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General Schedule Government Payscales General Schedule Base Pay Table for 2009

224,751 federal employees †
$90,176 average yearly pay
+3% salary raise this year

The General Schedule (GS) Payscale is a worldwide pay system that covers more than 1.5 million civilian employees of the United States government. GeneralSchedule.org provides a one-stop source for current and past year General Schedule pay tables, locality adjustment rates, an interactive pay calculator, and more resources to help you understand your compensation as a Federal employee.

A General Schedule employee's pay is determined by two factors. First, base pay is calculated based on an employee's GS Paygrade and Step, which are based on their job title and seniority. Next, the employee's base pay is adjusted based on the current locality adjustment rate for the OPM pay locality in which they work. For more details, see How is my GS Pay calculated?.


GS Locality Adjustments By State

Across the United States, government employees' final General Schedule salaries are determined based on a locality adjustment based on their duty-station.

The adjustment applied to your salary depends on the General Schedule locality in which you work. There are 31 designated locality adjustment areas, plus a catch-all adjustment known as "Rest of U.S."

Learn more about how the GS payscale was created.

Click the map to view a list of applicable General Schedule localities, and their associated adjustment rate, within your state.


2009 General Schedule Pay Table: The table below shows the General Schedule's base pay rates for 2009. This table does not account for locality adjustments - to see a table that includes your applicable locality adjustment, choose your locality from the list of federal pay localities or by using the interactive locality map above.

GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$17,540$18,126$18,709$19,290$19,873$20,216$20,792$21,373$21,396$21,944
GS-2$19,721$20,190$20,842$21,396$21,635$22,271$22,907$23,543$24,179$24,815
GS-3$21,517$22,234$22,951$23,668$24,385$25,102$25,819$26,536$27,253$27,970
GS-4$24,156$24,961$25,766$26,571$27,376$28,181$28,986$29,791$30,596$31,401
GS-5$27,026$27,927$28,828$29,729$30,630$31,531$32,432$33,333$34,234$35,135
GS-6$30,125$31,129$32,133$33,137$34,141$35,145$36,149$37,153$38,157$39,161
GS-7$33,477$34,593$35,709$36,825$37,941$39,057$40,173$41,289$42,405$43,521
GS-8$37,075$38,311$39,547$40,783$42,019$43,255$44,491$45,727$46,963$48,199
GS-9$40,949$42,314$43,679$45,044$46,409$47,774$49,139$50,504$51,869$53,234
GS-10$45,095$46,598$48,101$49,604$51,107$52,610$54,113$55,616$57,119$58,622
GS-11$49,544$51,195$52,846$54,497$56,148$57,799$59,450$61,101$62,752$64,403
GS-12$59,383$61,362$63,341$65,320$67,299$69,278$71,257$73,236$75,215$77,194
GS-13$70,615$72,969$75,323$77,677$80,031$82,385$84,739$87,093$89,447$91,801
GS-14$83,445$86,227$89,009$91,791$94,573$97,355$100,137$102,919$105,701$108,483
GS-15$98,156$101,428$104,700$107,972$111,244$114,516$117,788$121,060$124,332$127,604

GS Pay Cap: The 2009 General Schedule pay cap is $153,200.00 per year, which is equivilent to the yearly pay of a Senior Executive Service (SES) level 4 executive. While the base GS payscale doesn't go this high, in several localities with high COLA adjustments employees in the highest GS paygrades may reach this salary ceiling.

2009 GS Pay Raise: This year, the General Schedule base payscale received a 2.9% across-the-board pay raise. A GS-13 Step 3 federal employee would receive an effective raise of $2,122.00 in 2009, from $73,201.00 per year (based on the 2008 GS base table) to $75,323.00 per year.

the U.S. Federal Employment Statistics

This section provides statistics on Federal government employees in the U.S., including most common occupations, agencies with the most local employees, and the average paygrade and salary rates of general schedule employees in the area. All data in this section is derived from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)'s most recent available listings of federal employees in the U.S..

Common Occupations in the U.S.

