Los Angeles
GS pay, explained.
Look up your grade and step, compare another locality, and check which places the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA pay area covers.
Where does Los Angeles locality pay apply?
The Los Angeles pay area extends beyond Los Angeles County into several Southern and Central California counties. Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties are included, as are Imperial, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura.
The county examples here are a starting point, not the full boundary. Verify the exact duty station with OPM and your agency before relying on a rate.
Open the complete OPM coverage list ↗Compare Los Angeles pay
Start with Los Angeles, then change either scenario’s locality, grade or step. Figures include locality pay where applicable.
Difference: B minus A
- Annual rate
- +$2,399
- Hourly rate
- +$1.15
- 80-hour gross period
- +$92.00
3.33% higher in annual rate relative to scenario A.
The gross period is the published hourly rate × 80 hours. It assumes a regular full-time pay period before deductions, excludes premiums and overtime, and is not a take-home estimate. Rates are from the selected 2026 OPM tables; comparing steps does not establish eligibility for a step increase.
Los Angeles versus San Francisco
Holding grade and step constant helps isolate the effect of the pay table. It does not account for housing costs, taxes or deductions.
- Base GS, no locality
- $52,727
- Los Angeles (LA)
- $71,957
- San Francisco (SF)
- $77,161
Los Angeles is $5,204 lower annually than San Francisco at this grade and step. Its difference from base GS is $19,230.
Explore the San Francisco table →Use the published rates.
For the Los Angeles GS-9 step 1 example, $34.48 × 80 = $2,758.40 in regular gross biweekly pay. OPM’s rounded hourly rate is the starting point, rather than annual pay divided by 26.
We read annual and hourly values directly from the OPM workbook, preserving its rounding and any capped rates. The comparison excludes overtime, premiums, special salary rates and law enforcement officer schedules.
OPM’s hourly and biweekly calculation method ↗Los Angeles annual GS pay table, 2026
Select your grade down the left and step across the top. These are annual gross rates for the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA locality.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $30,820 | $31,853 | $32,878 | $33,899 | $34,921 | $35,520 | $36,534 | $37,555 | $37,597 | $38,550 |
| GS-2 | $34,654 | $35,478 | $36,627 | $37,597 | $38,018 | $39,136 | $40,253 | $41,371 | $42,489 | $43,606 |
| GS-3 | $37,813 | $39,074 | $40,335 | $41,596 | $42,857 | $44,118 | $45,379 | $46,640 | $47,901 | $49,162 |
| GS-4 | $42,446 | $43,861 | $45,277 | $46,692 | $48,107 | $49,522 | $50,937 | $52,353 | $53,768 | $55,183 |
| GS-5 | $47,490 | $49,073 | $50,656 | $52,239 | $53,822 | $55,405 | $56,989 | $58,572 | $60,155 | $61,738 |
| GS-6 | $52,938 | $54,703 | $56,467 | $58,232 | $59,996 | $61,761 | $63,525 | $65,290 | $67,055 | $68,819 |
| GS-7 | $58,827 | $60,788 | $62,749 | $64,710 | $66,671 | $68,632 | $70,593 | $72,554 | $74,515 | $76,476 |
| GS-8 | $65,148 | $67,319 | $69,491 | $71,662 | $73,833 | $76,004 | $78,175 | $80,347 | $82,518 | $84,689 |
| GS-9 | $71,957 | $74,356 | $76,755 | $79,154 | $81,553 | $83,952 | $86,351 | $88,751 | $91,150 | $93,549 |
| GS-10 | $79,240 | $81,881 | $84,521 | $87,162 | $89,803 | $92,443 | $95,084 | $97,725 | $100,365 | $103,006 |
| GS-11 | $87,061 | $89,964 | $92,866 | $95,769 | $98,672 | $101,575 | $104,477 | $107,380 | $110,283 | $113,185 |
| GS-12 | $104,349 | $107,828 | $111,306 | $114,785 | $118,264 | $121,742 | $125,221 | $128,699 | $132,178 | $135,657 |
| GS-13 | $124,085 | $128,222 | $132,358 | $136,495 | $140,631 | $144,767 | $148,904 | $153,040 | $157,177 | $161,313 |
| GS-14 | $146,632 | $151,520 | $156,408 | $161,297 | $166,185 | $171,073 | $175,962 | $180,850 | $185,738 | $190,627 |
| GS-15 | $172,476 | $178,226 | $183,975 | $189,725 | $195,474 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 | $197,200 |
On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally to see all ten steps. To view published hourly rates, choose the grade and step in the calculator above.
Los Angeles GS pay questions
Is Orange County in the Los Angeles locality pay area?
Yes. OPM lists Orange County in the Los Angeles-Long Beach locality. San Diego County has its own locality area, so a California address alone does not identify the correct table. Check the official definitions.
How much does a GS-9 step 1 earn in Los Angeles in 2026?
The regular LA table publishes $71,957 annually and $34.48 hourly. An 80-hour regular pay period is $2,758.40 gross. Different grades, steps or special rate schedules can produce different amounts.
Should I add locality pay to the amounts in this table?
No. The LA rates already include locality pay. Adding a locality percentage again would overstate the result. The base GS table is available separately for comparison.
Is the locality difference the amount I would gain by moving?
It is a comparison of published gross rates at the selected grade and step. Your actual change can depend on the assigned duty station, applicable pay rules, deductions, benefits and a position’s grade and step. Ask your agency to confirm an offer or transfer calculation.
Sources and next steps
Pay data retrieved 2026-09-29 from OPM’s 2026 workbook. Coverage notes checked 2026-09-29. This page is a reference, not an agency pay determination.