
| GS-7 | $51,740 | $53,465 | $55,190 | $56,915 | $58,639 | $60,364 | $62,089 | $63,814 | $65,539 | $67,264 |
| GS-8 | $57,300 | $59,210 | $61,119 | $63,029 | $64,939 | $66,848 | $68,758 | $70,668 | $72,577 | $74,487 |
| GS-9 | $63,288 | $65,398 | $67,508 | $69,619 | $71,729 | $73,839 | $75,949 | $78,059 | $80,169 | $82,279 |
| GS-10 | $69,694 | $72,017 | $74,339 | $76,662 | $78,985 | $81,307 | $83,630 | $85,952 | $88,275 | $90,597 |
| GS-11 | $76,573 | $79,126 | $81,679 | $84,232 | $86,785 | $89,338 | $91,891 | $94,444 | $96,997 | $99,550 |
| GS-12 | $91,779 | $94,838 | $97,898 | $100,957 | $104,017 | $107,076 | $110,136 | $113,195 | $116,255 | $119,315 |
| GS-13 | $109,137 | $112,775 | $116,413 | $120,052 | $123,690 | $127,328 | $130,966 | $134,604 | $138,242 | $141,880 |
| GS-14 | $128,967 | $133,267 | $137,566 | $141,866 | $146,165 | $150,465 | $154,764 | $159,064 | $163,363 | $167,663 |
| GS-15 | $151,699 | $156,756 | $161,812 | $166,869 | $171,926 | $176,983 | $182,040 | $187,097 | $192,154 | $197,200* |
* One or more steps are capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV, 5 CFR 531.606).
Your Saint Louis 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 ST. LOUIS-ST. CHARLES-FARMINGTON, MO-IL pay area carries a 20.03% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #37 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $109,137 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $18,212 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 20.03%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the ST. LOUIS-ST. CHARLES-FARMINGTON, MO-IL geographic area as defined by OPM. Locality adjustments are effective each January alongside the across-the-board base pay increase. This pay area is also commonly searched as St. Louis and St Louis.
Within the Midwest region, Saint Louis sits 2.12 points below the Midwest average of 22.15%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Saint Louis earns $2,700 more per year — $109,137 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $41,769 at GS-5, $63,288 at GS-9, $109,137 at GS-13, and $151,699 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 Saint Louis, GS-15 step 10 is 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 Saint Louis — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $51,740 on Step 1, reaches $58,639 at Step 5, and tops out at $67,264 on Step 10, after the 20.03% Saint Louis locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Saint Louis — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $63,288 on Step 1, reaches $71,729 at Step 5, and tops out at $82,279 on Step 10, after the 20.03% Saint Louis locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Saint Louis — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $76,573 on Step 1, reaches $86,785 at Step 5, and tops out at $99,550 on Step 10, after the 20.03% Saint Louis locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Saint Louis — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $91,779 on Step 1, reaches $104,017 at Step 5, and tops out at $119,315 on Step 10, after the 20.03% Saint Louis locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Saint Louis — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $109,137 on Step 1, reaches $123,690 at Step 5, and tops out at $141,880 on Step 10, after the 20.03% Saint Louis locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Saint Louis — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $128,967 on Step 1, reaches $146,165 at Step 5, and tops out at $167,663 on Step 10, after the 20.03% Saint Louis locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Saint Louis — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $151,699 on Step 1, reaches $171,926 at Step 5, and tops out at $197,200 on Step 10, after the 20.03% Saint Louis locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate. Step 10 pay in Saint Louis is held down by the $197,200 statutory cap.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Saint Louis are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Saint Louis salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Midwest locality pay areas, closest to the Saint Louis rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Saint Louis’s 20.03% 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.