Occupation Number Employed Avg. Salary Avg. Bonus
Contact Representative 21,768 $54,906.00 $5.00
Medical Support Assistance 21,428 $46,053.00 $29.00
Management And Program Analysis 18,642 $124,155.00 $54.00
Information Technology Management 18,323 $129,288.00 $75.00
Miscellaneous Administration And Program 12,824 $119,327.00 $68.00
Veterans Claims Examining 12,253 $79,946.00 $64.00
Tax Examining 10,003 $50,197.00 $2.00
General Attorney 8,523 $147,586.00 $119.00
Nursing Assistant 8,180 $43,984.00 $61.00
Social Insurance Administration 7,548 $95,642.00 $0.00
General Health Science 6,437 $101,590.00 $44.00
Miscellaneous Clerk And Assistant 6,191 $48,617.00 $40.00
Social Work 5,637 $89,681.00 $41.00
General Legal And Kindred Administration 4,663 $65,932.00 $22.00
Practical Nurse 3,700 $60,126.00 $78.00
Aerospace Engineering 3,554 $139,299.00 $8.00
General Engineering 2,976 $142,481.00 $49.00
Financial Administration And Program 2,807 $98,769.00 $23.00
Health Aid And Technician 2,492 $49,359.00 $98.00
General Natural Resources Management And Biological Sciences 2,438 $115,690.00 $65.00
Pharmacist 2,396 $142,990.00 $49.00
Financial Clerical And Assistance 2,363 $50,516.00 $8.00
Human Resources Management 2,361 $105,988.00 $43.00
Contracting 2,280 $117,805.00 $22.00
General Business And Industry 2,276 $122,687.00 $34.00
Foreign Affairs 2,150 $136,124.00 $42.00
General Physical Science 1,698 $126,419.00 $1.00
Nurse 1,595 $107,611.00 $82.00
Health Insurance Administration 1,582 $130,180.00 $3.00
Statistics 1,514 $126,338.00 $68.00
Social Science 1,250 $108,931.00 $0.00
Security Administration 1,066 $118,477.00 $29.00
Public Health Program Specialist 1,027 $126,733.00 $3.00
Economist 965 $124,264.00 $40.00
Administrative Officer 928 $122,668.00 $17.00
General Arts And Information 804 $110,909.00 $105.00
Environmental Protection Specialist 724 $138,730.00 $0.00
Environmental Engineering 706 $130,697.00 $0.00
Accounting 705 $98,464.00 $220.00
Passport And Visa Examining 676 $86,250.00 $9.00
Civil Engineering 658 $108,486.00 $27.00
Agricultural Commodity Aid 647 $32,992.00 $18.00
Paralegal Specialist 640 $78,204.00 $42.00
Grants Management 635 $126,544.00 $58.00
Chemistry 628 $135,048.00 $20.00
Budget Analysis 594 $124,060.00 $59.00
Electronics Engineering 565 $143,273.00 $234.00
Consumer Safety 551 $139,532.00 $0.00
Security Guard 503 $54,736.00 $88.00
Mathematical Statistics 495 $134,474.00 $0.00
Program Management 461 $151,984.00 $332.00
Statistical Assistant 426 $40,431.00 $56.00
Trade Specialist 418 $124,191.00 $11.00
Emergency Management Specialist 416 $128,564.00 $1.00
Electrical Engineering 396 $124,279.00 $582.00
Computer Engineering 363 $132,079.00 $12.00
Loan Specialist 340 $75,783.00 $0.00
Claims Assistance And Examining 322 $58,948.00 $0.00
Correctional Institution Administration 312 $116,131.00 $70.00
Pharmacology 272 $151,200.00 $0.00
Museum Specialist And Technician 265 $91,677.00 $44.00
Public Utilities Specialist 259 $121,274.00 $1,124.00
Forestry Technician 239 $51,467.00 $54.00
Psychology 230 $117,316.00 $74.00
Astronomy And Space Science 211 $155,296.00 $0.00
Voucher Examining 207 $62,001.00 $0.00
Public Affairs 192 $127,717.00 $107.00
Archives Technician 190 $90,957.00 $218.00
Plant Protection Technician 173 $34,211.00 $32.00
Government Information Specialist 171 $79,890.00 $16.00
Agricultural Marketing 163 $117,972.00 $29.00
Medical Technologist 158 $96,244.00 $122.00
Human Resources Assistance 153 $41,391.00 $71.00
Electronics Technical 150 $126,430.00 $18.00
Technical Information Services 144 $113,724.00 $0.00
Worker's Compensation Claims Examining 144 $93,675.00 $91.00
Railroad Retirement Claims Examining 144 $86,276.00 $0.00
Bioengineering & Biomedical Engineering 143 $127,205.00 $0.00
Secretary 141 $68,927.00 $14.00
Building Management 135 $100,841.00 $0.00
Geography 133 $111,125.00 $0.00
Agricultural Commodity Grading 132 $49,839.00 $26.00
Health System Specialist 129 $129,525.00 $79.00
Archivist 128 $114,346.00 $266.00
Microbiology 128 $139,480.00 $0.00
Medical Records Technician 119 $51,908.00 $0.00
Petroleum Engineering 113 $128,133.00 $0.00
Meteorology 112 $130,244.00 $442.00
Transportation Specialist 111 $151,544.00 $0.00
Support Services Administration 110 $105,450.00 $12.00
Auditing 109 $127,951.00 $163.00
International Relations 106 $123,472.00 $6.00
Veterinary Medical Science 105 $140,846.00 $0.00
Mail And File 104 $35,117.00 $0.00
Materials Engineering 102 $120,351.00 $5.00
Geology 102 $112,776.00 $79.00
Museum Curator 101 $127,508.00 $92.00
Engineering Technical 100 $104,941.00 $10.00

