VIRGINIA BEACH-NORFOLK, VA-NC — 18.80% locality adjustment · Ranks 45th 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 | $26,830 | $27,729 | $28,621 | $29,510 | $30,400 | $30,921 | $31,804 | $32,693 | $32,729 | $33,559 |
| GS-2 | $30,167 | $30,884 | $31,885 | $32,729 | $33,095 | $34,068 | $35,041 | $36,014 | $36,987 | $37,960 |
| GS-3 | $32,917 | $34,015 | $35,113 | $36,210 | $37,308 | $38,406 | $39,503 | $40,601 | $41,699 | $42,797 |
| GS-4 | $36,950 | $38,182 | $39,414 | $40,646 | $41,878 | $43,110 | $44,342 | $45,574 | $46,806 | $48,038 |
| GS-5 | $41,341 | $42,719 | $44,097 | $45,475 | $46,854 | $48,232 | $49,610 | $50,988 | $52,366 | $53,744 |
| GS-6 | $46,084 | $47,620 | $49,156 | $50,692 | $52,228 | $53,764 | $55,300 | $56,836 | $58,372 | $59,908 |
| GS-7 | $51,210 | $52,917 | $54,624 | $56,331 | $58,039 | $59,746 | $61,453 | $63,160 | $64,867 | $66,574 |
| GS-8 | $56,713 | $58,603 | $60,493 | $62,383 | $64,273 | $66,163 | $68,053 | $69,944 | $71,834 | $73,724 |
| GS-9 | $62,640 | $64,728 | $66,817 | $68,905 | $70,994 | $73,082 | $75,171 | $77,259 | $79,348 | $81,436 |
| GS-10 | $68,980 | $71,279 | $73,578 | $75,876 | $78,175 | $80,474 | $82,773 | $85,071 | $87,370 | $89,669 |
| GS-11 | $75,788 | $78,315 | $80,842 | $83,369 | $85,896 | $88,423 | $90,950 | $93,477 | $96,003 | $98,530 |
| GS-12 | $90,838 | $93,866 | $96,894 | $99,923 | $102,951 | $105,979 | $109,007 | $112,036 | $115,064 | $118,092 |
| GS-13 | $108,019 | $111,620 | $115,221 | $118,821 | $122,422 | $126,023 | $129,624 | $133,225 | $136,826 | $140,426 |
| GS-14 | $127,646 | $131,901 | $136,157 | $140,412 | $144,668 | $148,923 | $153,178 | $157,434 | $161,689 | $165,945 |
| GS-15 | $150,144 | $155,149 | $160,154 | $165,159 | $170,164 | $175,169 | $180,174 | $185,180 | $190,185 | $195,190 |
Your Virginia Beach 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 VIRGINIA BEACH-NORFOLK, VA-NC pay area carries a 18.80% locality adjustment for 2026, making it #45 out of 58 OPM-defined pay areas. A GS-13 Step 1 employee here earns $108,019 annually, compared to $90,925 in the national base table — a difference of $17,094 per year.
Locality pay is calculated as: Base Pay × (1 + 18.80%). The resulting salary applies to all General Schedule employees assigned to a duty station within the VIRGINIA BEACH-NORFOLK, VA-NC 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 Norfolk and Hampton Roads.
Within the Southeast region, Virginia Beach sits 3.55 points below the Southeast average of 22.35%. Measured against the Rest of U.S. baseline (17.06%), a GS-13 Step 1 in Virginia Beach earns $1,582 more per year — $108,019 versus $106,437. Across the grade range, Step 1 salaries here run $41,341 at GS-5, $62,640 at GS-9, $108,019 at GS-13, and $150,144 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 Virginia Beach, 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 Virginia Beach — a common entry point for new graduates and many technician roles — starts at $51,210 on Step 1, reaches $58,039 at Step 5, and tops out at $66,574 on Step 10, after the 18.80% Virginia Beach locality adjustment is applied to the $43,106 national base rate.
A GS-9 in Virginia Beach — the typical first promotion step for specialists and analysts — starts at $62,640 on Step 1, reaches $70,994 at Step 5, and tops out at $81,436 on Step 10, after the 18.80% Virginia Beach locality adjustment is applied to the $52,727 national base rate.
A GS-11 in Virginia Beach — the full performance level for many professional series — starts at $75,788 on Step 1, reaches $85,896 at Step 5, and tops out at $98,530 on Step 10, after the 18.80% Virginia Beach locality adjustment is applied to the $63,795 national base rate.
A GS-12 in Virginia Beach — the journeyman level across much of the federal workforce — starts at $90,838 on Step 1, reaches $102,951 at Step 5, and tops out at $118,092 on Step 10, after the 18.80% Virginia Beach locality adjustment is applied to the $76,463 national base rate.
A GS-13 in Virginia Beach — the most common senior non-supervisory grade — starts at $108,019 on Step 1, reaches $122,422 at Step 5, and tops out at $140,426 on Step 10, after the 18.80% Virginia Beach locality adjustment is applied to the $90,925 national base rate.
A GS-14 in Virginia Beach — the supervisory and senior technical expert level — starts at $127,646 on Step 1, reaches $144,668 at Step 5, and tops out at $165,945 on Step 10, after the 18.80% Virginia Beach locality adjustment is applied to the $107,446 national base rate.
A GS-15 in Virginia Beach — the highest regular grade below the Senior Executive Service — starts at $150,144 on Step 1, reaches $170,164 at Step 5, and tops out at $195,190 on Step 10, after the 18.80% Virginia Beach locality adjustment is applied to the $126,384 national base rate.
All 15 grades and 10 steps for Virginia Beach are in the full table above, and the FERS Estimator converts any Virginia Beach salary into projected lifetime pension income.
Other Southeast locality pay areas, closest to the Virginia Beach rate first. The figure in parentheses is the difference from Virginia Beach’s 18.80% 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.