This table lists the top 98 occupations held by the approximately 224,751 federal employees working in the U.S., across all agencies, as well as average yearly compensation for the U.S. based federal employees of that occupation.

Federal Agencies in the U.S.

Agency the U.S. Employees Avg. Salary Avg. Bonus
Veterans Health Administration 51,781 $62,591.00 $47.00
Internal Revenue Service 37,778 $75,091.00 $6.00
Social Security Administration 22,138 $83,437.00 $1.00
Veterans Benefits Administration 14,112 $79,416.00 $60.00
National Institutes Of Health 9,609 $118,064.00 $34.00
Department Of State 7,391 $116,889.00 $37.00
Food And Drug Administration 6,516 $131,435.00 $1.00
Environmental Protection Agency 5,665 $127,072.00 $0.00
Offices, Boards And Divisions 4,498 $125,975.00 $185.00
Federal Bureau Of Investigation 4,262 $117,427.00 $36.00
U.s. Census Bureau 4,130 $99,102.00 $19.00
Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services 3,031 $125,852.00 $3.00
Customs And Border Protection 2,996 $128,462.00 $66.00
Dhs Headquarters 2,165 $137,199.00 $56.00
Goddard Space Flight Center 2,143 $146,301.00 $1.00
Citizenship And Immigration Services 1,951 $110,404.00 $65.00
Bureau Of The Fiscal Service 1,919 $93,555.00 $0.00
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center 1,908 $140,262.00 $24.00
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center 1,547 $122,370.00 $9.00
Department Of Energy 1,505 $133,118.00 $619.00
Immigration And Customs Enforcement 1,407 $136,206.00 $6.00
Cybersecurity And Infrastructure Security Agency 1,343 $133,482.00 $71.00
John F. Kennedy Space Center 1,340 $121,671.00 $13.00
Office Of The Secretary Of Health And Human Services 1,321 $133,268.00 $113.00
Health Resources And Services Administration 1,270 $129,838.00 $0.00
Federal Emergency Management Agency 1,224 $125,107.00 $17.00
Forest Service 1,203 $74,452.00 $133.00
Deputy Assistant Secretary For Information And Technology 1,160 $119,510.00 $2.00
Office Of Personnel Management 1,126 $92,267.00 $8.00
Smithsonian Institution (Except Units Administered Under Separate Boards Of Trustees) 1,121 $98,648.00 $86.00
Departmental Offices 1,014 $136,823.00 $46.00
Small Business Administration 1,003 $89,253.00 $1.00
Agricultural Marketing Service 942 $49,963.00 $21.00
U.s. Agency For International Development 885 $135,648.00 $19.00
Federal Communications Commission 857 $155,082.00 $1,148.00
Bureau Of Labor Statistics 851 $122,250.00 $14.00
Public Buildings Service 795 $115,753.00 $2.00
Drug Enforcement Administration 764 $128,391.00 $31.00
John Glenn Research Center At Lewis Field 734 $127,959.00 $3.00
U.s. Coast Guard 711 $128,984.00 $77.00
Indian Health Service 687 $94,361.00 $80.00
Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service 652 $100,446.00 $205.00
Office Of The Secretary Of The Interior 650 $117,017.00 $64.00
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 575 $148,142.00 $82.00
U.s. Agency For Global Media 562 $118,341.00 $34.00
Bureau Of Prisons/federal Prison System 540 $115,511.00 $64.00
U.s. Secret Service 539 $119,376.00 $13.00
Administration For Children And Families 502 $123,274.00 $3.00
Office Of The Chief Financial Officer (Department Of Agriculture) 501 $98,018.00 $755.00
Federal Trade Commission 488 $164,678.00 $11.00
Federal Highway Administration 462 $115,803.00 $0.00
Headquarters, Nasa 448 $152,073.00 $6.00
Office Of Management And Budget 446 $147,392.00 $19.00
Ames Research Center 430 $157,006.00 $10.00
National Archives And Records Administration 421 $116,664.00 $170.00
Office Of The Chief Information Officer (Department Of Agriculture) 405 $117,119.00 $129.00
Assistant Secretary For Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner 386 $136,085.00 $4.00
Office Of The Director 379 $111,742.00 $1.00
Deputy Assistant Secretary For Finance 338 $73,571.00 $21.00
International Trade Administration 314 $126,736.00 $7.00
Bureau Of Reclamation 307 $122,278.00 $107.00
Fpac Business Center 281 $109,265.00 $13.00
Office Of The Assistant Secretary For Administration And Management 274 $139,560.00 $139.00
Executive Director, Office Of Acquisition And Logistics 271 $103,724.00 $0.00
National Gallery Of Art 267 $75,774.00 $86.00
Assistant Secretary For Public And Indian Housing 240 $131,902.00 $26.00
U.s. Fish And Wildlife Service 218 $110,725.00 $145.00
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 212 $138,456.00 $144.00
Foreign Agricultural Service 208 $111,918.00 $17.00
Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration 204 $128,544.00 $0.00
Office Of The Solicitor (Department Of Labor) 202 $156,464.00 $9.00
General Counsel (Department Of Veterans Affairs) 189 $139,040.00 $0.00
Pretrial Services Agency 189 $114,512.00 $0.00
National Labor Relations Board 180 $156,454.00 $108.00
Office Of Justice Programs 174 $135,631.00 $57.00
Office Of The Secretary Of Transportation 168 $121,567.00 $0.00
Office Of The Solicitor (Department Of Interior) 168 $145,065.00 $257.00
Assistant Secretary For Community Planning And Development 167 $130,111.00 $0.00
Office Of The Secretary (Department Of Commerce) 162 $149,723.00 $28.00
Office Of The Senior Coordinator For Southeast/caribbean 160 $109,676.00 $3.00
Overseas Private Investment Corporation 156 $144,760.00 $0.00
Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, And Explosives 145 $135,001.00 $224.00
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 145 $150,735.00 $15.00
Office Of Workers' Compensation Programs 144 $93,675.00 $91.00
Railroad Retirement Board 144 $86,276.00 $0.00
Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center 142 $138,259.00 $9.00
U.s. Marshals Service 141 $130,387.00 $0.00
Office Of General Counsel (Department Of Housing And Urban Development) 140 $149,374.00 $0.00
National Agricultural Statistics Service 139 $129,910.00 $197.00
Economic Research Service 134 $105,963.00 $91.00
Office Of The Senior Coordinator For Rocky Mountains 132 $112,565.00 $0.00
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention 123 $131,029.00 $0.00
Office Of The U.s. Trade Representative 121 $149,913.00 $0.00
Office Of The Chief Information Officer (Department Of Housing And Urban Development) 116 $150,064.00 $64.00
Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement 113 $128,133.00 $0.00
National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration 112 $130,244.00 $442.00
Office Of The Senior Coordinator For Mid-Atlantic 110 $120,057.00 $0.00
Bureau Of International Labor Affairs 106 $123,472.00 $6.00
Rural Development 104 $118,772.00 $299.00
Geological Survey 102 $112,776.00 $79.00

There are 100 Federal agencies with a significant workforce in the U.S.. General Schedule employees at all of the agencies listed below will be paid according to the locality-adjusted GS payscale listed on this page.


Distribution of GS Employees in the U.S.

There are approximately 224,751 federal employees on the General Schedule payscale located within the U.S.. The average federal employee in the U.S. earns $90,176 per year, and the average yearly bonus is $50.

Based on data provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the most common job title for federal employees based in the U.S. is Contact Representative. The Federal agency with the largest number of employees in the U.S. is the Veterans Health Administration, which has total of 51,781 employees in the area.

The bar graph to the left shows the distribution of employees in the U.S. by paygrade, from GS-1 to GS-15. To learn more about how paygrades are determined and how they affect a federal employee's salary, see how to calculate GS Pay.


** This Document Provided By GeneralSchedule.org **
Source: http://www.generalschedule.org/2009